On the one hand, think what we've done, what we've experienced, where we've been, who we've spent time with, etc, etc... on the other hand HOW IS IT POSSIBLE MY BABY IS 1????
On her birthday... my big girl!
We had a lovely party for Beni yesterday, even though neither she nor I were feeling all that well. We picked up some germs upon reaching Michigan. Beni got a pretty bad cough, a stuffy/runny/incredibly snotty nose and a generally bad attitude. I have had just a stuffy nose and the accompanying raw nose/dry lips, etc. Anyway, we've both been having trouble sleeping, feeling grumpy, etc. So, needless to say, neither of us were really in a good place to have a house full of people, Beni wasn't really ready to be the center of attention, and she had pretty much no interest in opening presents. Oh, and thank goodness for nursing, because the child hasn't eaten more than three bites of solid food since this whole thing started (yeah, she didn't eat any cake). Sigh.
The cake I spent hours making, that Beni didn't even taste. It's ok, everyone else liked it!
When she's not sick (ok, even when she is) she's pretty amazing! We've decided that she has spoken and consistently uses her first word- hi! She says both hi and hey. She uses them appropriately and on her own (not just repeating or saying them when someone tells her to).
Dressed up for her birthday party, eating hummus
She is also walking more than she is crawling now. In fact, if she happens to lose her balance and end up on her bum, she stands back up, she doesn't crawl. She spends a lot of time walking just for the sake of walking. She also likes to walk pretty much everywhere- around the house, outside, in the bath, on the bed, etc... EVERYWHERE! She toddles around like a....well, a toddler! :) Amazing! Party in the living room! Balloons = decoration!
Beni still nurses like it's her job. Maybe it is. She goes through phases with foods... liking one thing one week, something else another week. She's still particular about textures- she'll only eat super smooth purees or finger foods- nothing thick or chunky. Her favorites remain black beans, cheese, Vegemite (which she seriously sucks straight out of the tube) and recently yogurt. She loves to climb stairs, and knows how to go up and down, although it's hardly safe for her to go down on her own. She also knows how to scoot off the bed, off the couch, etc. She also loves to put things in things (like, say, put all her bath toys in the bucket) or to take everything out of somewhere (like unpacking the cupboards). We are currently living with my step-sister and her two kids, one of which is a three month old preemie (he's 6.5 lbs now!), and when I hold him Beni gets INSANELY jealous. She tries to climb into my lap the moment I am holding him. It's pretty funny. Thank goodness a sibling will take however long plus at least 9 mos...seems she needs the time! :)
Beni and her cake
So the grumpy girl is 1, not feeling well, but continuing to be pretty darn awesome in the face of it all. More pictures are on facebook! Enjoy!
