Here is Adelaide, in her Little Red Riding Hood costume which was handmade by her Daddy.
My big baby girl is 13 months old today, and I feel just a little more sad about that then I did about her turning 1. She is walking full time now and usually running. Walking is her newest source of tantrums. I like to hold her hand and let her walk, so I can keep her close to me. Well, when I don’t go the way she wants, she will throw herself down and twist her body to get free from me. I guess that the “terrible twos” describe the second year and not just being 2 or older.
Adelaide is learning so rapidly these days. I give her two pacifiers (or “chupies”) to sleep with, so she can hold one in her hand and have one in her mouth. When she wakes up, I ask her to put them in her crib, and she does now. I can also ask her if she’s ready to lie down with her chupies, and she’ll say, “Yeah,” and walk towards her room. She says: Mommy, Daddy, Jack, Ellie, belly, hi, bye, thank you (or something akin to that; she’s not very consistent with that one), yeah, chupy, baby and dog.
Eating is kind of a sensitive subject over here. At her one-year checkup, we learned that not only did she not gain much weight but that she’s also slightly anemic. When I say slightly, I mean slightly. Her hemoglobin level was at 10, and normal range is between 11 and 14. Needless to say, we have made some changes to her diet, namely the addition of Poly-Vi-Sol with iron. The stuff is horrid, but obviously, her health is important to me. The transition to whole cow’s milk is going, slowly. I can get her to take probably 1/2 cup at a time now, if I add some Carnation’s Instant Breakfast. I don’t feel guilty about that really, though, because there are additional calories and iron, along with the sweet chocolate flavor.
All in all, I am still very much enjoying my time with my sweet girl. We still love going to the library for Baby Bookworms together each week, and I love all our snuggle/play-fighting time. However, I am on the hunt for a job again. We could use the extra funds, and I could do with some extra adult interaction and mental stimulation. I have a few interviews coming up, and I’m getting nervous. I have been applying for jobs for almost two months now, but this will be my first time actively job-hunting since shortly before I found out I was pregnant. Hopefully, I will find something soon. Until then, I am cautiously optimistic and devoted 100 percent to my beautiful little girl.
Chris's Missus 