Life in Color Photo

I wanted to share some things we have really been loving over here in the play department. We spent a night last weekend going through all her play things and editing. We moved where all the toys were (if they were in the basement, they got moved upstairs, etc) and pulled out things she's too big for. It was sort of a shock to go through and realize that she was too old for some really simple things. Our plan is to re-evluate mid month every month and move things around; bring some things out/put other things into hiding. She does much better with this new system. And we'll have fun things to re-discover every month.

 

This cute guy was made by Tuesday's aunti Kat (my brother's girlfriend). Yes, it says tutu. 

 

She's made from felt, so awesome! Tuesday is just starting to grasp that people can make her little toys "come alive" and gets a kick out of me making horsey noises and galloping it around the living room. 

 

Bj's mom made her this bowl of fruit (note the inclusion of an ice cream cone = fabulousness!). I sent her this book and told her to go to town. Haha I think I need to mix up Tuesday's outfits, these photos were taken on different days. I just love her in red right now though…

 

Santa not only filled her stocking but got her this fabulous shopping cart. Technically it's for three and up I think, but she makes it work (and we have it on the lowest setting):

 

Note: she can not steer…

 

Tuesday you're going to get me!!! Watch out! 

 

This is perhaps the favorite thing right now, and I don't just mean with the little person:

 

Brent sorts the "coaster game" into a rainbow, what a good uncle. 

 

I don't really know what it's called. I got it here. It took all my surfing skills, and I'm sorry I can't link you to another site that has it in stock. It's just wooden pieces all dyed natural colors in pairs.

 

I kept trying to get it at Little Urbanites, but they were always sold out (they have one on display for kids to play with and once you play with it you want it).

 

Tuesday has just learned that things can go ON other things and IN other things. This is new. I thought she was going to be pulling everything out of every bin and every book off every shelf forever.

 

More pictures of her playing because I love her expressions… and her crazy hair.

 

Hey did you just call my hair crazy?!?!

Oh I have something to help with that, just wait until tomorrow's post!

At one Tuesday is:

-Babbling like crazy and doing this cute talking thing. She has a few "words" besides mama. She calls her Papa "bob bob" and sort of says hi and bye. Also finally learned to squeal and it is cute.

-Non vocal communication is through the roof. She leans her head on her shoulder for sleep/night night and also love. When you ask her if she loves something she cuddles it next to her. She waves for hello/goodbye and when you say, "good job" she starts clapping. Starting to shake her head for no (especially at meal times).

-Eating a lot and will try most anything. This must have spurred on her amazing weight gain – almost a pound in a month bringing her year end weight to 16 pounds 1 ounce and her height to 28 1/4 inches. I was 16 pounds 5 ounces and 28 3/4 inches at a year, I can't believe with a dad as tall as Bj she is smaller than I was. 

-Wearing a size 9 months mostly. I just put away a bunch of 3-6 months stuff, even though she can easily wear it with extenders for height. Mostly because oh my goodness she's been wearing that stuff forever! Her pants are mostly size 12 month, but rolled up (giant cloth diaper booty). Her shoes are still the smallest size which is crazy because I don't think they are really meant for walking, but she doesn't fit into the bigger shoes we have ready for her.

-Still nurses a lot, but will no longer nurse to sleep. I know this is just developmental, but I really can't believe it. One day I knew she was tired so I nursed her and she finished nursing, looked up at me and yawned. This led to…

-Naps in the crib. Including crazy long (over an hour and we have even had a few two hour naps) ones.

-Papa is her favorite to put her to sleep. He can always do it, problem is he is not always available (working during the day).

-Cruising around everything, barely needs to hold onto anything to pull herself up. Taking tentative steps. This started around the new year, but she still only does a few at a time. 

-No longer wants to poop on the potty. I'm not sure why, but for the last week or so when I go to get her in the morning she has a soiled diaper. This is so annoying and I'm not really sure what to do about it (wake her up in the morning instead of letting her play in her crib for a while?

-Back to sleeping. Our schedule is running late right now. I don't mind it so much because I like sleeping in, but we do need to work on it a bit so that one of the nap times isn't so late. I'm sure I'll continue to nurse her at least once in the middle of the night, but if she wakes more than that she really doesn't need to nurse and I only let her when we are too tired to bounce her like she likes (walk around the room with a bouncy step and pat her back).  

-Still puts EVERYTHING in her mouth. From the tiniest little speck to the spines of her books. I understand why (four teeth and counting), but it is a bit frustrating. I feel like I can't "do" things with her, like projects (a whole post on this coming). I can't leave her alone with books. One moment she is flipping through them the next she is munching on pieces of the board she's managed to get off. 

-So sociable. Really loves being out, going for walks. Seeing people and looking at things. I love the way she looks at something quizzically, then looks at me for an explanation. 

-Has developed so much in the last week I can't even wrap my head around what she will be like at two.

 

First let me say that after coming out of the fog of sickness and realizing what has happened in Haiti I feel such sadness. It seems impossible to blog about the wonderful celebration of my darling daughter's first birthday without mentioning some way to support families that are grieving so much right now. We have decided to give to Doctor's Without Borders, but there are many other aid organizations accepting donations as well. Please give what you can.

The little party with no real planning kind of turned into a last minute mama push to finish all the little details I suddenly felt were necessary. 

 

Greeting our guests was this little thing I whipped up the night (or early morning actually) before the party. I had wanted to go with a alphabet theme, I don't know why I always come up with themes for things in my mind as I never stick to them anyway.

 

Also extremely last minute ("Hey thanks for coming early Sciarrino, get sewing!") was this felt garland based of the one over on purl bee. I have this up still, and never want to take it down so hopefully I'll get some better pictures of it soon. 

 

I put Sciarrino's man Ethan to work as well. Since this is an awkward shaped gift we decided not to wrap it but have it waiting for Miss Sparkle Pants when she came down. 

 

Nice job Ethan! You may recognize this as a major re-gift. I bought it at an estate sale for my god-daughter a few years ago. It was loved and given back to me. We did buy some new people for it. Tuesday and the other babies loved playing with it and all of the other goodies she got.

 

While we do love everything (so much so I'm going to do another post on the wonderful handmade things she got) it is a bit overwhelming around her after this bash plus Christmas. This weekend we are going to work on a toy plan.

 

Of course I couldn't bare to give Tutu any store bought sugary treats. So in my obsessive state I had Bj make homemade teething biscuits (her favorite) plus yam based frosting (oh and he also made all the appetizers, and Sciarrino made the cookies so really I was more of a coordinator). I used a natural food coloring and some safe sprinkles to decorate them and served it all on a plate with organic whip cream around it.

 

(can you see her sparkly pants?!?! I didn't get a good picture of these crazy silver leggings)

 

Mmm she loves it! She wore her hat most of the day.

 

other side:

 

Just a copy really of the one I made V. When I run out of this making memories paper from six years ago I'll be sad. 

 

While I was at the flower making I made extras and threw them on the table. When it's one AM I start to get all kinds of great ideas. 
 
 

Of course the best part is celebrating with wonderful family and friends. Big thanks to my wonderful step-dad for taking lots of extra pictures! Oh and I made her shirt too, totally last minute so it might only be worn this once (sharpies do not equal fabric markers FYI). I looked at a tutorial that I can't find a the link to (then of course did not follow any of the directions).

Is there any interested in a first year baby wrap up post? Things we used, did, books we read etc? I want to do one for my pregnant friends anyway, but if there is a lot of interest I'd be happy to take questions and compile it all extra nicely 🙂

Thanks for all well wishes. We are on the mend, all the messy sick laundry is done and we ate today, whoo hoo! Tutu was cared for yesterday by my mom who brought her back a few times for me to nurse her (and we gave her frozen milk, I was afraid I would have nothing being so dehydrated). I’ll just look at the bright side – that was a quick way to loose four pounds!
And now the winner of my Box of Amber (which I can not wait to make and will share):

Suzanne that means it’s you! I’m going to email you soon to ask you some questions about your craftiness (and possibly any dietary concerns :)! FYI I started it on 2 because Bj was 1 and like he said, he doesn’t need the box since he has the real thing!
And a post I can’t believe came so quickly – Tutu year one, a pictorial recap:

Four days old – the closest thing I got to “newborn shots” as Tuesday usually looked like this:

Two weeks old – fighting sleep, this will become a theme.

1.25 months – for scale.

2 months – pretty much the only way she will sleep (she still does this arms straight down thing when she rests).

2.5 months – finally able to take her in the car for a bit.

almost 3 months – new skills… these hands do something!

3 months – being adorable.

3.5 months – fitting into the one baby thing we had in the house during the remodel finally.

4 months – loving handknits.

4.5 months – swimming!

5 months – visiting friends.

6 months – bouncing

6.25 months – enjoying the porch.

7 months – first plane ride, Alaska! and

first time swinging, loves it!

7.25 months – first solids, takes a long while to catch on to this weird stuff, until now it had been all milky all the time (and it still is)!

7.5 months – first time at the fair.

8.5 months – handling the little cup like a pro.

9 months – at Kathy’s pumpkin patch.

9.25 months – pissed at the TSA third flight (and 4th, 5th, 6th…) to Vermont to visit Ceara!

9.75 months – Halloween.

10.25 months – watching the big girls swing with grandma.

almost 11 months – flights 7 and 8 to Hawaii and back. First hike (though I did most of the work…)

11.5 months – “talking” to mama on Christmas morning

1 year old!!! Party – details to come.
How fast it goes indeed.