Madeline: Twelve Months
Twelve Months. One Year Old. Holy crap, I have a toddler!
I’m still in denial that my sweet girl is one year old. This year has been such a whirlwind of happiness and indescribable love, but also exhaustion and tears. Keeping it real here folks. Having a child for the first time definitely changes you. Here are some things I have learned during this first year as a parent:
1. I have learned how to be more patient. Nothing tries your patience more than having a baby. There are challenges at every month whether it’s your baby refusing to sleep or keeps waking up every hour at night, or when they won’t stop running over to that pile of dirty shoes to eat them, or pulling every single book of the shelf at least five times a day. My husband and I still struggle with this but we work hard to keep each other in check.
2. I have learned to be more flexible. When Maddie was first born, it was really difficult for me to accept that tasks on my to-do list might not get crossed off when I wanted them to. There’s never a guarantee what our days or nights will look like anymore. Some babies are more flexible than others, but ours thrives on her routine so we plan our days around her because that is what works best for her and ultimately for us too.
3. Your best is truly good enough. Being a mom is not easy. I really beat myself up when I first realized breastfeeding wasn’t going to work for us. I cried and cried about it and felt like a failure. I now realize that was kind of silly because Maddie has been growing just fine and is a happy and healthy little girl. I also sometimes feel really bad if I feel like I’ve lost my temper, but it happens sometimes and that’s okay too.
4. Still make time for YOU. I think this is really important. While becoming a parent changes you in so many ways, you are still your own person with your own wants and needs. This is really difficult for us because we don’t have any family near us, but I still try to make time to get my hair done, for example. We also put Maddie to bed by 7-7:30 each night which gives us a few hours of “us” time every night. Making time for yourself and with your partner ultimately will make you a better parent.
and 5. Being a parent is the best thing in the entire world. Nothing beats waking up and going into her room and seeing her little smiling face every morning or when I come home from work and she reaches for me to hold and hug her. Her laugh brings me more joy than anything else I have ever experienced. I fall in love with her more and more every single day.
Ok, here are some quick updates!
Walking! She started walking on her own about a week or so before Halloween and cannot be stopped! She loves going to the park and just walking around looking at everything. Walking also unfortunately means lots of more boo-boos and bumps, but we are dealing.
Temper Tantrums. When you have a baby, it’s easy enough to redirect their attention when they are doing something naughty, but pretty much as soon as she turned one, her little temper really came out. She gets super mad when we tell her “no” or when we take something away from her. I often think it’s sort of funny, but I also sometimes find myself thinking “Is it her bedtime yet?!”
Her first word is…Dada! For the longest time, she has been saying “mamamamamamamama” and “dadadadadadadada”, but it never really seemed intentional, but she has been pointing at Sean and saying “Dada” or at night when he says goodnight to her, she tries to say “Ni Dada”. It’s so sweet, I die.
Teeth: Still 6 from what I can tell, 4 on top and two bottom.
Favorite Foods: Cheerios, apples, Annie’s microwave Mac and Cheese (yes, it has to be the microwave cups), blueberries, Trader Joe’s Blueberry Waffles, Mommy’s chicken noodle soup (mostly the carrots), and pouches.
Least Favorite Foods: Any solid vegetable (sigh…).
I won’t be posting monthly updates anymore, but maybe a few a year. Let me know if you guys want to see anything specific, like favorite products and such. I will hopefully do more toddler-friendly recipe posts too!
I can’t wait to watch this girl continue to grow! Happy 1st Birthday, my sweet girl!
