Olivia at 12 months: The best days are yet to come

You guys, it’s a good thing we’re done with these monthly photos, because my little preshus has NO patience anymore for these. 

All whining aside… my baby is one! ONE! So many thoughts on this. But I’m saving that for her birthday post. When I get around to it. This first birthday party may be the death of me.

Olivia needed to double check the sticker because she couldn’t believe she was the Big Oh En EE.

She thinks it’s the greatest thing ever. Her mama on the other hand… well, I’m a basket case of emotion. One thing we both can agree on is she is SO OVER these photo shoots. 

Seriously, I don’t think she even tries anymore. 

Since it was snowing/freezing rain on her birthday today, going outside was out of the question, so we had to improvise with a very un-understanding (did I make up a word?) baby-toddler.

So no fancy photos this month. Good thing was Chris took off today for her birthday so he helped distract her as best as he could. 

So anyway, what have we been up to in month 11?

Story time for the fall is coming to an end. Olivia has been having so much fun there. She is less about participating and paying attention than she is scrambling to get away from me and crawl to the middle to eat the books.

We voted!

This month has been beautiful with the fall colors. We didn’t get to anymore state parks like we wanted, which is too bad, but Olivia still thought it was fun to play in the leaves.

We celebrated Olivia’s “last of the firsts” holiday, Halloween. 

Other than that, it’s been mainly hanging around and busying ourselves. One day we went into a nearby historic town for ice cream, a walk along the river and hot cocoa at our favorite coffee shop. 

Those times we are all together, I cherish them.

Nicknames: Ollie, Livvie, Monkey, Bug
  
Weight: 20 lbs 10 oz
Length: 29.5 inches
Head Circumference: 47.5 cm
Diaper size: 4
Clothing size: Mostly 12 months, and still some 9 months, 6-12 months

Eating: New foods tried: tilapia with dill, radishes, chicken pot pie, English muffin pizzas, mushrooms, roast. She’s eating at least two meals a day, and probably 50% of the time eating three. She’s still nursing once at night and six times during the day.

Sleeping: It’s been a bit rough. Growth spurt perhaps? She’s been a little more restless at night when we first put her down and some nights she is waking earlier than she was, between 1 and 3. The problem mainly is she has pooped and wakes up and we need to change her. It sucks. The same thing was happening when she cut her other upper tooth and it lasted for a week and then stopped. On her good nights, though, she goes down between 7 and 7:30 and sleeps until about 5:30 when she wakes to nurse and then goes back to sleep until 8 or 8:30.
Naps have been pretty good. She usually goes down between 10 and 10:30 a.m. for about 2 hours and then again between 3 and 4:30 for 1-1.5 hours. She went through a little strike for a week where she refused to take an afternoon nap, but that seems to go back to normal. Thankfully. That’s the only time I can get stuff done.

Milestones: She walked!

Exactly a week before she turned 1, on November 11. She has been standing a lot now and will test her balance with small steps.

My favorite was when she tries to be a big girl and drink her sippy while standing. It’s a work in progress. She has been taking small little steps, like two at a time when she walks between us, but Nov. 11 she actually walked. Like spanning a five foot gap between Chris and me. And now I will catch her randomly walking from one piece of furniture to the next. She’s really taking off!

She definitely still has some stranger danger, much to my family’s dismay, despite me explaining it to them every time she buries her head in my shoulder when she sees them.
She’s also been throwing tantrums. Tantrums. I didn’t even think she was old enough for them. A few days ago, she threw 3 in one afternoon. Like, horrible raging, screaming-yourself-raw fits. It would be cute if it wasn’t so frightening. So I’ve been reading up on it and trying to be understanding, knowing it’s because she does understand things, but can’t express herself. Which makes me feel bad, but oy. In the moment, it’s the most trying thing. But to end on a positive note, she’s dancing now!

Speech: I really feel like she’s actually trying to say things now. I mean sure they come out all gibberishy and weird, but I really think she’s trying to communicate with us now. She says “up!” (though I don’t really think this actually means she wants me to pick her up), and “Dada” (when she really is calling for Chris) and “Baba” and “Mmmmm!” (but not really “Mama” much right now). In fact, she bleets out “Dada!” when she’s upset now, which makes Chris grin.

Health: Where do I begin? This month has been the most difficult with Olivia’s health. So it probably works better if I number them.
***EDITED TO ADD: She had her 12 month WCC on 11/29 and is doing well. She got her Hep A and last pneumococcal vaccine and did ok. I did decline her flu shot even though he said her possible egg allergy isn’t a contraindication. But another FP doc and the nurse a few months ago said she should have the “egg free” shot. So I guess I’m playing it safe and declining it, planning on boosting her immune system in other ways. 
1) Earlier this month, the day she cut her 3rd tooth, she rolled off our bed. Our very tall bed. We have a carpet remnant over our wood floor and, it probably didn’t feel good. It happened at 6:30 in the morning, when I was asleep. I tend not to fall asleep with her in bed anymore, because of this very reason, but that morning was even worse because since I wasn’t intending to fall asleep, I had her too close to the edge. She cried for like ten minutes. I cried the rest of the day. The triage nurse had me check her out and monitor her and I brought her for an adjustment at the chiropractor that afternoon.  2) She saw an allergist for her egg allergy.
3) She had about a week of “teething” poops before she cut each one of her upper teeth. Always at night. It was rough. Chris, bless his heart, went in there to change her as she screamed bloody murder before bringing her to me to nurse. It sucked. Well after the last round, it turned into diarrhea, again, always at night and for the first diaper change of the day and usually one more time. Not the “teething” looking poops, but actual diarrhea. She was fine otherwise (save for her incessant screaming). After a week, we were seeing a diaper rash that started getting worse and worse. We slathered the Aquaphor on every diaper change, we did breast milk baths, baking soda baths, switched to solely Pampers. The rash would get better, and then worse. I started wondering if it was something I was eating, making her stool acidic. This past Sunday night, she woke at 9:30 crying and after while I went to her because I wasn’t sure if she pooped and it hurt. I changed her and she was screaming in pain. But she didn’t stop and Chris came upstairs to see me clutching her as she shrieked and arched in my arms. I was near tears and almost ready to take her to Children’s, because I was worried it was something much worse in her GI tract. But then every time I sat down with her on my knee, she freaked out again, so I realized this was all her bottom hurting. We called the triage nurse and she told us to give her a bath and nurse her in there to calm her. No diaper tonight. So. We played in the tub (she was back to smiley) for a hour and Chris went to get wash clothes, baby clothes pins and some sort of cloth diaper pack. He came home saying they had no pins or diapers. At 11:00 at night we were YouTubing how to make a cloth diaper out of a receiving blanket. We slathered on some $20 Triple Paste that he bought. It was pretty much awful. It looked ridiculous. I was worried we’d be up all night changing this thing when she pooped all her crib.
She finally went down at 11:30 and miraculously slept until 6:30, when we put her back in a Pampers. No diarrhea for the first time in two weeks. We took her into the pediatrician that morning who prescribed Nystatin for the yeast and said he thought it was a virus. I was concerned about a dairy intolerance, but he said that was rare and she didn’t have blood in her stool. He was concerned, however, that she hadn’t gained weight since her last visit, so that is what made it sounds like sickness vs allergy. Since then, the Triple Paste and Nystatin have been clearing it up. It’s almost back to normal. Her pooping has lessened a lot. So I think we’re on the upswing finally.
4) Then… cue cold. The next day after going into the clinic, she got a runny nose. Wednesday she had a full blown cold: coughing with congestion, sneezing, runny nose. I rubbed Thieves on her feet and shot breast milk up her nose, something she initially thought was hilarious and then quickly turned spiteful. But no fevers, and she’s remained stable so hopefully we’re good for her party Sunday.

Teeth: She has 4 now! She cut her left upper front tooth right after turning 11 months, and her second upper one two weeks later. Teething hasn’t been too bad this month. I only used her gum-o-mile a few times at the start of the month, but nothing else except teething rings. Girl likes to chew on everything now though. Especially her board books. Like, she bites chunks out of them if I’m not paying attention. Maybe she’s really developing a *taste* for her books?

Likes: Walking using her walker or pushing her activity table. ECFE. She loves going there now and playing with all the toys and watching the other babies. Being thrown up in the air. Playing in the leaves. Swinging. Turning pages on her board books, and playing with the lift-the-flap books. She loves looking at board books of real pictures, like the Nat Geo Kids series: People, and Dogs. Eating Cheerios. Actually eating in general, really. When Daddy comes home. When we cheer for her. Nursing. Walking along furniture.

Dislikes: Things being taken away from her. Being cleaned up after mealtime. Things being taken from her.

Undecided about: Going for walks in her stroller. Ok scratch that. It’s merely tolerated as long as she has Cheerios to eat. Without them-no patience.

Playing the piano with Grandma

Looking forward to: Can I say being done with these monthly updates without sounding snarky? I appreciate them. I do. I don’t regret keeping these, but they are a lot of work. And probably pretty boring to everyone except for me and my mom. (Hi Mom!) I may go to every three month updates, because I really like looking back on these and it’s better than any baby book.
Her birthday party!!! That is a whole ‘nother stressor in itself. But I’m excited for it. I’m also excited for her to open her presents tonight from Chris and me. And Thanksgiving! Technically, it’s her second one, but first one where she gets to eat the food!

And just like that, the monthly posts are done. It’s been quite a year with you, Olivia. Every day, every single day I am so thankful for your presence here I could cry. Being your mama is the greatest blessing of my life. Now let’s celebrate that birthday with some cake!

48 weeks

49 weeks

50 weeks

51 weeks

52 weeks (literally the best one I could get of her)