A Year of June

I've been putting this off because much like her birth story, I felt if I didn't put it into words, it wouldn't have to be real. If I didn't talk about it, she wouldn't actually be a toddler now. But the reality is, she is a toddler; a feisty, sassy, saucy, busy toddler. 

We celebrated her actual birthday at my parent's house with my mom, dad, brother, grandparents, and our dear Galarzas. By the time I got there from work she had already opened her present from my grandparents and would not stop playing with it. They got her a ride-on grocery cart type thing. It makes noise and she is hilarious with it. She loves flinging her leg over it and pushing herself forward and backward all over our living room. Our dinner on her real birthday was pizza and while it wasn't the first time she had had it, she was pretty into it this time. Then was the part I had been waiting for - cake. I was so anxious to see her reaction to her first real dessert. My mom had made a cute little funfetti cake just for her and we put a candle in it and sang. She loved the singing part. She clapped along and smiled bigger than I've ever seen. The candle blew out and she smacked her hand into the frosting. She immediately looked at us with a face that said, "what the hell is this?" She wiped it on the highchair and tried again. Still didn't take a bite or seem interested. I finally took a little bit of the cake itself and fed it to her. She was unimpressed. So much for her first cake. 

Her birthday party was a day of emotions for me. I was stressed, sad, happy and anxious. The party turned out amazingly well. I had lost sight of the fact that all we really needed was our near and dear and my baby doll, June. Her second exposure to cake was just as stoic. I really don't think she likes the fact that it was so messy. She melted down about 30 minutes before the party was officially over due to lack of a morning nap and being around too many people. Luckily her adoring public understood. 

We also had her one year check up the Friday between her birthday and her party. She's a big kid, I'll say that much. My little lady has been in the 95th percentile and above for both height and weight her whole life. And she's showing no signs of slowing down. Let's take a look at our handy Baby Center Milestone Chart:

12 months

Imitates others' activities Indicates wants with gestures

Takes a few steps Says one word besides "mama" or "dada"

Walks alone Scribbles with a crayon Says two words besides "mama" or "dada"

June is a big imitator and I mean that in a good way. She indicates wants with gestures like pointing, which is the cutest thing in the universe. 

She's walking pretty much full time but her language is developing a little more slowly than I expected. 

She walks alone and would probably go for walks around the neighborhood alone, if we'd let her. We've honestly never tried a pen or crayon to see if she would scribble. She does use a fork fairly well, though. And again, the language is a little slow. 

I actually had a few concerns about her language that our wonderful pediatrician addressed. She calls Thomas "Dada" very consistently but doesn't really use other words consistently. We've heard her say things like, "yeah" and "bub" and "Lisa" and "Pop" but not all the time. Our doctor said that some kids won't say their real first words until 15 months and that as long as she is vocalizing, she's okay. I think I was putting pressure on myself (and her) because she's always been very advanced in every other area that I assumed she would talk early too. I've also always talked to her all day long and I know my parents do when she's there too. We just talk to her about everything that we're doing. that's the best way for them to develop language. So it almost felt like I was doing everything right and yet I was still failing. I know, that's silly. But that's what this weird mommy guilt/emotion does to you sometimes. 

So friends, my dear baby is one. And here's my favorite picture of her in recent times.