12 months old

To say that I love this little girl is quite the understatement! I have never met a sweeter, sillier, more social baby. The Lord blessed us beyond belief when he gave us Vivienne Ruth!

I have been so nostalgic this whole week. Thinking about what it was like last year. When I was big and pregnant and on pins and needles every moment in anticipation for the big moment! How has this year gone by so quickly? Seems like yesterday, I had an itty bitty newborn (well, as itty bitty as 9 lbs can be), and now I have a goofy toddler! Who is also going to be a big sister in a few months! Wow!

At 12 months, Vivienne LOVES:

• sign language: She can sign "please", "help", "all done", "thank you", and "milk". She also loves pretty much anything with a hand motion like "so big", "ta-da", blowing kisses and waving. She also LOVES to nod yes and no.
• talking: she is always chatting! Her favorite words are Daddy, hot, hi, no, out, up and yay. She also is really good at repeating many words that we say. Time to start paying attention haha.
• hot: as already stated, this is one of her favorite words. She says it every time she sees a mug, watched me cook, or touches anything warm (or cold). She frequently says "hot" and then signs "please" because she wants us to let her touch it. This is particularly funny when at a coffee shop where she does this to complete strangers basically asking them is she can touch their drinks haha.
• people: Viv is BEYOND social. She can be a tired, cranky, hungry baby in the car, and as soon as we are out in public she wears a huge grin and says "hi" as loud as she can until people give her attention. Super funny! She is always scouting out new friends to meet. Quite the "woo-er".
• hugs and kisses: not just giving and receiving them, but she loves to watch Brian and I hug and kiss. Super cute!
• finding the range of her voice: aka screaming and growling!
• sleeping: sometimes I wonder if she sleeps too much! She sleeps 12-14 hours a night, 1.5 hrs in the morning, and 2 hours in the afternoon! She goes down super easy and just needs Roxie (her raccoon) and her paci and she's out. We are seriously blessed!
• eating: She's so tall and skinny, I have no idea where she puts it! It's pretty impressive the things she'll eat with only 2 teeth. She's hated purees for a while now, but she pretty much eats everything that we eat. Her favorites include: blueberries, cheese, chicken, pita and hummus, pb&j, mac and cheese, eggs, strawberries, and fish.
• wearing glasses: one of her funniest quirks is the love of glasses!  It started with sunglasses. Then, one day, at Build-a-Bear, I found some fun tiny bear glasses. I originally bought them for newborn photos with Baby Bird. But once Viv got a hold of them, she signed "please" a million times until I put them on her. And once I did she squealed in glee and laughed like crazy. Ever since she asks for them whenever she sees them. Beyond funny! Especially this week because Grammie is here. When Viv see's her wearing glasses, she wants hers haha.

At 12 months, Vivienne doesn't like:

• walking: she likes to hold fingers and walk or walk along furniture, but she has no interest in walking on her own. She plops back down on her buttsie and crawls instead. Hope that changes before Baby Bird arrives!
• being disciplined: that kinda goes without saying. She understands when we say no and is starting to test limits. She also knows what things are off limits and crawls at a frantic pace towards the bathroom, the trash can, electrical outlets. It's hard not to laugh because she really thinks she's going to get away with it. 
•  teething: her top teeth are so close yet so far!
• ear infections: Viv had her first trip to the doctor for being sick. Turned out it was a double ear infection. That explained the rough night we had with fevers and inconsolable waking.