ONE

My baby is one!

She is happy and healthy and I will have stats to report after her doctor's appointment next week.

Leah loves carrying balls around the house, and occasionally we can get her to drop them in the ball drop.  She also loves remote controls, opening drawers in the bathrooms and kitchen (don't worry, they are filled with Leah-friendly items) and pulling DVDs out of a supposedly childproofed cabinet.  Her favorite game is peek-a-boo.

She won't sit still for books and while she loves to be held, she's not much of a snuggler (unless she is sick, and I definitely take advantage of that).  Leah loves her Daddy more than anything- I've never seen two people make the other smile as much as those two!  She is a pain in the butt when it comes to changing her diaper because she won't lay still.  Leah WILL NOT keep a headband on her head (unless you sneak it on... and then you better not ask her where her head is or she'll touch it, realize the headband is there, and then it's not).  She used to love the bath, but it is currently not a preferred activity.  She still goes to anyone with ease, although Brian and I do get more glances from her than we used to.  She still wants her puppy more than anything, but Johnny (still) does not return the sentiment.

Leah's favorite food is beans, and she uses a sippy cup to drink milk and water.  She eats mostly anything except bananas and avocado- and more recently cucumbers which were her first favorite!  We've just started practicing using a spoon.  When Leah wants more, she will either scream, sign "more," or say, "mo!"  She has just learned to sign "please."

Leah talks all the time at home and is getting better at imitating sounds.  She says, "bah" for "ball" and "mo" for "more".  She also says "da da" all.the.time.  She's very, very quiet- almost silent- when she is not at home, including when she is at school.  She doesn't cry too often out of the house either, even when she's clearly exhausted, but has perfected her whining at home.

Leah moves everywhere.  She is the fastest, yet most deliberate crawler I've ever seen.  She prefers standing to sitting and will walk along furniture, with toys, and holding hands as much as she can.  She stands up on her own without holding on to anything and is taking more and more steps without holding on- one to three at a time.  I've been saying for over a month that she's so close to walking- one of these days she'll get it!

It has been the best year.  It's absolutely amazing to watch this sweet girl learn and grow and become herself.  What am I looking forward to the most for the next year?  Easy.  Hair, please!