So this blog is slightly late... and I haven't posted sine Christmas. :) So i'll do the best I can to fill in the gaps.
Aylin had a fabulous 1st birthday. She got all kinds of fun stuff from the family. We got a big girl car seat, lots of fun bath toys, clothes, shoes, we also got her portraits done on her birthday. Which turned out wonderfully! We got some great pictures, that captured a glimpse of that great personality she's got. :D We also enjoyed hanging out at Nana's for our birthday celebration, and got to enjoy a cupcake! At first she stuck a finger in the frosting, and looked up at me like "Eeewww, Momma what did you give me?" the I put that finger in her mouth and that was all it took. She went to town, demolished and consumed almost the entire cupcake. And since mom and dad weren't thinking about the time, and the effects of sugar, we all ended up staying up until after 10pm (she started on the cupcake around 6:45 after dinner). We also got lots of great pictures from that fun event. Then she was promptly tossed (not literally) into the bathtub at Nana's, because she was a MESS!
She is on the verge of walking. 2 days ago she took 2 big steps free of help from Nana's coffee table to the couch. Then did the same thing that night at home. That seems to be the max for now, is a step or 2 on our own. Then we plop down on our butt and crawl off. She is SUPER fast at crawling, she can zoom across the house in no time. She'll race you to the dog food, or to anywhere she knows she isn't supposed to be. And probably some place you just took her away from. She keeps her daddy hopping during the day. Thankfully the weather lately has been lovely. So they have been able to get out in the sunshine and play some. She wasn't too sure about crawling in the grass at first (probably partly because it's dry and harsh feeling because it's not the new spring grass yet). But she loves to "throw" the ball for the dogs. She can't throw it far, but she loves it when they get all worked up and bark.
She "talks" a LOT. She doesn't know many words yet, we're limited to mama, dada, no or na (NO), nie-nie (night-night) and sometimes she associates beda (Bela), and sometimes I could swear she's saying "HEY!" she also does a gurgly hiss sound whenever she see's a cat! The rest is just gibber jabber, but it's super cute, and a lot of fun to listen to. She also occasionally yells at us... which is interesting. Not sure what to do with that yet, because she doesn't really understand yet that she's not supposed to yell at momma and daddy.
We currently have 5 teeth, and are working on #6 (and possibly 7). She has top and bottom middle two, and her right eye tooth, and working on the left eyetooth. Also under the gums and possible soon to come is the next after the eye tooth on the right side. Makes for an awfully cute little grin!
She's 100% on whole milk now (Praise God we don't have to buy formula any more!!!!!) the transition wasn't too bad. She mostly takes it well once it's warmed up. She is also eating a lot of table food now. She always eats table food at dinner time, weather it's what we are having, or something a little more kid-with-little-to-no-teeth friendly. She loves pancakes, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mixed veggies, mashed potatoes, bread, biscuits, crossants, fruit, cheese, eggs, rice, bits of pizza and pizza crust, and last night she got her first taste of chicken nuggets! We're trying to get creative with things that we can make that she can eat. So i got some of the chicken nuggets that are fully cooked and are "ground meat formed into nuggets"... perfect for a little munchkin. We also got some mac-n-cheese, baked beans, and easy rice dishes. We'll see how it all works out.
We had to go through a cry it out phase to get her sleeping at night. She got to be more and more difficult to get down at night, and no amount of cuddling, rocking, bottle, or anything else would get her down easily. So a few nights of crying it out and sure enough, we're sleeping easily (most nights). Except for when those teeth are cutting thru, and then we have a rough time. But over all we're sleeping good these days... like last night the house got 9 1/2 to 10hrs of sleep! WaHOO!
Aylin got to have her 1st crafty experience last weekend. She was bored, and we didn't have anything to resolve the bordom, so I got a piece of paper, and taped it to her highchair tray, and gave her 2 crayola washable markers. She went to town, absolutely loved it. Of course she put the markers in her mouth, and got them all over herself... But that's why they're non-toxic, and washable!
She also had her 1st park experience w. daddy, Aunt Laura, and Gentry on Friday afternoon. She got to swing on the swings, and LOVED IT (so sad I missed it tho...) Jeff got a really great picture mid air of her face, and it's priceless! Wasn't too sure what to think about the slide yet. But I'm sure that will become more fun as time goes by.
We have been so blessed by family and friends over the last few months. We are so thankful for each and everyone of you in our lives. These last few months have been rough, but I can't imagine what life would be like without the help and love of each and everyone of you. Thank you for your prayers and support. We love you all.
The Melton Clan
