Photo by Simply Baby Photography

Baby Champuru made the Big 1.0 on October 4 and I am tardy (again) with her recap.  With all of the excitement of her first birthday party (and subsequent post-party recovery period), I completely forgot to post an update about her development for month 12.  Thank you to Jan for reminding me!  This month:

• Running and Climbing. Baby Champuru’s mobility is much improved this month and she is able to walk  steadily and can run (into mommy’s arms when daddy is playing with her) for a short distance. She can also climb up the stairs on the jungle gym. She would also climb the furniture if we let her – but for her safety, we don’t.
• Comprehension. Baby is starting to understand more of what we say and ask of her.  Ask her to bring her giraffe, elephant, monkey, or Hello Kitty doll to you and she will most often oblige (unless she’s in a foul mood, which is sometimes the case).  Ask her to point out where her head, nose, or mouth is and she will do it.  Tell her to throw a kiss and she will put her chubby little palm to her lips and exclaim “baaaa!” (her version of “mwah!”) as she throws a kiss your way.  Say, “wave bye-bye” and she will wave.  Ask her if she wants more of her cereal and she will vigorously shake her head and point at the container of her finger food snacks instead.  “More crackers?” and she will perform the sign for the word more.  When flipping through her “Your Baby Can Read” picture/word book and coming across the word “wave,” she will wave her hand.  It never ceases to amaze me to see how much she really is comprehending at this age.
• Picky eater. My fabulous foodie is turning into a picky eater in her toddlerhood.  I believe it’s related to her quest for independence.  She truly seems put-off by having mom or dad feed her with a spoon and prefers anything that she can get her hands on (literally).  So, I’ve been on the hunt for healthy finger foods that she won’t send flying off her highchair and on to the carpet below.
• Cup-shmup. Baby Champuru is still having issues with transitioning to a cup.  I have tried several different types of sippy cup over the past few months, but she doesn’t seem to like any of them.  She will drink a small amount of water from the Playtex Baby Einstein Trainer Cup that her Aunty Joni bought for her, but that’s about it.  Weaning her off of the bottle will be a challenge.

From month-to-month, there has been so much progress in her development that it makes me feel blessed that I was able to be a stay-at-home mom for the first year of her life to see her hitting these milestones.  I know many moms are not as fortunate, especially in this economy, so I never take a day with baby for granted.