what i'm up to

Life sure is different for my one year old girl than things were last year. She has learned to do so many things for herself and doesn't depend on mom (and dad) for taking care of need. We've taken care of eating, drinking, locomotion, communication, and entertainment -- she does most of those pretty well for her age. It's amazing that 12 months have changed

this
(sleeping most of the day, nursing exclusively, reliant on mom and dad for everything else including putting to sleep, making silly noises, and changing gobs of diapers)

into this
(feeding herself, eating all sorts of grown up foods, loading the dishwasher, playing by herself with dollies, strollers, push carts, necklaces, and books, crawling and walking on her jelly legs from place to place wherever her own whim takes her, and relying on mom and dad for many things, but not everything)

Kate's personality has taken an interesting turn here in her 12th month. She has started to become a little explorer. I believe I mentioned that she was discovered eating dirt on her birthday -- well, that encapsulates this new aspect of her personality. She wants to explore every corner of the house and often isn't content to explore the ground level corners -- she wants to go UP. So, in the above photo, she attempts to climb into the dishwasher. She wants to climb into her mail cart walker (NOT a ride on toy), onto the hearth, into adult chairs that are too large for her, etc. It's hilarious to see that leg hike up when the object isn't climable (like through the backdoor). She explores the cabinets in the kitchen, she "discovers" and "rediscovers" all of the clothes in the bottom drawer of her dresser by strewing them all of the floor. She has a little intrepid streak that is quite likable, and thankfully hasn't led to any injuries so far.

Besides taking her first shaky steps, she has just turned another corner in her quest for independence. I decided to see what she thought of a spoon in her own hand two weeks ago and this was the result!




I couldn't believe how well she did! She hasn't let go of the spoon since (figuratively) and feeds herself at every meal. Sometimes it's time for a bath afterwards, but it's fun to see her wield that spoon like a real tool! Of course, it's really funny when she sets the spoon down; I can just see her thinking, "Now I need to bring out the big guns -- my fingers!"

Another fun aspect of her personality that has really grown this last month is her sense of humour. She has always loved to laugh, but she has recently started making her own jokes. Most recently, when we play the "Where's so and so game?" she consistently points to herself and loves it when we say "No, that's not momma, that's Kate." She giggles with glee that she's has told a little joke. So, now matter who we ask about, this is always her answer.