13 months!

Elise is now 13 months old, so it is time for the monthly summary. Aside from the occasional tantrum, we are at an easy stage. At 13 months, she:

-loves to walk around the house carrying her toys, clothes, books, etc. This is by far her favorite activity. She just likes to explore and follow me around. She doesn't get into everything.... yet. We'll see what the next month holds. She also loves to walk around outside and pick up leaves.

-is still a great napper and sleeper. Aside from one rough teething night and a few nights away from home (she is about 50-50 in the pack and play), she slept 11.5-12 hours every night this month. She usually goes to bed around 7:30-7:45 and wakes up around 7:15-7:30. If we are at home, she takes her morning nap around 9 or 9:30. If we are at church or bible study, she will still take a good morning nap when we get home. Her afternoon nap starts around 2. Most days, at least one of these extends past 1.5 hours. She just loves to sleep! She's still averaging about 15 hours of total sleep per day. I usually put her back in her pajamas for her naps.

-is a great car traveler. She is still rear-facing. She loves to say "mama" and twist her head around in her car seat so that she can see me. Much to Mike's chagrin, Elise likes to listen to children's music in the car. She will still sleep well in the car seat when it is time for a nap or bedtime.

-is a great eater. She loves just about everything (except avocado). Some favorites include: broccoli, peas, grapes, spaghetti, open-faced grilled cheese (a piece of bread toasted with cheese on top), lima beans, black beans, sweet potatoes, any type of meat, etc. Occasionally, she will eat from a fork or spoon, but she prefers to feed herself. She has gone out to eat MANY times this month and has been wonderful. I think this is because her communication during mealtimes has improved so much. She does the "more" sign or points to her cup when she is thirsty. She holds both hands up for "all done" when she is done... and she means it. You better remove her tray right then or else she'll start dropping food on the floor. She still doesn't eat much for a breakfast meal. Sometimes I don't even offer it to her if she goes down for an early nap. We still nurse 4 times a day (morning, after both naps, and before bed) and I still haven't introduced cow's milk... maybe this month :)

-understands sooooo much! I am just waiting for her vocabulary to explode. She is good at mimicking sounds that I make. Tonight, she was pulling clothes out of her drawer and I asked her to put her pajamas back in the drawer... and she did! Of course, she promptly pulled them back out again, but she definitely understood. On command (if she isn't distracted by something more interesting), she will pet Boss (if he lets her), go get a book from her room, go into the bathroom, go to the piano, bring me a specific toy, put something in something, follow directions to find something, point to a specific toy, object, or person in the house ("where's ____?), clap, make noise (bang objects together), open and crawl through the door of her learning home, etc. She is starting to wave/say byebye at an appropriate time without being asked. It is quite cute.

-likes to hold and hug her baby doll and stuffed animals.

-strongly dislikes 75% of diaper changes, 50% of clothes changes, and 20% of "getting in the car seat" changes.

Most valuable items: I still use the Beco Baby Carrier frequently (we both love it). I use the Beaba Babycook at least once a day. It would be hard to successfully eat out without the Kiddopotamus TinyDiner Placemat and matching bib. I recently got the Carter's EasyFit Velour Crib Sheet because the sheets that came with her bedding were starting to wear (and they are soooo hard to get on). These new sheets are wonderful and super cozy. Elise is not picky about toys at this age... she just wants something that she can carry around the house. She would be totally happy with a water bottle, a leaf, and a shoe. Maybe next month she will actually play with her toys :)

I am still way behind on posts from the last month (Christmas #3, birthday party, random Mike pics/videos). Stay tuned!