14 Months

Wow, my baby girl isn't a baby anymore!  She is now a walking, talking, active little pre-toddler.  She started walking in August, right before her 1st birthday.  Her new found freedom has given her lots of confidence, and she definitely knows what she likes!  She loves running outside with the doggies, swinging at the park, going for walks in the stroller, playing by herself in the playroom, reading books (over and over and over), playing peek-a-boo, blowing kisses, watching Bubble Guppies while mommy makes dinner, and snuggling with her mommy and daddy before bed.

Parenting a pre-toddler can be challenging.  Sometimes it's hard to understand what Piper wants, but now that she has learned to communicate (in her own way), it is definitely a little easier.  She has learned how to sign "more" (which also means please to her), "thank you", and a version of "all done".  She can say "mama", "dada", "nana" (which means Nana and banana), "Piper", "dog", "baby", "uh-oh", "night night", "bubble", "bath", and "amen".  She loves animals, and she can tell you the sounds that some of them make, like a cow, owl, duck, fish, lion, and chicken.


We talk about animals, watch them on tv, and read about them in books, but we wanted Piper to experience some animals in real life.  The Cumming Fair was in town last week, so we took her to the petting zoo.  She saw cows, sheep, goats, horses, chickens, pigs, and bunnies.  It was fun watching her pet the animals and connect what she knew to the animals that she saw.  We hope to take her to the Atlanta Zoo soon, so she can experience more animals.
   

Back in July, we went to the Georgia Aquarium with our good friends Matt and Ashley Spann and their two girls Brooklyn (2 1/2 years) and Amelia (10 months).  Piper loved spending time with the girls and seeing all the fish, especially the jellyfish.  It was great spending time with Matt and Ashley.  Ashley and I have been best friends since 8th grade, and she and Matt now live in Birmingham.  We don't see them too often, but it's nice to spend time with them when we can.

Let's just say that Piper is definitely our daughter!  Like us, she loves to eat!  She decided at 9 months that she didn't want to eat baby food anymore, so we started giving her some of whatever we were eating.  Now, she eats everything, including eggplant, hummus, and curry.  She loves pasta, especially mac n cheese, but she also loves lots of fruits and veggies.  She really doesn't like too many sweet things (she's a more savory girl), but she does like frozen yogurt which is a rare treat.  We have introduced her to Chick fil A, but just the grilled nuggets which are yummy!  I love that she is adventurous with food.  Of course there are some times when only cheese, peas and strawberries will do, but thankfully right now she will try anything. 

I am proud to say that breastfeeding lasted 7 1/2 months (surpassing my goal of 6 months).  It definitely wasn't easy (more about that soon), but it was something that I felt was important.  We supplemented with Earth's Best Organic formula toward the end of breastfeeding, and then Piper went strictly to formula before she started organic whole milk around her 1st birthday.  She loves milk!!  We still give her a bottle of formula at night before bed.  Right now, we still feel it's necessary, and it's also one of our favorite snuggle times, but we hope to have her give it up by 15 months.
   

When Piper was around 10 days old, we started using cloth diapers.  We loved them right away, and we still use them today!  They are very cost effective, better for the planet, and I like knowing that there aren't any chemicals next to her skin.  I won't go into detail now about what we use and how to use them (I'll save that for another post), but I would highly recommend them!

 Over the past 14 months, I have grown so much as a woman and as a mom.  I have gained confidence in my abilities, and I am learning to value my relationship with Piper more than the experiences that I can give her.  I want her to grow up with adventure, but I also want her to see the emphasis that I put on developing our relationship.  





We love you so much pumpkin!  We are so thankful that you have blessed our life.  You are a joy and a reminder that God can work miracles through all things!

    
 

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