13 Month Update and Family Pictures

Lately
As I mentioned in last month's post, Alana is definitely developing a mind of her own.  Over the last few weeks, small things have had a tendency to turn into mini battles.  Getting her dressed, changing her diapers, or taking something away from her have resulted in whining, whimpering, kicking, and other forms of disapproval.

Since we noticed that these mood changes were most drastic in the mornings on weekdays, I decided to try a different morning routine last week while Andrew was traveling to see how she would do.

First, I decided to wake up early and get myself completely ready before Alana woke up.  That allowed me to give her my undivided attention before it was time to leave.  Usually, Andrew, Alana, and I get up at the same time and we all get ready at the same time, but that makes for somewhat hectic mornings without much time to focus on Alana. I think she really liked this change.  Having that extra time with her in the mornings gave us a chance to read, play, and have a non-hectic morning.

Second, I decided to feed her a full breakfast - this might have been THE game changer.  The first morning I tried this new routine, she ate a whole banana, an entire peach, a hand full of cheerios, and two Ritz crackers and boy was she happy afterwards.  And boy did I feel bad for not having thought of feeding her a full breakfast before!  I used to just give her a sippy cup of milk (of which she wouldn't drink a whole lot, so I assumed she wasn't  hungry) and maybe a few bites of something as we were walking out the door.  After all, she eats a full breakfast as soon as she arrives at daycare.  Turns out our growing girl needs not just one breakfast but two. So, now, first thing on the agenda each morning after the diaper change is breakfast.

Overall, I think these two changes have had quite a positive effect.

Aside from the fact that she's a growing girl whose personality is naturally going to evolve on an on-going basis, I thought about several changes and milestones last month, which may have also contributed to her mood changes.  None of these changes seemed to be very difficult on her individually, but combined, I think they probably had an impact.

• We weaned her off the bottle.
• She got three shots at her twelve month checkup - two were live viruses with possible side effects.
• We reduced the amount of time she could have her paci.  
• I think she went through a growth-spurt.
• Her eighth tooth is still trying to come in.
• We transitioned her to a forward-facing car seat.
• And she started a new daycare where she is only taking one nap per day.

Alana likes

• Grapes - they seem to be her favorite food at the moment (peaches are a close second)
• Saying "Uh-Oh", "WOW", and "meh" for mehr/more
• Walking up and down our side walk
• Crawling up stairs - she can't crawl down yet
• Dancing to music
• Books - she's finally at the age where she likes to sit down and look at a book with us.  She's not always able to make it through the whole book, but her attention span is getting better.
• Stuffing her mouth - she literally stuffs her mouth so full that she can't chew or even close her mouth, but even then, she sometimes manages to stuff in more. 

Alana dislikes

• Not getting her way
• Having her clothes changed
• Diaper rashes - obviously.  The reason I mention this is because we had some pretty bad diaper rashes recently and she had never had them before.  I guess they're more common once the baby is on table foods and Alana is now solely on table foods and whole milk.  The other day, Jessica and Grant were in town and we ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant.  Alana ate an entire plate full of food, including refried beans.  I shouldn't have let her eat all those beans because they caused an extremely painful diaper rash.  I know it was the beans because she got another one just like it after eating black beans at daycare. So, we've learned our lesson... 

Overall

Alana is growing well.  She's learning quickly.  She's "speaking" her mind.  She's a sweet, sweet girl who brings us so much joy!  We are extremely blessed to be her parents.  

Here are the latest family pictures taken shortly after Alana's first birthday.