Lucy: Completing the 12-Month Series

Well, it's official: Lucy is 12 months old. One year. And it's probably a good thing this monthly photo project of mine was only planned for her first year:

Because my girl is officially DONE with this setup. DONE DONE DONE.

Yes, that IS tape. Yes, you can laugh. It was absolutely the ONLY way I could keep her in place long enough for the three photos I managed to get. Prior to the tape, she was either rolling over and crawling away, or pulling the fabric towards her on either side... and it was bringin' out the CRAZY in me, so Crazy Emily was the one who thought of the tape. Don't blame me!

And since the other months of these photos have included some close-up shots of Lucy in her various expressions, I used another holding technique to keep her in place long enough for a few snaps. This technique had her giggling:

 

Until it didn't have her giggling:

 

Oh, but Chicken always saves the day. Letting her hold Chicken gave me a couple more cute shots, and then we were done. 

(I could've cropped out the feet, but... well.... they're part of this story, right??)

So this is Lucy, 12 months old. First time in pigtails for these shots. they make her look so much older, don't they? *sniff*

A few things about Lucy at 12 months old:

* She is crawling on her hands and knees now! She'd been getting close for a while, but it was finally being put in the grass for the Easter Egg Hunt that motivated her to take the next step. Army crawling in grass kept her face in the grass, so she had to lift up and actually crawl to escape the tickling. 

* Shortly after her front top two teeth came in, a third tooth up top broke through. That puts us at 5 teeth, with the 6th really close to coming through. 

* She is finally starting to attempt pulling up on things. She has mastered climbing one stair, and would love to practice on more stairs, if I'd let her. Still no cruising, and DEFINITELY no standing/walking.

* She had her one-year doctor appointment. She is 18 pounds, 3 oz. and 29 inches in length. Still small, actually, since she is firmly in 9-month clothing. (I tried to put her in a new cute 12-mo. outfit for her birthday and she was swimming in it!). The doc is not worried, though. She looks great and healthy, so we're on track. 

* Lucy's baby signs are really improving! She signs "all done" pretty consistently, and for the right reasons. She has accurately signed "more" and "eat", but is not so quick to do those on a consistent basis. 

* As for real words, she seems to say "dadadada" and mean it to refer to dad. She says, 'Haaaa!" for "Hi", and she does a soft bark to imitate a doggy. She likes to imitate singing, and just yesterday when I babysat an 8-week old, she imitated the baby's crying. 

* She has fallen in love with books. She loves to turn the pages, to hold them herself, to look at the pictures. She is in heaven with a stack of board books near her. 

* She is starting to love the cause and effect of toys--- watching her problem-solve is really fun!

* She love the songs "Twinkle, Twinkle", "ABC" and "Old MacDonald".

* Lucy still loves the car and the stroller and is pretty content in my ring sling. Hooray for staying content with non-mobility a little while longer!

* We gave Lucy her first sweets on her birthday: of course she loved the frosting best. She's her mama's girl! (I have cake smash photos to share soon!)

* I suspect she is trying to drop one of her naps. For now, I'm fighting her on that. She'll do two naps still about 65% of the time. Waa. 

* Lucy has her first ear infection! She wasn't acting really any differently when we took her in for her 1-year checkup, but the doc found an ear infection! Oops! She's on meds now, and has been pretty cheerful the whole time. 

* Now that the hurdle of ONE YEAR has come and gone, I am realizing that just because she's not a "baby" anymore doesn't mean I have to be sad. There are a million amazing things yet to come, and I am utterly delighted by her and watching her grow. Happy birthday to my sweet Lucy.

*

And as a conclusion to this monthly photo project, here is Lucy in all her shots from this series, beginning when she was 2 months old and ending with today's image:

(to see the original idea for these monthly photos, click here.

And month 11, month 10,  Month 9. Month 8. Month 7. Month 6. Month 5. Month 4. Month 3. Month 2.)

Or if you prefer to see them all at once (the GIF might be making you dizzy!), here's another version of the set, adding in a newborn image of Lucy to even out the grid:

 

(Oh man, that tape on the last shot still kills me. What a tricky baby. Love her.)

And that's that! On to a new year of Lucy.... perhaps less marked by formal sessions, but a year that will be filled with a million more "firsts" and celebrations. I promise to still check in here and there to share some of those triumphs and milestones. 

Til then, we do still have a few more First Birthday images coming up... So stay tuned.