Where Did My Baby Go?

Juli turned one in October. I didn't really get too upset about it. She was still my baby. She was still nursing. Still didn't talk. Still wanted to be held a lot. Still demanded to rocked to sleep. Every nap and night. So her turning one wasn't that much of a shock to me. But now that she is 14 months old, I feel like she has crossed over an invisible threshold into toddlerhood. 

She still nurses at night to go to sleep and at naps sometimes. But if she doesn't nurse at all during the day, it's not a big deal. She eats everything we do, except for dairy.  She has 12 teeth and is working on her canines. She ate a whole turkey dog the other day in about 5 minutes. 

Juli is talking. She has words for so many things. She uses yes (shur) and no all the time. She says up (bup) and down (dah) to get where she wants to go. She uses our names (mama, dada, bubba) when she sees us or pictures of us. She has sounds for lots of animals and things like planes. (Blows a raspberry like a plane motor) 

She follows directions all the time. Hand this to bubba, go find your baby, where's your book?, take your shoes off, sit down. She understands so much of what we say to her now. 

Not only does she understand a lot, she is starting to express herself. She hit her finger the other day and came up to me, put her finger near my mouth, and made a kissing noise. She wanted a kiss to make it better. 

She was playing with Lucas and he shut her out of his room. She came out to the kitchen, took my hand and led me to the door. So that I would open it for her. Hello reasoning skills. 😳 

She feeds herself with a spoon. Or with her fingers, depending on the food. She cracks up when she thinks Lucas is being funny (pretty much all the time) She falls asleep by herself in her crib most of the time. (Unless she is teething or sick or in an unfamiliar place) 

She is still such a sweet girl. Still loves cuddles and hugs and kisses. But she also has an stubborn streak. This is her first year being mobile and aware at Christmas. She loves the tree. But she wants to touch the ornaments. So badly. She knows she isn't supposed to. But sometimes she gets this look in her eyes and just goes for it. Then when she gets caught she gives you the sweetest smile and even tries to give you a kiss. She is going to be dangerous as a teen.