First birthday

Tammy is one!  We had a birthday party yesterday with a Beatrix Potter theme. Guinevere made a beautiful cake with painted illustrations on fondant on the outside, and a heart shape on the inside (continuing the tradition of fun surprises when the cake is cut). 

Tammy is scooting everywhere (in the same alternative-to-crawling pioneered by Rip), and frequently ignoring the many toys we provide for her in favor of Getting Into Things. Night light! Vacuum cleaner power cord! Bag of giant markers!

She really does not like to be told "no."  She pays no mind when she hears the word directed at someone else, but when we tell her no, she immediately crumples into sobbing. This does not bode well for the toddler years. 

We are still breastfeeding in morning and evening, but not in the middle of the day since I am done pumping at work. Both her brothers were weaned at 13 months, but Tammy is showing a lot more enthusiasm and focus than they did at this age, so we are going to keep at it for a while longer. She also likes straw cups of whole milk, and her solid food preferences are most like Rip's: crackers, macaroni and cheese, salmon and veggie burgers her favorites. And blueberries. She will also eat vegetables, but with somewhat less enthusiasm. 

More hints of language are emerging. She is imitating sounds, and yesterday it sounded very much like she said "tickle" right after her brother said it. Her receptive language skills are clearly improving (see "no" above). We were at someone's house and I started talking about leaving, and she started crying from her spot on the floor to make sure I wouldn't forget her. She knows what "wave" means, though often she doesn't start waving until we've already left the person she was meant to wave to. We have been working on sign language, but she hasn't quite gotten it yet. 

She enjoys books, especially truck books, flap books and touch-and-feel books. Pat the Bunny is a big hit right now. Her brothers like picking out books to read to her. 

She loves splashing in the bathtub but does not like having her hair washed or getting out. 

She is taking only one nap per day, which is a lot less napping than her brothers did at this age. On the bright side, it is a lot easier to leave the house for extended periods. And she continues to be a great nighttime sleeper. 

The days of simple needs (Boob. Sleep. Smile happily at parent. Repeat.) are over, but it is fun to see her personality emerging!