This might be the latest I’ve ever posted her monthly update, partly because of how difficult it was to get a usable photo and partly just because life feels like a whirlwind lately! So here it is, finally 🙂

Height: 31.5 inches
Weight: 19 pounds 13 ounces
Clothing size: 9-12 month pants, 12-18 month leggings, both 9-12 and 12-18 month onesies, and 12-18 month jammies.
Eyecolor: Hazel/Gray/Green.
Teeth: No new ones this month, so still twelve! She has teeth G, F, E, D, O, P, N, Q, L, S, B and I.
Eating: This girl is an eating machine now! She eats a big bowl of cheerios (that we cover in yogurt) every morning, a peanut butter sandwich (on just one slice of bread) and a banana or apple slices for lunch, and then whatever we have for dinner. She’s hit or miss with how much she’ll eat for lunch or dinner, but breakfast is always her most successful meal of the day.

She recently had spaghetti for the first time, and loved learning how to “slurp” it! It was seriously adorable. We also figured out that sometimes she really doesn’t like sitting in the high chair to eat and will do better if we just hold her on our laps. She also tried broccoli and couldn’t get enough (just like her mama)!

Michael shared his morning muffin a few times… and now her sweet tooth has come in. She’ll beg for a piece of anything chocolate if she catches you eating it! Oh yeah… and she’s still a cheesit-aholic.

We’re still nursing three times a day and are definitely not ready to cut back yet. She gets very anxious for milk after her nap, and then of course still in the morning and before bed. If I ask her “Do you want milk?”, she grabs her kitty, runs over to the rocking chair, and tugs on the boppy pillow. I love my time with her and am not in any hurry to quit.

Words: (from most-used to least-used) Daddy, Hi, Kitty, Mama, piggy. Still not a lot of recognizeable words… but she babbles constantly. Her gibberish is starting to sound more like words and sentences so I guess we’ll see if her vocabulary gets bigger soon. We can ask her almost anything and it seems like she understands us.
Favorite things: Her stuffed kitty, dancing, opening and closing doors, books (especially opening up hymnbooks and “singing”), hugging Jax, tackling us with hugs, giving kisses, watching Baby Einstein, hide-and-seek, and pushing chairs or hampers around like they’re “baby strollers” (she even puts kitty inside)! She also loves to play pat-a-cake, and will start clapping your hands (or even feet) to get you to start.
Dislikes: Bath time is worse than ever (so much screaming and crying)! She also throws these mini tantrums when we take something away or tell her no.
Sleep: She’s down for bed around 7-7:30 pm and up for the day around 7 am, usually. I was in the habit of waking her up to nurse before I’d go running (hence her previously normal wake-up time of 6 am, but I’ve stopped doing that and so she sleeps in just a little now.

We are down to one nap, usually 3 hours long (10:30 am-1:30 pm), but sometimes that still leaves her super cranky around 4:30 pm, so I’m not sure she’s completely adjusted to the transition.
Milestones, etc.: -She is pretty much RUNNING now and amazes onlookers with her speed! Keeping track of her at church is getting a little more difficult.
– She is more willing to play away from us. I go to an institute class geared toward moms with young kids, and they have a “nursery” of sorts while we all learn. Well… last week, Kaya followed the other kids and stayed in the nursery for 45 minutes without me. I’m so proud of her, but also a little sad that she’s becoming so independent!
– She is so expressive and can definitely tell us what she wants… whether that’s a new diaper, a snack, or to watch a show…
– I thought she was good at climbing before… but now, if I turn my back for a moment, she can get up on the table. Whoops. I feel like I’m always pulling her off of something.

Dear Kaya,

I love you so much, and I’m so proud of all the big-girl things you’re doing now. You are my little best friend, and I love sharing so many of my favorite things with you now that you’re a little older. You’re crazy and love to run, but sometimes you still slow down to cuddle and love your mama. The moments where your cheek is pressed up against mine, and your little body is curled up next to me are some of my favorites.

I can’t wait for you to try your first Thanksgiving turkey later this week! Holidays are so much more special with you.