Clothing size: 9-12 month onesies and pants, some 2T dresses. Dresses seem like the most variable item of clothing when it comes to size.

Eye color: Blue. She gets compliments on her beautiful eyes all the time.

Hair: Dark brown! It’s long enough for the teeniest ponytail now, but I’ve only made one once. She also still has that fuzzy texture in the back, so I’m waiting to see what happens.

Teeth: Still just those two on the bottom, and no signs of any others.

Eating: She loooves to eat! She will try anything we give her, and she’s been consistently having 3 solid meals a day now. For breakfast, she eats most of a banana on her own, sometimes with Cheerios. She also tried my homemade pumpkin bread and loved it. Lunch is usually a yogurt or baby food in a pouch, and she can mostly feed herself that way. For dinner, she eats what we eat, and seems to love it all.

She also used her sippy cup for the first time (with pumped milk in it). She did pretty well with it, but funny enough, she’s actually able to drink a lot more when she uses a cup with a straw. She likes to take her sisters’ cups and get water that way.

We are still going strong with nursing! For most of this month, it’s been about 4 to 6 times a day, but I think we are quickly moving down to just 3 to 4. She is also my most acrobatic nursling ever. She’ll try to roll over and sit up while still trying to nurse!

Sleep: It’s probably overdue, but a couple of days after she turned 11 months, we moved her into the crib! I was just holding on to her babyhood for as long as possible by keeping her in our room. Not to mention, she has been our worst sleeper, so I didn’t want her waking Nella up multiple times a night. I also didn’t want to have to go all the way down the hall to get her each time (it feels like a far walk at 3 am, haha). She still wakes up, but thankfully, Nella hasn’t been disrupted by it.

We have had two magical nights where she slept through the night without needing to nurse. TWO NIGHTS! I’m grateful for progress, but seeing that she’s almost a year old, I think we should be doing a bit better than this. Here’s to trying harder this next month.

She still takes a 2.5-3 hour nap every afternoon, usually around 2 pm, although I have had a few days where I put her down just as the older girls are about to eat lunch. She naps in our room so Nella can have a peaceful sleep on her own.

Words: Mama, Dada, and UP! I was so surprised when I heard her say “up” and reach toward Daddy. She is so good at imitating sounds, too, and this is something her sisters love to do with her!

Favorite things: Her sisters (or “sissies”, as we like to say). Nella is getting more interested in her, and I have enjoyed watching them interact more. Nella does try to boss Eve around, but it’s all with the good intention of keeping her safe.Tickles!

Her toes are still a big hit, too- good for playing with, and great for eating!

She is still very dependent on her pacifier, especially for sleep.

Dislikes: Being told no, her bath, and the car seat. When she doesn’t like something, she SCREAMS and screeches as loudly as possible, and she’ll do it for a really long time. I can’t believe she’s already throwing tantrums this way. She’s definitely got some strong opinions, and I think we might have our hands full during her toddlerhood.

Nicknames: Evie, Eeeeee (by Nella), Little E (Daddy says it more like one word, “Littley), Lovie.

Milestones, etc.: -She is starting to cruise along furniture while standing, just a little. She can successfully lower herself to the ground from a standing position, too.

-She can climb stairs… well, the first 3, anyway. Then she gets stuck and doesn’t know where to go next, so she’ll cry for us to rescue her. She’s also mastered going both up and down the small step from the living room to the deck, so she’s happy anytime we have the door open.

-She insists on climbing onto the dishwasher door anytime I open it. She also loves trying to grab utensils out of it to lick them…

-We’ve been going to the pool a lot, and honestly, I’m not sure how much Evie actually likes it. She’s happy if she has something else to play with (usually Kaya or Kaelyn’s goggles), but I spend a lot of our time there bouncing her around and trying to keep her from screaming. She seems to like splashing, unless she gets a lot of water in her face. She also really loves playing with the water table everyday.

-Other note: It was absolutely wild trying to take these pictures this month… I actually broke a sweat trying to get her to lie still on the blanket long enough for me to get one! I resorted to trying to distract her with a piece of clear tape, having her sisters tickle her, and singing “Baby Shark” like a crazy person to get her to laugh and look at me. This is life with an almost-toddler!

Dear Eve,

Your personality is really coming out these days, and let me tell you, you are LOUD and crazy! I love how bubbly you are, even if you make all of us cringe when you scream. You yell when you’re happy, frustrated, or sad.

You are always busy exploring these days, but you are definitely still my little snuggle buddy when you’re tired. I was thinking about how I could prop all of your tiny self up on my chest to sleep not that long ago, and how that wouldn’t even work now because you’ve grown so big and strong. I’m so grateful (and I love those leg rolls of yours)!

I can’t wait to celebrate your birthday soon.

Love, Mommy