From A to Zig: one.

I guess it is time I sit down and finally finish this post. It's been in draft mode for a few weeks now. My friend Kristin was right. Writing this post was hard. The hardest one yet. The reality has set in. My sweet baby is now one. I am in complete awe at how fast the last year went. It was probably one of the best years of my life. We made lots of changes, shed a lot of tears about those changes, we loved with all our hearts, and most importantly we grew in a family of 4.

My sweet Sophia...What is there to say about her. She amazes me EVERYDAY by showing me what she has learned. She is a little sponge. She spends a lot of time watching and laughing at her sister. She just thinks Emily is amazing (we do too..:) Here is what she has been up too:

She weighs 19lbs 3 oz and is 28 inches long. I still laugh when everyone tells me how chubby she is. In reality she is itty bitty, sitting in the 10-25 percentile for weight and 25th percentile for height. She is teenie tiny like her big sister. The doctor also said her growth would probably slow down now that she is actively walking.
She wearts size 3 diapers, 12 month clothes and size 3 shoes.
Yes, she walks...no she RUNS. This little monkey is super fast. You can't leave her alone for a minute. Actually, I take that back. As long as you block the stairs with a gate and close the bathroom door, Sophia is excellent at independent play.
She loves to stack things and those toys where you put objects in slots.
She loves tear everything off the shelves, put them back up and then tear them down again.
She loves to read books by herself, sitting quietly in the corner turning the pages and mumbling softly to herself.
She loves to sing songs and play peek a boo.
She thinks daddy is so silly and giggles giant deep belly laughs when they play.
She loves to see your reaction when she throws things off her changing table or her sippy off her tray. She kinda looks at you and gives you a sly smile before she chucks things just out of reach.
She is all about sitting in chairs. She loves to climb up on any small chair she can reach.
She has learned to ease down off the couch and is really good and going down the steps without giving us a heart attack each time.
She seems a lot more physical right now, but is starting to pick up on words and signs. She surprises us with something new everyday. Right now she can sign more, please, milk and all done. She waves hello and good bye and blows kisses now and then. She loves to give hi fives. She can also clap and play pat a cake. She mimics everything you do, like when we point to her nose, eyes and tummy, but hasn't quite associated them yet. She pretty much does a lot of things when she feels like it. She is no show pony, that's for sure.
As for words she says Mama, Dada, Daddy, dog (duh), hello, hi, uh ooh (she says this a lot after she plays her little throwing game. :) ), thank you, peek a boo (sounds a look like thank you). She sings lots of songs, we don't quite understand the words too. I am sure I am missing some in there.
She gives the sweetest hugs to both us and her buddies. She is turning into a little snuggler, which I love, but she is still Miss Independent.
She has a little sassy side and has started to throw tantrums when she doesn't get her way.
She still sleeps like a champ and doesn't need anything special to go down for bed. We just turn on her sound machine, lay her down and she is out for the night, sleeping till 6:45 during the week ( when I wake her for school) and sometimes 9:30 or 10 on the weekends. She loves to sleep. We let her do it now, because I know she won't do it for long. Emmy was the same way and now she is up at 7 like clock work. She goes down usually at 7, 7:30 is pushing it.
She loves to wash her hands and make messes in the sink and she hates the texture of paint, which is why our fridge is lacking artwork these days.
We haven't switched to whole milk yet because my freezer stash has yet to run out (way to go boobs!). I would say we have about a month left and then we will make the switch. In an attempt to get through the freezer stash quicker, I continue to give bottles in the morning when she wakes up and before bed, but there have been days that we haven't and she has been just fine. She will drink more from a bottle though. Through out the day she gets her milk in a sippy cup. She drinks about 24 oz a day. We will ditch the bottle in a few weeks for good.
She is the best eater and is not picky in the least. ::knock on wood:: She will definitely go for the meat or fruit before her veggies, but has no problem clearing her plate. Hallelujah! I don't know what I would do with 2 picky eaters.
She's kind of a mommy's girl. I won't say that too loud because I don't want to jinx it, but she won't leave my side the second I get home at night and she loves to snuggle right after work.

Sophia-You are such a sweet angel. You have made my life perfect and our family complete. I can't imagine a day without seeing your smiley face. You are absolutely perfect and I can't wait to watch you learn and grow, at your own pace. You are an amazing little girl. You have the biggest heart. You give the sweetest and most genuine hugs and kisses. You are sweet and sassy at the same time. Thank you for one of the best years of my life. I have the hardest time putting into words how happy you make me. Nothing else in the world matters. Your daddy and I were so incredibly blessed to have been chosen to be your and Emily's parents. I thank God everyday for giving you both to me. I love you mosty toasty. To the moon and back.

Go figure, the last month we do the "formal" monthly pictures is the month that Sophia hams it up for the camera. I had a hard time choosing one, so you are welcome for the photo overload.