13 MONTHS OLD!

Milestones:

Violet now has eight teeth and another soon to arrive as I noticed today she was chewing on her finger so much she left little red teeth marks.  Teething has gotten much better.  She wakes a little more often during the night, but still goes right back to sleep after nursing.

Speaking of sleep... :( Bedtime has been a tough one for a couple of months now.  Violet used to go down so easily, but then after a cold in August, some teething, and Wonder Week 55, it seemed to all go downhill.  I've been trying to adjust bedtime a little here and a little there to try and figure out what works best and still haven't found the magic answer.  However, the other night Violet sleep SEVEN HOURS AND TWENTY-FIVE MINUTES STRAIGHT!!!!!  Holy freakin crap.  Dreams really do come true.

Our little girl is quite the little chatterbox lately.  She "reads" books aloud and her versions are much more interesting than what the pages actually say.  Sometimes she's screams like something shocking just happened and makes an "o face" while saying "oooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh."  She also now says "apple" (though she doesn't know what "apple" means), and she'll make the animal noises for a dog, monkey, and an elephant when we ask what they say.

Violet can identify fingers and tongues.  When we say "fingers" she wiggles her fingers and when we say "tongue" she'll stick her tongue out.

Likes:

Food.  She's very willing to try new foods.  When she's hungry, she'll sometimes walk up to me with her mouth open and say "aaaaaahhhhhhhhhh."  She also points at the food or drink she wants.  She llooovveesss opening her FOOGO cup.  She'll take a sip and then pass it to me to close so she can open it again.  And again.  And again.

Stuffed animals.  Starting a couple of week ago, as soon as I get Violet out of her crib in the morning, she'll walk around to all of the stuffed animals in her room and give them a hug.  She even pointed at the ones on top of her bookshelf for me to get down so she could hug those too.

Books.  Violet's not really into toys.  We've got plenty of noise-making toys, but she always goes for the books.  I give her one for car rides and she's a happy camper.

Outside.  She loves going outside.  We usually go outside a couple times a day to get the mail, go for a walk, and to swing.  We have a lot of pine trees, so I'm always having to scramble to throw all the pinecones out of the way so she doesn't scratch her sweet little hands with them.

Music.  Give this girl the smallest, simplest little beat and she's dancing.  Seriously, if she notices someone just casually tapping their fingers on a counter top and she's swaying-side-to side.

Dislikes:

Diaper changes....still!  She usually needs some serious distracting to get a diaper on this girl.  And I don't think it's ever going to get better.  I'm hoping this means she'll be eager to potty train in a few months.

Being buckled in her carseat.  Once she's in with a book, she's usually okay, but I often have to distract her with a cheddar bunny to get her strapped in.

Life Now-a-Days:

Violet been kinda mama-clingy lately.  She's wanting to be held much more often than in recent months.  And holding her in my lap often isn't good enough.  She'll sometimes walk up to me while I'm sitting on the floor with her and wrap her arms around my neck and try to lift up---it's her way of telling me to stand up with her.  Then she wants down.  Then up.  Then down.  Then up.

She also tries to put clothes on and take them off, which is pretty cute, except when I'm trying to get her dressed and then it's just difficult.

Violet loves to come over to us with a book and sit in our lap so we can read it to her.  She likes to share everything she's got in her hands.  I still think it's the sweetest thing ever when I go to get her from her crib in the morning and after naps, turn the lamp on, and even though she can't open her eyes all the way because it's too bright, her little hand is up in the air reaching a pacifier to me.  It's such a joy to spend every day with her and I'm so grateful I get to watch her grow and learn.