Baby Must Haves: 12 Months

Wow. So I’m super behind, but wanted to finish up my first full year of baby must-haves. This past year has been incredible and so much fun. Every month was better than the last and continues to still get better. Having a child has enriched my life beyond measure and has been an incredible journey. I want to get all mushy here and write how much becoming a mother means to me, but I’ll save that for another time. It’s really hard to articulate the love I have for her and the joy she brings me.

Here are some fun updates with Ellie, we had her 1 year baby wellness appointment and she is still above average in both height and weight. That’s not a shocker since most “pants” are short on her and I have to size up on the majority of her clothing. She has started to babble with more meaning to what she’s trying to communicate. She has said “up”, "papa", and “mine” a few times and says different variations of “ba” and “bla” for blocks or her sippy cup. She points at everything, brings you stuff, and follows simple commands. She also started walking just a few weeks before her first birthday! Which is tons of fun. It’s amazing how fast she’s developing and growing. It’s seriously ridiculously crazy how our bodies and minds work.

We are still breastfeeding, but are going to start the weaning process. I’m going to possibly do a post about our journey because it really has been a roller coaster. I’m so happy and surprised that we have even made it this far. I would like to nurse for longer, but I’ve barely hung on as it is! I think it will be pretty tough on her, she has started to point to our boppy (which I almost always use to nurse) and pull it to me as well as pulling on my shirt when she’s ready to nurse. I want to wean as naturally as possible, I don’t want this to be a negative experience for us. If you have any tips at all, please share!

Here are some of our most used/played with items this past month:

Small Chair or Seat: We gave this to Ellie on her first birthday and she’s obsessed with her chair. At my cousins' homes they have similar chairs or mini love seats that pull out into a bed and Ellie absolutely loves playing and sitting on them. I remember being a child and loving anything that was small and my size. Now there are so many toys available for children, I’m excited to give Ellie some of the stuff I know I would have enjoyed myself.

Push Toys: I’ve posted about push toys back in my 9 Month Must Haves and wanted to add some new ones. Now that Ellie is walking on her own, she loves toys that are easy to move with her. She loves push toys more now that she’s able to play more with them while walking instead of using it to help her walk. She loves the shopping cart to put her toys in as she moves around the house and take them out. For her birthday she also received fun vacuum and popping push toys as well that she enjoys. It’s so cute to see her interact more with the toys and play with others.

Glow Worm: This doll is Ellie's must have. She sleeps with it every night and has to have it. It sings various lullabies and its face lights up. After 10 minutes it stops playing and the light dims to off. It's great on the nights we put Ellie to sleep tired, but she's not quite ready to fall asleep yet. There's been a few times where she wakes during the night crying because she doesn't have her doll and she reaches out for it and goes back down. I love checking on her at night and seeing her cuddle her dolls, it's so sweet. She'll play and cuddle this doll and now even pushes all of her other dolls tummy to see if they do any tricks.

Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Say Please Tea Set: Ellie got this gift as an early birthday present. When we went to Utah earlier this year, my cousin's child had the same toy and Ellie had a great time playing with it. Since getting the toy for herself, I have to seriously pry it out of her hands for bedtime. It's so cute and I love the songs and sounds it makes.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (Greatest Hits): Ellie loves music and really enjoys the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse songs. This CD has lots of songs and it's fun to listen to on long drives. She kicks her feet and gets excited when she hears songs she recognizes. I think my next CD purchase for her will be this Now That's What I Call Disney, Vol. 1.

What are some of your baby's favorite toys and items?