Vivi: Thirteen Months

Vivi's first birthday seems like it was eons ago instead of a mere month. Once we got past the sparkle of the holidays, we fell quickly back into our regular routine. Now that it's cold and gray, and we are stuck indoors, time starts to crawl. Not that I mind. I know the next few months will be gone in a snap, and I'll be back at work pouting.

At thirteen months, Vivi is still quite the peanut. I don't really worry about it. To us, she's just her normal self. But it always shocks me to see her beside babies her own age. We visited a play center last week where there were babies bigger than Vivi who were just learning to sit up. Meanwhile, a baby the same age as Vivi looked twice as big. The lack of hair doesn't help. Maddie's didn't grow till she was three, Viv. You've got a ways to go. Sorry.

Vivienne isn't walking yet. We keep thinking it's going to happen, but she's just happier, and faster, crawling. She'll randomly stand up and walk a few steps across the living room, but the second we look at her, she lowers herself back down to her knees. It's like trying to catch a glimpse of Sasquatch.

But holy cow, our girl is a climber. On Christmas Day she climbed all the way up the stairs and into her bedroom before any of we responsible adults noticed. She really loves to climb on furniture. Standing on her rocking chair is a favorite pastime and a good way to keep Mumma on her toes.
She loves looking out the window at the world. She can peer over the ledge of the windowsill if she stands on her tiptoes. Otherwise she uses a chair. She 'll stay that way for a long time pointing and babbling at everything she sees.

She's not talking much, but in the past week, words seem to be coming more rapidly. Tonight she was whining in her high chair at dinner when clear as a bell out came, "All done." Eric and I both heard it.
She's got the D sound down. Dada is Eric. Duh is Madeline. A short Dah is That. There are various sounds for "down" and "done" and "doll."
She's constantly babbling, screeching, giggling, or blowing raspberries.
When words fail, Vivi gestures nicely. She points, or hands us items she wants to explore. Yesterday, she opened my fingers and placed a brush in my hand because she wanted me to brush her lack of hair. She signs for more when she wants more food...usually blueberries.
She's starting to get picky about what she eats. She loves all forms of fruit, especially blueberries, but hates most vegetables. She doesn't like meat. She does like pasta and bread. Sometimes she loves beans and sometimes she throws them across the kitchen. Babies are fickle.

I'm figuring out what she can eat with her food allergies. It's easier than I thought it would be. And she still takes formula in her bottle a few times a day to make sure she's getting the nutrients she needs.
She's still very shy of people. She ducks her head to avoid eye contact with strangers, and she doesn't like being the center of attention. Yet, she's pretty fearless about everything else. She often tries to wiggle away from me in stores because she wants to get down to explore.

She's happy and sweet and full of cuddles most of the time, but she has a bad temper. She screams in frustration when she doesn't get her way. She's been known to throw things.
She's also so clever. She got her hands on the tissue box today. I watched her pull out a tissue and got ready to stop her from pulling them all out of the box. Instead, she carefully used it to wipe her runny nose. Then she carried the tissue around, stopping to wipe as needed. Then she tried to eat the tissue...so, baby steps. Still, I was impressed.

Team Vivi. All the way.