amelie 12 months

 I always find her sitting on random chairs/benches/tables around the house that she can climb on. It must be more fun to sit and do nothing if you are a foot off the floor:)

 Amélie with her friend from next door. with. his. hand. on. her. thigh.

 an after-nap greeting from her older sister. sheer joy.

 ready for the beach... but this hairband must go.

 at the lake worth beach.

 I know this is grainy and not well lit but I love how her hair looked like a mop, and that I just found her in my messy studio laying her head down on the floor (of course she stopped when I snapped the photo).

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMELIE!!!! She loooooooooves balloons so we filled her room with them to wake up to on her 1st birthday. We found her standing at her crib looking down and pointing to "tha!" and wanting to get out and play.

 birthday outfit (I made the bonnet as a last minute gift during her morning nap on her birthday!)

 

 buns. and hugs.

 at mama and papa's house celebrating with family (we didn't do a party).

 our weekly sunday sacrament ritual.... what would I do without my parents here to help? (since franc is usually either out of town or having to go into the hospital:(

 love these chunky thighs peeking out from her skirt

 aunt caroline came to visit in June, the girls loooooved it of course.

 on her birthday we took amélie and olivia to their favorite local place. Lion Country Safari. Except we didn't do the animal safari, or the water park. just the rides:)

 and rode the carousel at least 3 times in a row.

 By 12 months Amelie:
-helps me pick up her messes
-said "all done!" after she finished her bottle
-had a toy banana in her hand and said "dat?" and I said "banana." She said "nana" back.
-Points to things she wants and says "thi" (this)
-Says, "tay-u" when I give her things (thank-you)
-was so happy when her daddy came home from his month in San Diego (naval base) that she fussed unless he held her hand the whole ride home. She had her neck cricked so she could see him as we drove home from the airport.

-wouldn't stop saying daddy and dadda after he came home as well.
-love love loves meat. and fruit, and broccoli. Not a huge fan of cereal and carbs, like her sister and I, but she will definitely still eat them (at least a little).
-likes to throw her food on the floor as she is eating it. Not for any apparent reason, but just to have something to throw. She will then eat it off the floor after I take her out of her chair. (like her aunt caroline was known for doing as a baby!)
-one day, as she was putting her shaped toys away, she held a green circle in her hand. She then searched through the pile on the floor until she found the other green circle and held them both in her hands.
-loves to read, mostly to herself, but sometimes will ask me to do it (hands me the book and makes a noise).
-loves to unroll all the toilet paper in the bathrooms.
-is open to trying anything (to eat) she sees on the floor in her crawling path. Has yet to swallow anything non-edible, but likes to try it out in her mouth to see:)
-loves balloons. loves loves loves loves.
-got 2 new teeth and 4 molars AT THE SAME TIME this month
-likes to climb, but doesn't know how to get back down!  It doesn't matter if the thing she is climbing on has nothing interesting too look at or do, to her it is more exciting because she had to climb to get there. She will sit and whine, so you take her down and she just climbs right back up!
-totally entertains herself most of the day. It took FOREVER for Olivia to do this, so this is really amazing to me!
-she loves to dance to whatever music olivia puts on (usually from a toy), and her signature move is a single arm swing.
-learned to clim the stairs but not back down. and I am not willing to teach her right now, so a gate went up.

If you had asked me before she was born how much I would love this girl, I would've said, "I know you can love another baby (b/c that's what I've heard), but I just can't imagine how I can love another as much as olivia!" Well let me tell you what. I am unfathomably in love with this little girl and she brings so much joy to my soul everytime I see her.  When she smiles at me it seriously puts me on cloud nine. I never knew you could love two children this much and I really truly do. Amélie I want you to know that you make me the happiest mom alive. You are the sweetest baby in the world. I love love love love love you!!!!