Cornett & Company: Little Things: Ada, One Year

Today is Ada's First Birthday! Our girl is such a delight. She is happy, adventurous, social, and in general has such a sunny personality. We're really relishing these days and weeks where she is so easy-going and fun. We hope to remember these times once the tantrums start happening...:) Here are some details about Ada at this age...

Moving: Ada took her first steps at her birthday party over the weekend (April 23)! It was very exciting, and I was happy that I got to witness this event (I expected it to happen when I wasn't around). Of course, she still prefers to crawl to get from place to place quickly, but I know it is just a matter of weeks before she's walking everywhere. She can stand with ease, and goes from sitting to standing constantly throughout the day.

Communication: Ada says a lot of words. The most obvious one is "Out!". This is what she says when she's frustrated with a situation. She also says "Jude", "Dad", "Bot-toe" (for bottle), "Rada", "Bye-Bye", and many others. She is also very expressive and uses signs and body language to get her point across. It's usually pretty easy to figure out what she wants and needs.

Teeth: Ada sprouted four new teeth in a two-day period last week! I think it was pretty painful for her, because she was kind of cranky for a few days and only felt better when we gave her some infant ibuprofen. She now has eight teeth, four on the top and four on the bottom.

Tricks: Ada's most endearing habit these days is giving kisses. All we have to do is say the word "kiss", and she'll smack her lips in our direction. This never gets old. Ada also loves playing "How Big is Ada? So Big!", stretching her arms up over her head. Jude gets into this one too. See the photo below. She also does a lot of clapping and dancing. She seems to be a bit of a daredevil like Jude, and loves being swung around, flying over our heads, and sitting in the tree in our front yard.

Toys: Unlike Jude, Ada really seems to love stuffed animals and her doll Rada. She'll play with little plush toys for a long time, talking with them and burying her face in their bodies. She doesn't seem to have a specific comfort object yet, but she does like to sleep at night with her blankie and Rada.

Consuming: Ada has recently begun to enjoy drinking water out of a sippy cup. She drinks with all of her meals, and also sometimes in between. She also has a bottle when she wakes up in the morning and as part of her falling-to-sleep routine before naps and bedtime. We're currently mixing formula and whole milk, and will switch to just milk soon. She continues to be a good eater, mostly eating finger foods but still some spoon-feeding. She really likes blueberries, cheese, bread, and tofu. She is not too fond of egg yolks, which is funny because Jude also prefers to eat just the whites.

Sleeping: Ada sleeps pretty well these days. She is down to one nap almost every day now, although she might take two naps from time to time. She goes to bed at about the same time as Jude, and wakes up at around 7am most mornings. She rarely needs us in the night unless she is sick. What a difference from six months, or even three months ago!

Size: Ada weighs a little over 20 pounds, and wears mostly 12-month clothing. She is in size 4 diapers and still wears the size 6-12 month soft-soled shoes. She seems to be pretty average sized, compared with Jude who was always really big for his age. We'll get the official measurements at her appointment with Dr. Jack next week.

Here are a few recent photos. Dancing with Dad at her birthday party.