I know, I know, I never even did a 12 month update. There was so much going on with her party and our trip that it slipped away from me. So here we are at 13 months, and my baby is now teetering on the eve of toddlerhood. Make. It. Stop.
Especially make the tantrums stop. What demon is possessing my child every time we go to Target that makes her scream and flail until I grab my things, pick her up, and RUN out of the store. She also will throw fits at home when she doesn’t get what she wants exactly when she wants it. Of course I don’t want to teach her that is the way to get what she wants so I let her scream, try to divert her attention to something else, or even put her in “time out” in her play pen or crib for a few minutes. Usually these tantrums are when she’s very tired anyways so putting her in the play pen or crib results in nap time, which I’m fine with!
But now on to the good things about this age. Maddie Grace has a ton of personality and energy! She will walk short distances now and gets so excited every time she does. She is constantly on the go and wants to go from toy to toy in her playroom, and then from room to room in our house. She loves playing outside and visiting the park, and is a big fan of both slides and slings. Reading is still one of MG’s favorite activities. She will now bring me whatever book she wants to read and crawl into my lap which makes me so happy. Maddie Grace is a little explorer and isn’t scared to get dirty, she loves learning about the world around her and I hope this never stops.
MG is very affectionate and loving, both with people, books and stuffed animals. Seriously – when we are reading books she wants to give the different animals kisses, and she’s always holding onto a doll or stuffed animal who she gives lots of hugs and kisses to. If I ask for a hug and a kiss she will climb up on my lap and throw her arms around my neck, and give me a nice open mouth tongue out kiss on the cheek. It melts my heart every time I see what an affectionate and sweet little girl she’s turning into.
Maddie Grace is a talking machine now. It’s still mostly gibberish but she’s adding in more and more words we can understand. She’s got her animal noises down and can also say “kitty” and “outside”. She does this cute thing any time someone asks her a question where she nods her head and says “yeah”. I’m so happy she hasn’t completely figured out no yet.
Another favorite activity is eating. Grilled cheese is probably her favorite food, with cheese pizza being a close second. She won’t eat in her high chair anymore though which is quite frustrating and instead wants to be standing on the ground when she eats.
We have been keeping busy with outdoor play dates which is great since Maddie Grace enjoys the outdoors and needs socialization. The zoo and botanical garden are both big hits with her, and our neighborhood pool officially opens today so guess where we are going this afternoon?
Not going to lie – this age is hard and so very tiring. But it’s also a lot of fun! Watching how much Maddie Grace learns and picks up on things is really amazing. I’ve realized I need to watch what I say around her because she is picking up the words I say fast, and society generally frown upon toddlers who cuss although I’ve always thought it’s kind of cute.
She is so adorable! That is a tiring age, but so fun at the same time. Her romper is so cute!
Thank you 🙂
From 13 – 16 has been completely exhausting for sure! But I love the way their little personalities come out!
Yes it's so fun but so exhausting 🙂
She is such a beauty 🙂 I follow you on instagram and her little face lights up my feed 🙂
Haha, I think it's hilarious when toddlers let a swear word or two slip…that's when Daddy steps in to discipline and Mama hides her face to laugh! Eek! 🙁