Eleanor at 12 Months

As of this morning, Eleanor now weighs 18 lbs 4.5oz, has a head circumference of 17 1/4" and is 29.13" tall. Compare her to William at 12 months. 

We went through a tough period with her at the beginning of the month, right after we moved into the house. I don't know if it was the change in living quarters, teething, virus or what, but she started crying constantly. And this is the kid that hardly ever cries. Even as a newborn she rarely cried. So it was rather alarming to me that all of a sudden she wouldn't stop. It put everyone on edge and really stressed me out. Finally I took her to the doctor, thinking she might have an ear infection or something. The doctor proclaimed her perfectly healthy, but the funny thing was that from the moment we got home from the doctor's office, she went back to her normal, happy self. I guess the doctor's office scared her straight or something. It was the weirdest thing! 

She is such a stinker lately. As soon as she is done eating, she pulls off her bib with gusto and stands in her highchair. I have had to start using the built-in belt for the first time ever and once she takes the bib off it is nearly impossible to make her keep it on. So we have been having a lot more baths as she just gets absolutely caked in food after dinner is over. She loves sink baths though so that is a win in her book!



Her favorite thing to eat is chalk and tissues. I have recently had to start listening for The Silence (as I like to call it). She will go into a room and then stay there quietly. If I don't hear her for a few minutes, its almost guaranteed that she is up to no good: unraveling yarn balls, knocking over trash cans and eating their contents, unrolling toilet paper rolls, climbing things she shouldn't, etc. She is getting ever more mobile, and more confidant in her cruising skills, and there is not much she can't get into that is less than three feet from the ground. I know shes been having a good old time when she comes crawling out of a room sporting a chalk mustache and a scrap of tissue sticks out from the corner of her mouth. Sadly shes gotten so used to me digging things out of her mouth that she will now pull it out herself and just hand me whatever the item is, half the time!

She is starting to play the part of annoying little sister to Will and does things like take his toys right out of his hand, steal his food and if he comes up to her to defend himself, she starts crying before hes even done a single thing, making me think he's hurt her when in fact he's done nothing wrong. I have started asking Will what happened before making any false assumptions as he doesn't lie (yet) about whether or not he hurt her. Most of the time though shes faking it. The little stink!

I've finally been able to let her play more at playgrounds like a big kid (though she's been known to eat the wood chips). I recently taught her how to go down a slide and then after that she wanted to do it over and over and over again until it was time to leave. Each time she would giggle excitedly and wave her magic hands in the air as I lifted her to the top of the slide, then she would scoot herself forward until she went over the edge and then giggle the whole way down. The funniest part was seeing how the static made her have crazy hair!

Peekaboo is her game of choice and she will play with just about anything. Any scrap of fabric, clothing, blankets or curtains, she will use to cover her head while giggling, then dramatically pull it down to reveal her face. I say 'peekaboo!' and she collapses in hysterical giggles. Its pretty much the most adorable thing ever.






Nora loves to be held and if she sees me enter a room, she will make a beeline toward me and climb into my lap if I am sitting, or stand and hold my leg and look cutely up at me, if I am standing. That face is hard to resist. The trouble is that she is SUPER wiggly and therefore is nearly impossible to hold for very long. I don't understand her. She begs to be picked up, the moment you do she starts wriggling to get down, and then you set her down and she cries to be picked back up again. I suppose thats toddler logic for you (though technically she isn't quite a toddler yet).

She still does a bit of comfort nursing when she is hungry or tired or bored. I love those times because its the only time she will remain reasonably still and I can get a bit of a cuddle in with her. Granted its not the most relaxing time for me because her favorite nursing activities include kicking her free leg up and down repeatedly, pulling my hair and earrings, poking my mouth and eyes, shoving her wubanub into my face and slapping my chest. I just squint my eyes, lean my head back as far as I can and try to withstand the onslaught until shes done. Strangely enough, I still enjoy nursing her and hope that she remains interested for a while still.


I just love this little girl so much. It absolutely astonishes me that 12 months have already gone by in what seems like the blink of an eye. I remember the day she was born, I looked at her and I knew that in 12 months, I would have that exact thought, and yet I am still shocked at the speed at which it flew by. I have so enjoyed getting to know her. She is intelligent, vivacious, curious, adventurous, sweet and gregarious. She is not shy and makes her presence known! She is loud and funny and has a wicked mischievous side. She is also laid back and generally unflappable. She is such a joy and has brought so much unique life to our family, I thank God every day that I get to be her mom. It is a privilege!