12 Months With Baylee!

So, with all the birthday festivities, it's a little late, but here is Baylee's 12 month update! I can't believe this is our last white blanket picture and our last monthly update! (I'll continue to do them, but in 3 month increments now.)

Age: 12 months

Weight: 22 lbs

Height: 28 inches 

Clothing size: 12 months

Teeth: Six total. Four up top and two on the bottom. Loving her new toothy grin!

Favorite foods: blueberries, frozen peas, sliced grapes, broccoli, and turkey...oh, and she has a new found love of rice lol

Words: same as last month, but we've added "flower" (fow-er), "done", and "eyes"

Favorite activities: climbing up on the couch and bouncing on all the cushions, cruising around the room and attempting to take steps, eating, eating, and eating

Least favorite activites: letting anyone hold her except Mama when she's tired or crabby and having something taken away that she shouldn't have

Favorite toys: Discovery House, water table, stuffed animals, and her baby doll

Signature moves: "step, step, plop", pushing her high chair tray and yelling "dooooone!" when she thinks she's had enough food, waving "hello" and "goodbye" 5 minutes after we've walked away from the person

This kid is getting to be so much fun! She can say so many words now, but has definitely put talking on the back burner in her new efforts toward walking. Three days before her birthday, Brian and I were playing around with Baylee on the floor. I was holding her and said, "Okay now take your first steps to Daddy!" and she did! We were both stunned! I'm so glad that Brian was there to see her walk for the first time. Since then she has taken steps here and there, but hasn't built up the confidence to really walk. I'm predicting we'll have a walker around September. She can take her time, though...I know once she's walking it's a complete game changer!

Since her birthday, our living room has turned into a complete playroom with all of Baylee's new toys. (Anyone else have a list of things they swore would never happen when they had kids that actually happened anyway?! lol) We got a lot of learning toys that keep her entertained for long periods of time. I'll be featuring a couple of them in my next "Must Haves" post. We have also been enjoying her new wagon. She loves to go for walks around the neighborhood in it and waves like she's on parade. Love her.

 

Her baby doll has been a constant companion lately. It's so cute the way she holds her and pats her head. It totally makes me want to make her a big sister....maybe someday! ;)

My mom taught Baylee how to do a "fishy face" during a recent Face Time session, and now she's can't stop! It's the cutest thing ever, and she's really getting the hang of it. I love this age and how she can copy everything we do. (Which means we really have to start watching what we do and say! Hah.) This is her doing the "fishy" during a Face Time with her Mimi. (Godmother)

I love this crazy, little monster more than ever! Having a toddler is the best, and I know she's going to get even more fun over the next year. 

Until next time! XoXoXo

Happy 1st Birthday, Baylee!

Baylee's 1st birthday was an absolute blast! We started the morning by dumping pink and white balloons in her crib and singing "Happy Birthday" to her as soon as she woke up. She was super confused at first, but quickly realized that this was totally fun and started playing with all the balloons and flopping herself on top of them. She was having such a good time that she actually cried when I got her out of her crib! So funny!

We made some breakfast and then headed out to Disneyland! Halfway there we realized that we had forgotten our stroller, so thank goodness they have strollers available to rent for only $15. They're actually quite nice! My only complaints were that the undercarriage doesn't fit a whole lot and there aren't any cup holders...I'm just spoiled like that! ;)

We went to the guest service booth to get Baylee her birthday button, and the three cast members that were there thought she was just so cute that they fought over who could make her button...so she ended up with three! It was very sweet of them, and was a great start to our day there.

Baylee was in a great mood, so we decided it would be a great time to take her on King Arthur's Carousel for her first time. She absolutely loved it! She was dancing and bouncing the whole time, and loved that her Daddy was riding on the horse right next to her! I was holding on to her in disbelief that my baby is now old enough to ride a pony on a carousel.

Auntie Jenny and Cousin Addy came and met up with us for lunch and to take some pictures in our Minnie ears! Of course neither kiddo would look at the camera and Baylee kept taking her ears off, so there are a lot of outtakes....but like we always say, its a memory! :) Us big kids had some margaritas after lunch, and then Miss Baylee passed out on Daddy in her carrier and slept for almost an hour. Addy wasn't having the best day, so Jenny headed home and we let Baylee sleep in one of the nice, dark, air conditioned buildings.

Once she woke up, my Dad met up with us for a bit, so we decided to play some of the Boardwalk Games. Baylee girl was spoiled and we won her a stuffed turtle, Timothy Mouse, and Dumbo! Stuffed animals are quickly becoming one of her favorite kind of toys, so she was stoked.

Grandpa headed home, so we got a snack and decided to wait in line to see the Disney Junior Live show. I was worried that she might still be a little too young for it, but this kid proved me wrong as usual! She recognized all the songs and characters and was dancing up a storm. She could not stop smiling and pointing, and I literally teared up because she was being so cute and big! She kept grabbing my face and kissing me as if to say "Thank you so much for bringing me here, Mommy!" I'm pretty sure it was the highlight of her day, and quite possibly her life! lol I guess it's time for me to look in to a "Mommy and Me" class.

After the show, Baylee was exhausted, so she knocked out in the stroller. We walked back over to Disneyland to let her get a solid nap and then went to the Hungry Bear for dinner. The Winnie the Pooh ride was right next door so after she woke up and ate her dinner, we took her on it and got some amazing family selfies (us-ies?) while waiting in line. Girly sure does have her Daddy's silly personality!

Baylee loved going on all of the rides, but sometimes the happiest time for a one-year-old is when you cave in and let them get on the ground and pick some Disney flowers through a fence! We've all done it, right?! lol

We went on the Jungle Cruise, and then decided that little one had had enough so we left. I can't think of a more fun way to have spent Baylee's first birthday; it was a day I will always remember and hold dear in my heart! How is my baby girl a big, crazy toddler?!

Until next time! XoXoXo

One is Fun!

In just a couple of days, my little princess will officially be 1! Over the weekend, we had Baylee's 1st birthday party. It was inside a gazebo at a park down the street from my grandparents' house, and turned out absolutely perfect! (Shout out to all my helpers! You are sooo appreciated!)

We, of course, had Minnie Mouse as the theme since Baylee has been our little Minnie girl from day one. Everything was pink and yellow, and looked so pretty on a perfect July day! My pride and joy was the dessert table, I made pink velvet Minnie cupcakes with chocolate icing, sugar cookies in the shape of hearts with pink sprinkles, and birthday puppy chow. I wish I had it in me to make the cakes, but I ended up omitting a lot of my original plans for sanity purposes. We ordered the cakes from the bakery at our Super Target and they turned out great. (Minus the "B" in birthday getting messed up during transportation...oh well!) For lunch we BBQed hamburgers and hot dogs with all the fixins. There was a great turn out of friends and family, and despite Baylee teething and missing her morning nap, I think she had a really great time!

Baylee was fashionably late and made her grand entrance in her brand new little red wagon. :)

Her favorite part was definitely the smash cake. This kid is a total ham. She didn't cry or get scared when we all sang to her, and even danced a little bit. Brian and I blew out her candle and then let her go to town. She was a little hesitant at first, but once she realized how good it tasted, she went crazy! It was a huge pink and white mess that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world!

After cake, we opened all of her presents. She got a lot of awesome toys and clothes. (Side note: Toys'R'Us has a "Wish List" that you can make online for your kids. I really appreciate this, because it helps the guests get age appropriate toys, so there's no need for returns or stashing toys away for months.) Baylee figured out very quickly how to pull all the tissue paper out of the bags to see what kind of goodies were inside. She was very excited, and this Mama felt very blessed! :)

I still can't believe that her first birthday party is actually over! It was a beautiful day, and my sweet girl is so very loved. 

Wednesday is her actual birthday, so we have a very fun and exciting day planned to continue to celebrate this wonderful little life! 

Until next time...XoXoXo