12 Month Well Visit

Today we went in for the much anticipated one year check-up. Grace was a little champ despite getting four shots and a prick on each big toe (they were trying to get a blood count and the first one clotted). Dr. Smith says she's a perfectly healthy and happy little girl - not that I needed her to tell me that - and thankfully her ears are all cleared up. She weighs 22 lbs 10.5 oz (80th percentile), is 31.25 inches long (100th percentile), and has a head circumference of 19 inches (100th percentile). She's still big and tall, but it's not a concern, and I couldn't imagine her being any other way. Here's the breakdown from the first year:

5 minutes - 7 pounds, 2 ounces & 20 ½ inches
2 weeks - 7 pounds, 1.5 ounces & 19 ¾ inches (strange)
1 month - 8 pounds, 6 ounces & 21 ⅛ inches
2 months - 11 pounds, 7.5 ounces & 22 ⅛ inches
4 months - 16 pounds, 3 ounces & 24 ¾ inches
6 months - 18 pounds, 11 ounces & 26 ½ inches
9 months - 20 pounds, 12 ounces & 29 ¼ inches
12 months - 22 pounds, 10.5 ounces & 31 ¼ inches

We got the go-ahead to turn her around in the car in the big girl car seat we just bought. We somehow made it the whole year in the infant car seat...luckily we went with the one that went up to 30 pounds and 32 inches! We're finishing up the transition to whole milk in a sippy cup and should be completely finished with formula and bottles very soon. I don't know why, but it's kind-of sad to me (the bottle part). As far as food, we're giving her pretty much everything (except nuts and shellfish) and fruit and dairy definitely remain the favorites. She's gotten a bit finicky with some veggies, so we'll be working on that! As far as developments, we were able to check off everything on the 12 month list and quite a bit on the 15 month list. She's moving and talking right along. Her favorite word at the moment is "uh oh"...we hear that one all day (and at the appropriate times, too, if you can imagine). Here are a couple videos from this month of just Grace being Grace:





I know it goes without saying, but we're pretty proud of her. In our opinion she's the sweetest, funniest, cutest little girl, with the best personality, there ever was. Bet you've never heard a parent say that before! :) She's made us laugh, cry, and learn more in the past year than we ever thought possible. It hasn't always been fun and easy (thinking about those first six weeks still makes me cringe) and we won't ever claim to have it all figured out, but all in all I'm proud of the way we've adjusted. The kind of parents we wanted (or didn't want) to be was something Dave and I talked a lot about before Grace got here. We didn't read parenting books (unless the weekly BabyCenter email counts), or watch morning shows to learn about the latest thing you're not supposed to do, or set out to be the most knowledgeable parents around. Not that that's bad, it's just not us...I would've ended up totally overwhelmed and terrified! Instead, we tried to use common sense and sought the advice of medical professionals and other (respected) parents. We appreciated and tried to maintain structure, while also trying to avoid being inflexible or making others feel like Grace's schedule was more important than their time. We tried to remember that our life/marriage isn't supposed to revolve around her and that other people's worlds certainly don't! We tried not to freak out about germs (except maybe when she was new and swine flu was scary) or - as she became more mobile - hover in an attempt to prevent every fall and bump. And, yes, she's gotten sick and hurt herself...and, no, it wasn't fun. We haven't been perfect by any means, we've just tried to "relax" and keep things in perspective.

The truth is that she's not ours, she's God's. So we'll certainly be smart, cautious, and protect her when necessary (and, of course, love her like crazy), but we'll also remember that He gave her to us and He is the one in control. I read an article recently that noted the one thing that truly matters when it comes to parenting is whether you're raising your child(ren) to love the Lord. Wow. That's huge. Especially since the best way for Grace to learn about God right now is through David and me and the way we treat each other, treat her, and treat situations. She's definitely watching...and she's a sponge. So while I'm proud of us for making it through the first year and coming out a solid family unit, I'm not especially proud of the fact that I let it be a season of spiritual stagnancy. I'm pretty sure it's way past time to stop using the new mom thing as an excuse! If I'm not making my personal relationship with Christ a priority, how can I be successful with my biggest responsibility to Grace? Here's to hopefully looking back on the second year and feeling proud of how we grew in that area as well. :)