Obviously since I shared Miss H’s first birthday party, you know we have an active one-year-old on our hands! (And, in case you missed it, she’s Miss H now instead of Baby H, because she’s a big girl!)

The year has flown by so fast my head is still spinning. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to be “pre-baby me” but I don’t even know her anymore. Because the “momma me” finally feels like the real me. And it took awhile to get to this place. The first few months of being a mom I felt absolutely silly as a pushed the stroller around my neighborhood. Now being out strolling with Miss H is second nature to me. I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that sleeping until 7am on Saturday mornings is sleeping in. And it’s blissful.

And I know that having a toddler isn’t exactly easy fun and games all the time, but I’m really looking forward to this time as Miss H’s momma. We’re less tied to nap schedules, she can have snacks in her stroller as we’re out and about, and we’re finally having some fun! I’m sure I’m in for some challenges with my strong-willed, goofy little girl, but I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us.

I’m excited to share our last installment of week-by-week photos. It’s been so much fun capturing Miss H each week in all of her fun outfits and silly expressions. And, starting with 13 months we’ll be taking monthly photos with an entirely new backdrop!


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Our “state of the family” right now is this:

What we’ve learned: When to relax. As new parents we would stress out about every little thing. And now that we’ve had a year with Miss H, we’ve learned when we should take action on something and when we can relax a little bit and have a more “wait and see” approach. Miss H got her first real sickness a couple of weeks before her first birthday. While she’d had a couple of small colds before, this was entirely different – she had a cough, was very congested, had a low-grade fever and had a complete loss of appetite. It was definitely hard seeing her so sick, but Mr. H and I were able to keep our cool and take care of Miss H while the cold ran its course.

What we’re enjoying right now: Miss H is pulling up on everything and cruising around the furniture like a pro. While this does come with its own set of challenges (it feels like she can reach everything!), it’s been so wonderful for her to finally burn off some energy! Which means, of course, fantastic 2 hour naps where she falls asleep almost instantly. She’s not quite brave enough to walk unassisted, but she’s definitely getting close.

What our biggest struggles are: Yet again, meals. But this month it’s meal planning. Miss H’s appetite is great and she’s really embracing eating mostly finger foods at every meal – the only thing we spoon feed her is yogurt. But it is challenging for us to introduce new foods and keep a lot of variety in her diet. It’s something we are working on and Mr. H and I really need to take the time and sit together and do some true meal planning.

What has been Baby H’s most exciting milestone: She’s saying a lot of “words” – hi, bye, uh-oh, wa-wa (water), dadda, momma, up and repeating a lot of words after us. She has also learned to give hugs which melts my heart every time!

What we’re looking forward to: Again, waiting on her first steps!