Hellobee

Baby Pizza – 1 Year Old

Baby Pizza turned one last month!  While there are aspects of the baby stage I will miss, I am mostly excited that Baby Pizza will continue to reach some major milestones and keep blossoming into her own little self.

Baby Pizza has had just two teeth since about six months old, but I finally see her top two teeth emerging. Right now, some of the foods she enjoys include strawberries, grapes, salmon, butternut squash, bread, rice, and pasta (she loves her carbs just as much as her mom). There are a lot of other foods that she likes one day and refuses to eat the next. Meal times are quite the mess. I forget how long this messy eating stage lasts, but remember feeling like it went forever with Lil’ Pizza. Baby Pizza likes to self feed whenever possible. If I put food in her mouth, she will use her hands to take it out of her mouth, feel it with her hands and then proceed to put it back in her mouth or throw it on the ground (or sometimes even rub it in her hair). Sounds fun huh?

She has fully transitioned from formula to whole milk. With Lil’ Pizza, I slowly transitioned by giving half formula and half milk, but with Baby Pizza, I wasn’t really paying close attention and one day realized I was running low on formula and did a complete switch without any issues. She drinks milk four times a day and smaller amounts during night feedings. I’m trying to get her to drink milk just with her meals, but she often starts to whine if I don’t give her milk beforehand. I’ve also been trying to switch her completely into straw and sippy cups, but she seems to like it best when I hold the bottle for her and she just lays back on me and comfortably drinks. I’ve tried handing her the bottle of milk and she will throw it down and cry until I pick up the bottle. She will then get herself onto my lap and wait for me to start feeding her. She even refuses to hold her own bottles.  Lots of things to work on in the coming months!

She is saying appah (dad in Korean) and umma (mom in Korean) pretty consistently. She likes to wave at people (especially to Mr. Pizza when he is leaving for work), and sometimes will say “buh buh” as she waves. She was signing for “more” for awhile but she doesn’t seem to do it lately. She likes to nod her head with a smile when she is content (especially when she puts something tasty in her mouth), or shake her head violently if we try to get her to do something she does not want to do. She has also been pointing at different objects she wants me to get for her.

She loves to crawl and cruise around on furniture. She stands for short periods of time and is working on walking (a few steps) but doesn’t seem all that interested. She loves putting things away, like small blocks into a bin. Her favorite room in the house is probably the bathroom. She likes to climb up Lil’ Pizza’s steps and get a hold of anything she can from the sink. She enjoys music and often will bounce up and down and nod her head along to the music. She also loves her Aden and Anais blankets, just like Lil’ Pizza.

Baby Pizza takes 2 naps, which range from 30 min to 1.5 hours. She’s still been waking up 1-2 times at night but I am hopeful that she will sleep through the night in a few months (one can hope, right?).

At home we like to call her “Happy Feet” because she likes to kick her feet when she is happy or even when she is being held.  Lately, we just call her “Wild Thing” because she’s just been a little crazy now that she is more active and more determined as ever.  She can be quite “passionate”, especially when we take something away from her that she is enjoying.

She is one of the smiliest babies I know, but that doesn’t equal her being an easy going baby, because she isn’t. She’s had major stranger anxiety for quite some time now, so usually either I or Mr. Pizza are holding her when we are with family and friends.  She shows her affection with kisses (she also loves kissing stuffed animals) and loves to just fall back into your lap to relax and be close to you.

Lil’ Pizza –  3.5 years old

Lil’ Pizza is growing up so fast and is always pretending she is older so that she can start to do more grown up things, like chew gum, sit in the passenger seat, drive, eat spicy food and drink adult drinks. She has always been a book lover and it’s a blessing she can engage in “reading” (reciting what she has mostly memorized) books by herself for nearly an hour at a time. She’s also really been into listening to audiobooks. Acting out scenes from books is probably her most favorite activity. Her recent favorite book to act out is Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin (anyone else read this amazingly hilarious book?). If she is not acting out scenes from books, then she is often asking me how I would respond to certain situations. It goes a little something like this…”If I was 16 years old and could drive, what would you say?” or “If I ate the whole pizza, what would you say?”  She is thoughtful in the things she asks me (“do you still love me even when I don’t listen?”) Recently I noticed she is more intentional in the way she engages with peers, whereas before she didn’t mind wandering off on her own to do her own thing.  She is cautious, very curious, observant, (mostly) kind and sensitive.  She has stopped taking naps on most days which happened after I transitioned her to a toddler bed but I can now say that I am glad we did make the switch when she turned three.

Sibling interactions

I have really enjoyed the age gap of the two girls. Lil’ Pizza is always itching for Baby Pizza to do more with her, but is very understanding about Baby Pizza’s limitations. Lil’ Pizza is often the one trying to chase and follow Baby Pizza and that always ends with lots of giggles from both of them. It’s sweet as their interactions become more frequent. Today, I caught Baby Pizza giving Lil’ Pizza a kiss. I am excited to see how their relationship will grow and blossom through the years.

I’m looking forward to another year with both my girls! Hopefully the next time I give an update on Baby Pizza, she will be walking, saying a few more words, taking just one nap, sleeping through the night, and drinking milk all by herself!