Toddlerhood - 13 Months

I am not sure how long I will be doing these monthly updates, I am guessing I won't be sending her off to college on her 216th month and writing a blog post, but for now - they are here to stay. I am enjoying looking back on them and hopefully one day Elena will see some humor and appreciate them (or at least roll her eyes and laugh at me).
This month was full of personality, laughs and new steps for Elena. She is embracing her new found freedom and independence that comes with her footsteps and mobility. She constantly chatters away at me and tells me stories. She is starting to feed herself with a fork and spoon (albeit much of it ends up on the floor). She is also really starting to mirror the things that we do - little and small - from reclining in her own chair, to climbing the stairs, to insisting on brushing her own teeth, to drinking out of a cup, to grabbing for whatever food or drink we have in our hand - she is truly a little person. She's even started pointing to some of her body parts (so far we have teeth, nose and eyes down). It's so fun to see that she is understanding what we are saying and can follow simple directions. Her latest fun adventure has been tooling around her grandma's driveway in the same car that I motored around in as a kid. She just started to get the hang of pushing herself along - granted more backwards than forwards... but you get the idea. As each day passes, I am so proud of how she is doing and how she seems to be absorbing everything around her.


So far her words are: Mama, Daddy, Dog, Bye, Hi, Uh Oh, No (frequently "no no")


Favorite foods: Berries, Pasta, Marinara Sauce, Yogurt, Cheddar Bunnies, and Ice Cream


Milestones: First pair of walking shoes (velcro and all, which she has already figured out how to get off) Helping to dress and undress herself Using baby spoon and fork to try and feed herself Climbing up onto the couch