Oh how things have changed

I wanted to reflect on the past year, so here are some thoughts about the things that have changed since we first brought Raelyn home. I've been adding to this list for awhile, but thought it was appropriate to post it today on her 1st birthday.



Diaper Changes

Raelyn used to actually enjoy getting her diaper changed. We would let her lay on the changing pad for quite awhile and talk to her and let her play with toys. Grammy T called the changing pad her “Happy Mat” because she would smile and coo when she was laying there. Now Raelyn likes to reach for the basket holding the diapers, twist around, roll to her tummy, grab the wipes, scream, cry, etc. Needless to say, she spends a minimal amount of time laying there.






Entertainment

Before she was around 5 months, Raelyn had to be entertained. She couldn’t play by herself and liked for you to always be with her. From about 5 months to 8 months, she has enjoyed playing by herself on a blanket with her toys quite a bit. Ever since she began crawling, we are playing with her ALL the time. She can be a bit mischievous at times, which is expected of course!








Car Rides

In the beginning, if Raelyn was in the car, she was asleep. During our first trip home when she was only 2 weeks old she slept the entire car ride, except for a quick break to nurse. Now, however, when we drive home it isn’t quite so easy. We’re lucky if she will sleep for an hour of the ride, which leave 3.5 hours for mommy to sit in the back and play with every toy we packed and sing every silly song on the planet. J By the last hour of the trip, there is a lot of crying involved, both Raelyn and mommy!





Church

We used to be able to listen to the whole sermon while Raelyn slept right through the whole thing. She would be awake for the singing then fall right asleep in time for the sermon. For awhile, we sat in the back and entertained her and mommy spent half of the sermon out in the foyer so she can be entertained a little more loudly. Now Raelyn goes to the nursery after the singing is over....






Fun Times

Those first few smiles were precious and unforgettable, but it is awesome when Raelyn laughs at us, smiles that big smile, and talks all through the day. It is such a cool thing to see her becoming more and more social and figuring out what makes her laugh. She loves jabbering and she talks with her hands!! That cracks us up!


Vocabulary
Here are the words she can say (or sign) at 1 year: dada, mama, Gage, juice, more (sign), eat (sign), good, yeah, all done (word & sign), deer, dog, and uh oh. It’s amazing how much she understands!! If you ask her any question and the answer could be yes, she will nod her head (actually nod her whole body) and say "yea." Daddy has asked her, Raelyn, do you want a spanking... the answer - an enthusiastic "Yeah!" Do you want more to eat?...Yeah!, Did you have a good day at school?...Yeah! In other words, you can't believe everything she says! :) lol


The Raelyn-Gage Relationship

Currently, the relationship between Raelyn and Gage is strained at best. That tail is just so enticing!! When Gage sees her coming he tenses up and hopes that if he stands perfectly still that she won’t grab his fur. Gage has never been all that interested in Raelyn, he just occasionally would sniff her when she was a newborn. During those first few days, he would lay on the couch next to the swing or lay next to whoever was holding Raelyn. Now that Raelyn is fully mobile, he is spending less and less time in the same room as us! Poor Gage!








Food


Raelyn began eating cereal around 4 months, added vegetables around 6 months, fruit around 7 months, then slowly began eating pureed meat (yuck!), finger foods, juice. Now she eats quite a bit of table food and has just started drinking whole milk (she hasn't quite decided if she likes it or not!). Her favorite foods are baby yogurt, puffs, avocado, banana, and pretty much any other food she can eat with her fingers. We haven't found much that she won't eat!! She does such cute things while eating. She signs "more" after almost every bite if the next spoonful isn't there waiting for her. :) She will fill both hands full of puffs and try to shove them all in at once! Good thing that those puffs dissolve quickly! Lately, since learning to sign and say "all done" she signs/says all done when she is finished. She doesn't care to have her hands or mouth wiped after eating...but what kid in history has liked that!