Kiwi is 12 months old: Leading me

Not long ago, Peeper came home from gymnastics. She ran into the bedroom, where I was changing Kiwi’s diaper.

“We learned frog jumps!” Peeper exclaimed—and began bouncing up and down, landing with her hands between her feet.

Kiwi squealed. She rolled over. Coming up to her knees, she started to bounce, too.

The two sisters laughed and jumped like frogs and laughed some more, all the while watching each other.

That little scene perfectly shows the core of Kiwi’s personality—her exuberance. She is so in love with life.

At 12 months old, my baby (wait, toddler?!) is the one leading me! Ten Thousand Hour Mama

Memorizing baby smiles

At 12 months, the long days of a crying mom and infant so long ago; this cheerful, grinning one-year-old has replaced that newborn with red-rimmed eyes and a hoarse voice. Yes, she still fusses, but Kiwi’s default setting is happy.

I have memorized her 1-year-old smile because I see it so often—and because I know it is changing. Soon enough, her other top teeth will come in, and gone will be her lopsided grin.

She smiles when she looks at me as she nurses.

She smiles when Dad comes home, when Nana arrives and when she sees Big Sister.

She smiles when she blows raspberries—and grins even bigger when Peeper joins in.

She smiles when she stands by herself and takes ever-more-confident steps forward.

At 12 months old, my baby (wait, toddler?!) is the one leading me! Ten Thousand Hour Mama

A 12 month old’s strong will

Kiwi is joyful, but she’s still very much her own person.

At 12 months old, my baby (wait, toddler?!) is the one leading me. So this is stubborn! Ten Thousand Hour Mama

Her stubborn streak will serve her well as she becomes a persistent, dedicated, outspoken leader, as I’m pretty sure she’ll be. But for now, that strong will sometimes threatens to break me.

Take, for example, the three days I went out of town recently. She refused to drink the breast milk I left behind: not from a bottle, not from a sippy, not from a cup. (This is starting to sound like Green Eggs and Ham, don’t you think?)

And now that I/my boobs are back, she refuses to eat just about anything other than plain yogurt. (Don’t get any ideas about mixing anything in there, either. She’ll spit it out if you contaminate her Nancy’s with oatmeal or fruit.)

At 12 months old, my baby (wait, toddler?!) is the one leading me! Ten Thousand Hour Mama

Introducing other foods—even the ones that should be an insta-hit, like puffs or applesauce—is usually a losing battle. All the dropped food means Finn, our uber allergic dog, is a little rounder and a lot itchier. It also means the carpet around the kitchen table resembles a Jackson Pollock painting.

Following my baby

Despite the frustrations, I feel overwhelmingly grateful to witness her emerging personality. She has thoughts, preferences, dislikes all her own.

At 12 months old, my baby (wait, toddler?!) is the one leading me! Ten Thousand Hour Mama

Kiwi can walk—she took her first solo steps the day before her big sister’s birthday—but she often prefers to hold onto my finger as she moseys around.

But she’s in control. She walks where she wants and pulls me along. She is guiding me.

As she turns one year old, we’ll be doing a lot more of that: Her leading the way and me, following along with my steps and my heart, giving the gentlest of support.

Happy first birthday, Kiwi.

At 12 months old, my baby (wait, toddler?!) is the one leading me! Ten Thousand Hour Mama

10 thoughts on “Kiwi is 12 months old: Leading me

  • July 26, 2016 at 10:32 am
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    How great of you for celebrating their personalities -even the stubbornness as a positive trait! They sound like wonderful children who will do great in life!

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    • July 26, 2016 at 3:43 pm
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      Thank you, Sarah! I think they will too.

      Reply
  • July 26, 2016 at 11:13 am
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    What a lovely summary! Sounds like quite a personality she’s developed already! Your writing is excellent, and I’m sure it will be very interesting to go back and read it 5 or 10 years down the road when she’s even more her own person, and see what’s still true about her!

    Reply
    • July 26, 2016 at 3:42 pm
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      I love looking back at old posts I wrote about Peeper, and it’s been only a few short/long years! I’m sure I’ll love coming back to this one, too.

      Reply
    • July 26, 2016 at 3:41 pm
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      Thank you!

      Reply
  • July 26, 2016 at 10:00 pm
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    Happy birthday, Kiwi!! The photos totally show her exuberance 🙂 Such a treat to watch them grow into their own unique personalities!

    Reply
  • August 2, 2016 at 11:52 am
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    I love this! My daughter turned 1 year last week, too! It really is crazy just how much they change in that first year… from tiny, helpless newborns to little mini people with their own personalities, opinions, ideas and preferences. Happy birthday to your little Kiwi 🙂

    Reply
    • August 7, 2016 at 11:04 am
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      Thank you! Yes, isn’t it incredible how much they change??!! Happy birthday to your munchkin, too!

      Reply

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