Elyssa had her first birthday on the 24th August. I felt a little sad for a fleeting moment but having already experienced one baby growing up I am actually quite excited to see how she will grow and change over the next 12 months. Her personality is becoming more prominent everyday. She is definitly a girly girl, unlike her sister at the same age. She needs to do things over and over to gain the confidence to do them independently. She is so close to walking and has been since right on 11 months, but just doesn't have the confidence to take off. She will walk when she doesn't think about it but as soon as she realises what she is doing she sits down again. She likes to walk and hold my finger while she sucks her thumb. She loves exploring at the moment and learning tentativly what her body can do. For the first time the other day she discovered she needs to turn around to go down steps. For her birthday we gave her a Little Tikes pink Cozy Coupe. I always wanted to get one for Chloe but we didnt have the space. Im glad we waited because this newest edition has a removable floor and a lockable door so she can ride safely in it. It is a real hit so far, she spends alot of time climbing in and out of it which is really helping her with her confidence. I also like that she will be able to use it until she is Five.
The other fantastic gift she received from her Nan and Poppa is a Smart Trike. I love it and so does she. It is so easy to push and control and I use it like a pram. It fits into shops alot better than the stroller and she can look all around. She gets so excited when I get it out! The biggest problem is that we don't get very far. People keep stopping us to talk about it, particularly older people. They think it is fantastic. An older lady at the supermarket lent in close and said you know, I bet that was a womans idea!
I love buying gifts for my kids, I think about it for months before I make a purchase. I think it is the Primary School teacher in me, Im always looking for ways to expand their development. With Elyssa being my second child it has become even more important to really consider what would be useful for her because we have ALOT of toys. Im not complaining though, I love them all! My house looks like a daycare center (partly because it IS a daycare center!) One of my fav things to do is to organise our toys into boxes, tubs, shelves etc. I always have out enough toys to cover all areas of my kids development, like puzzles, pretend play toys, construction toys, art table etc. I only put out enough that they wont be overwhelmed though. Then I rotate the toys every couple of weeks.
Im getting a bit sidetracked here though, this is meant to be a post about my baby turning One (sob). Elyssas strength is definitly her speech although she only talks when she feels completely comfortable which means nobody ever hears her talk but us! Her fav words that she uses everyday are mum, dad, bath, more, yum, hello, up, na na. She has lots of others as well but doesnt use them as often. Her other fav thing to do is when we sing she joins in. She likes 'row row row your boat gently down the stream, if you see a crocodile don't forget to scream!' and at the end she screams. She also likes to fall down when you sing humpty dumpty.
Her favourite things to do are to laugh at her sister and to have a bath. If she could live in the bath she would. She also likes to dance by bobbing her head. Adorable. She likes cruising along the furniture at a fast pace. Chloe says she is 'crabbing' along. She also enjoys eating things she shouldn't like paper. I have a phobia of small rolled up bits of paper so this really bothers me. Yes, Im wierd, I also fear going around corners in the car.
Elyssa is also the best sleeper I have ever known. If there is one thing she does well it is sleep. It isnt unusual for her to have a four or five hour nap in the morning, this is after having slept all night. If Elyssa wont sleep you know she is sick or has reflux from something she has eaten. If she wont sleep though, you can guartantee she will be up the entire night. This doesnt happen very often at all though. Her good sleeping could also be because she still doesn't have any teeth! Chloe got her first tooth at 6 months so this is quite a surprise! Apparently they are there, they just haven't come through yet.
Elyssa is the child we needed and wished for. Her sister is such a spirited, engaging, (read FULL ON and non sleeping) personality that Elyssa balances us out nicely. She does her own thing most of the time but is her happiest when sitting with me having a cuddle while playing with my fingers.
I can't wait for the warmer weather to come so that my little family can get out in it. Last Spring, Summer Elyssa was a little bub and we couldn't get out as much as we usually do. I think the girls are going to have so much fun playing together at the park, pool and the beach. I don't think Ben and I will be sitting down as much as we are used to though! It is hard work chasing a toddler, although Elyssa doesn't seem to want to get away from us as much as Chloe did. Im looking forward to loading the girls bikes in the car and heading off for picnics, walks and BBQ's.
It is hard to believe that just twelve months ago I gave birth to a baby smaller than the doll we gave Chloe as a present for becoming a big sister. At 2.8kg and a tiny 43cm long she semed so little and fragile. Now she is a robust almost toddler, although still a petite little dot and the baby days are almost behind us....until next time...
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