Dear Addison - 13 Months

Dear Addison,

Your 13th month was full of wonder and learning. You are learning new skills flat tack and playing with toys has jumped to a new level. You have discovered your Tupperware shape sorter and try to put them in the holes, you love your Russian nesting dolls and pull them apart, put them back together and stack them inside each other.

You are at a bit of a clingy stage at the moment. Mum and Dad are safe and whenever you lose sight of them the tears start. Sometimes if you are hanging with someone else the smallest thing will trigger the tears and you cannot be consoled without one of us. Food doesn't even work!
The times that you are upset, we can usually calm you down with: stories, food, bubbles, bouncing you up and down, singing or your favourite toys.

You have started becoming very fond of some of your toys. Dolly gets cuddles and kisses and you will try to feed her your food or brush her hair. A couple of little stuffed animals get cuddles too and you will go and find them if we ask you to. So clever!

 Your fine motor skills are getting better too, you have done your first few drawings with crayon which have been proudly hung on the fridge. You also discovered peas as a snack and will pick them out of a container or out of our hands one by one. Or off the floor as the case may be.

First Masterpiece

You love beads, necklaces and hats and will often be seen with one or both on. You can put a necklace on by yourself which is adorable. You also love magnets and you will sit at my feet while I am in the kitchen pulling the magnets off the fridge and putting them back on.

You enjoy pushing along a trolley or walker but get a bit scared sometimes when Mum tries to turn it around for you. Walking is still a way off but you are very competent at crawling, climbing and walking/running around furniture. You haven't quite figured out that you can let go and balance yourself, which is the next step. But for now you are happy that you can get around the house.

Magnet fun

Scooting around in your winter woolies made by Grandma!

Teething is still an ongoing battle, your molars made a big push but didn't cut and your four eye teeth all of a sudden made a push too, the two top ones have cut.

You love books. You now sit still on our knees and have short books read to you. You love books you can interact with - touch and feel and lift the flaps. We read three or four books at night before you go to bed but quite often during the day you will bring some over to me to read.

You are learning to copy more and more sounds, you can now say 'bird' 'woof woof' and 'bath' as well as 'mum' and 'dad'. Lots of babble comes out of your mouth and you are trying so hard to communicate with us. In your cot you have lots of little chats with your soft toys too.

The weather is getting colder now as winter sets in. We have a wood fire most nights and some days. You have been pretty good at staying away from the fire guard. Long may that last!

Hanging with your 3 month old cousin

Clapping rocks in Kaikoura

Sunset in Nelson

Watching the meercats

We took a big trip this month - Dad had to work in Nelson for a week and we were allowed to go with him! Despite my reservations you were so flexible - sleeping most of the way there (7hrs) with a snack stop in the middle. You settled into your portacot fine and had day naps without much fuss. Even night times went smoothly! You got a bit sick of being cooped up in the hotel room though so we tried to get out lots and explore the fine op shops of Nelson. We went to your first animal park and you patted the nose of a goat before he tried to steal the bag of food from your hand and you got a fright!

We have also been going to a few weekly activities - Baby Time at the library, Mainly Music and we have been to Tumble Time a couple of times too. You love the music and songs and like having space to crawl and explore different places. 

Your smile lights up the room and you giggle away if you find something funny. You will blow a kiss and wave at almost everyone. You are a delight Addison. Love you to bits!
xx

Dear Addison - 12 Months

Dear Addison,

This was the month you turned ONE! A whole year since you entered this world and how much you have grown!

This month was a huge month for you in terms of learning skills, and I have a feeling that each month you are going to overwhelm us with what you have learned to do.

Crawling finally happened at 12.5 months. There wasn't any hands-and-knees-rocking, you just got the strength to lift your tummy off the ground and off you went! Like you knew all along but just didn't want to. It took a few days before you realised you could explore more than just the lounge and you tentatively made your way around the house - first stop: cat food. That was quickly moved to a harder to reach area. Now you follow us around the house like a little dog.

We have had the pleasure of introducing our old friends to Christchurch as they have just moved here. They have a 2.5 year old daughter and you adore her! She calls you 'Assanyn' and you try to copy everything she does. You favourite game together is Chase - where she runs around the house and you crawl after her giggling like mad. She does a high pitched squeal/giggle and you have copied that too which is currently adorable!

Your motor skills have been developing super fast too. You have mastered clapping, waving and hi-5s. Quite often I am out walking with you and notice people waving, and you are just sitting in your pram waving away with a big cheesy grin. What a charmer! 

One of your favourite things to do is swing. We have a swing at home that we really should use more often. You love to have the biggest push we can manage and sit there giggling away until you stop, then grizzle until we push you again. Another favourite is hi-fiving at the apex of the swing. Who needs two hands to hold on!


Teething has begun again, all four of your first set of molars are bulging at the seams but so far none have cut. You aren't doing too well with these big beasties and fair enough! You have been waking up in pain so there has been lots of Bonjela and Pamol and Teething Powder. Poor girl, it can't be much fun!

Food is another of your favourite things. You try almost everything we offer you, even if you don't eat it again for a while. Your current wins are: Weet-bix with stewed apple, feijoas, smoothies, raisins, chicken, kumara chips and anything sweet. You recently learned how to dip your food. We squirt some tomato/bbq sauce on the tray and you dip your food into it. We get some very odd food+dip combos but we just leave you to it.

Your twelfth month has been amazing. We are getting a sneak peek into the little girl you are becoming and we love it. I see a beautiful, sensitive and strong soul with a big heart and even bigger smile.
Love you to bits xx