During June, Piper went to the doctor's office for her checkup. We went to the appointment expecting Piper to be taken off formula and walked out the door with things exactly the same. She can't be taken off the formula yet because without it she would be missing all the nutrients she's missing from dairy.
When Piper was a newborn, we found blood in her stools. We found she's allergic to the protein found in cow's milk. I cut out all dairy and soy in my diet to keep breastfeeding. Nothing fixed the problem so eventually we switched full time to a special "liquid gold" formula. Ever since, she's been great! At her one year old appointment, the doctor gave us the ok to start introducing dairy. Over the next few months, Piper gets to try yogurt, eggs, cheese, and cow's milk.
Weight: 20 pounds 4 ounces
Height: 30 inches
Head: 48.5 centimeters
When Piper was born, she had a big head compared to her body size. She's always been at the top of her percentile. In the past 3 months it grew enough that she is now off the chart. This worried the doctor. She told us when a child has a large head it can cause swelling in the brain, which leads to developmental delays. If Piper's head doesn't slow down in the next 2 months, we might have to get a MRI of her head to make sure everything is ok. It scares me because she would have to be put to sleep. We hope her head slows down!
Sleeping:
Piper still takes two naps a day, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. We still put her to sleep with a bottle. I am terrified she's never going to be able to put herself to sleep. I've tried letting her cry it out but it never seems to work. The minute I say the word 'milk' she knows its her nap time and she becomes super whiny. As soon as I pick her up to put her on my lap, she flings herself backwards in my arms. She's a little impatient for her milk.
Walking:
Right before Piper turned one, she started to walk. For weeks she had been trying. There were days she would do really well and the next day she wouldn't try at all. For her birthday, we bought her a little cart. This made a huge difference in her gaining the confidence she needed to walk. She is now a professional walker. Sometimes I have a hard time keeping up with her, especially at church.
Teeth:
Piper has 7 teeth, 4 on top and 3 on bottom. She gives the best cheesy smile. When she gets excited her eyes show it. When she gets mad or she's told no, she sticks out her bottom jaw and starts breathing heavily. It's super funny!
Loves:
Piper LOVES watching Signing Time. The minute she sees Rachel's face she gets the biggest grin on her face. I think this girl could watch her show all day long if I let her.
Whenever I walk into Piper's room after her nap, she's pacing around her crib. The minute I walk in she looks to the bookshelf for me to get her dog. She gets so excited to see him and gives him lots of hugs and kisses.
During the day we move from one room to the next playing. On the back of our bedroom door there's floor length mirror. Piper loves looking at and talking to herself, while occasionally giving herself kisses. I can often find her hiding in the bedroom curtains and spinning in them.
When Stephen leaves for the day, Piper and I walk outside with him. While Stephen's hops in the car, we walk the parking lot, waiting for him to drive past us. The minute Piper sees Stephen driving towards us, she gets so excited and flaps her little arms like a bird. We then have to go through another round of hugs and kiss. This girl loves her dad! One of Piper's favorite things to do is have Stephen chase her around the apartment. She giggles and squeals as he tries to catch her. Sometimes I think she intentionally gets caught. I love hearing her sweet little laugh!
She loves reading books. During the day she'll empty out her basket of books and many times I can find her sitting on the floor looking at the books by herself. These books are definitely well loved. I've read them so many times I could recite them in my sleep.
This girl is a pro at making messes and spreading it from one end of apartment to the other. Piper is extremely determined and isn't easily stopped, especially when she wants something. We've had to tie the cupboards under the TV closed but that doesn't stop her, even if it means she slams her hands in the drawers.
I never realized the impact music would play in this little girl's life. Piper loves it when she gets to listen to music on our phones. If she listen's to music, she also likes to dance with you. I love doing this with her because the majority of the time she hates cuddling with you but while the music plays she'll lay relax and lay on my shoulder.
Food:
Piper is still eating pureed baby food but is starting to eat a lot more of what we have. She is stubborn when it comes to trying new food. She pushes her tongue to the front of her mouth so you can't push it in. Some of her favorite snacks are: animal crackers, graham crackers, cheerios, and yogurt melts.
Words:
Piper goes through phases. At times she'll say words extremely well then we won't hear the word for a few weeks. She can say: dad, mom, dog, side (outside), bye, hi, baby and yeah.
Sign language:
After watching the same episodes over and over for months she finally did her first sign. Cheese! Last week, she did her second sign, wash hands. I love seeing her be able to use her hands to do different tasks.
Piper is usually pretty easy going and follows me around. We always use the buddy system around here. I love having her with me. She makes my life complete. I cannot imagine what life was like before she came. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to be her mother. It's amazing how much love I can feel for this little girl. Baby girl, we sure love you!!! Please don't grow up too quickly!
1 comment:
Oh pipes! We miss her. Her poor head. Corbin was almost off the charts with his huge head. He was at least at 90-95% with his head. I'm sure she will be fine :) I can't believe how much she has grown up
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