13 months

Nothing makes this girl as happy as her lovies. OK, maybe her family and nanny get top billing, but as far as toys are concerned, lovies are the best. This girl collapses into giggles and hugs whenever she gets her hands on a stuffed animal.

And its a good thing we know what she likes because we needed a few crutches to get through month 13. I'm not sure if it was the pain of cutting her first four teeth, the developmental leap of learning to walk, or all the travel I did that month, but Sloane was -- more often than not -- a mess. My poor mom came for nearly two weeks to help right in the thick of it. Based on how much Sloane screamed during that period (and how little she slept), I'm guessing Grandma might be "busy" the next time we ask for help!

Despite the challenges, we did have a number of good times. The highlight was watching her take her first steps. Andy, Riley and I were all there together in the dining room. I was on the floor and, as Sloane started walking from the table toward me, the boys leapt up from their Monopoly game to cheer her on. It was such a warm, fuzzy moment.

She started using several new words including; bye-bye, mama, book, bottle, bubble, hi, and even earplug! By far, her favorite word continues to be "apple." She also regularly uses the signs for all done, bye, more. She ate fiendishly, especially anything with carbs like fruit, bread, and puffs. She started to understand routines -- and babies thrive on routines. But she also likes to outsmart them. For example, when we get near the end of the book that we most often read right before bedtime, she starts to cry, throws the book on the floor, or climbs off my lap and grabs another book. Around the time she turned 13 months -- late October -- she also started to anticipate what comes next in books. For example, she gets excited when she knows there will be an apple on the next page of Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb and starts saying "apple, apple!" before I even turn the page.

  

Sloane's favorite lovey is her "lamby" which her Aunt Annie gave us when Riley was born.

She continued to love water play, which was perfect on a number of hot afternoons when we played outside in the yard, especially when we filled a bucket with water. She loved it so much she kept trying to climb in. 

She has developed curly hair in the back -- we love her curly locks!

Perhaps the most delightful development in month 13 was Sloane's fondness for hugs which she now doles out regularly. Hugs for lovies! Hugs for Riley! Hugs for all Sloane's friends!