First Steps!!

I am very, very excited to announce that Bianca took her first steps yesterday!! (And if these aren't her first steps, I thank Aunt Dot for letting me believe they are!) At first, she took one step towards Harry. We were so excited about that! Then a few minutes later, she took one step towards me. We were cheering at that point. Finally, about a half hour later, she took FIVE steps towards me!! They were tiny, wobbly steps, but she was walking! We shouted and clapped and gave her a HUGE hug! She has been cruising a while now holding onto furniture and walls, but she's been hesitant to let go. It was so exciting to witness those first steps on her own!! I am SO GRATEFUL that I was there to see it!

Our Little One had her one-year appointment on Friday. She weighs 18 lbs 13 oz and is 29 inches long. That puts her in the 50th percentile for length and the 15th percentile for weight. Dr. Fireman isn't concerned about her growth, though, because she has been below average in weight since 6 months. Plus, she has a nice chubby belly to go along with it!

We are now supposed to be transitioning her from formula to milk. I don't think we'll have any issue there, because she had no problem drinking the milk out of her bottle or her sippy cup. In fact, she followed her first sip with "mmmm"!

Dr. Fireman also wants us to start breaking her of both the bottle and the pacifier relatively soon. We have decided to start with the bottle. We are going to ease her down to two bottles a day - one in the morning and one at night. The rest of the day, she will use her sippy cup. We have also decided to try forgoing the middle-of-the-night feedings. If she wakes up, we will let her cry for 15 minutes. If she doesn't sooth herself by then, I will go in and hold her. If she still doesn't go back to sleep at that point, I will give her a bottle. She did really well last night. She whined three different times, but each time, she was able to put herself back to sleep relatively quickly. Harry suggested we turn off the monitor now, but I'm not quite ready for that yet! I definitely want to hear her if she cries.

My baby is growing up too fast!!