One

I can't believe my little baby is one already.  Where did the year go?  How is possible that she went from this tiny little baby to a toddler in the blink of an eye?  It's been an amazing year and Jason and I have loved every minute (even the hard ones) of being Peyton's Mommy and Daddy.  We feel so lucky that she is ours and we feel pretty good about our first year as parents.  There were definitely tough times and days when we felt like we had no idea what we were doing but all in all I think we did a pretty good job! 

We celebrated Peyton's birthday with a small party at our house with a Winter Onederland theme.  There seems to be a lot of pressure to throw these extravagant first birthday parties (thank you Pinterest) but I'm very happy with how our little party turned out. Peyton had a lot of fun and at no point got overwhelmed or cried.  She had just taken a nap and knew everyone there so she was a happy camper for the whole party! She got to spend time with everyone and loved all of the gifts she received.

Playing with her new kitchen!

 Peyton was funny when it came time for cake.  I set the small smash cake on the tray of her high chair and she refused to touch it!  She wasn't sure about it at all.  Jason tried to show her it was ok and I even tried to give her a taste of the frosting but she refused.  Finally I cut her a small piece and then she was all over it.  She really just wanted to bypass the frosting and get to the cake!  So we didn't have a birthday girl covered in frosting but I was ok with that.  Less clean up for me!

 
 
 
 At one Peyton:

• Is walking!  She took her first official steps on 11/25 and has continued to walk more and more each day.  She still primarily crawls but I don't think it will be much longer before we have a full time walker.
• Weighed in at 17lbs 12 (20%) oz 28 3/4 in.  (32%).  She didn't gain much weight since her 9 month check up but she's stayed consistent on the growth curve so the dr. isn't concerned.  She eats like crazy so I was surprised that she is as tiny as she is!  She is very active though so I guess she burns it all off.
• Says mommy, daddy, dog, Teddy, uh-oh, hi, bye and attempts to say Millie and Merrill, what's that and what's this. She has two animal sounds: cow and tiger.  Every time she sees the Mizzou mascot/logo she growls. Jason is so proud :) She also says "ho ho ho" when asked what Santa says!
• Constantly sorts and lines up her toys.  She does it with puzzle pices, the magnets on the fridge, stacking rings, blocks.  Pretty much anything.  She is very methodical in where and how she places them.  I love to watch her.
• Loves her new play kitchen!
• Is really good with the Christmas tree and decorations.  So far she hasn't really bothered them at all. 
• Is a good eater.  Sometimes I swear she eats as much as a grown man!  She especially loves turkey meatloaf and apples but so far isn't too picky - although I hear that is likely to change.
• Loves to play peek-a-boo and hide and seek.
• Is becoming more and more independent.
• Makes Jason and me laugh constantly. She's a funny little girl!
• Nods her head yes when you ask her a question.  She's starting to say no a little bit but more often than not it's yes :)
• Still takes two naps a day (most days) and sleeps 11-12 hours at night.
• Is all around a perfect little girl!