Side Effects May Include...

Making funny faces and being a grump! Helen received her vaccinations to mark her one-year birthday. She's been a little grumpy the past few days, and just when she seemed to be getting over that, she now has a little fever and a rash (I think this is normal for one of the vaccines). Poor girl...

She also has one new tooth that I can see, and is probably getting more, based on the "drool factor" of 9 and the "chew on everything" factor of 10. She hasn't figured out how to walk yet, but I saw her take a little leap from the couch to the coffee table, so I know that she is getting ever more mobile. Oh, and she can make it up a half-flight of stairs while you blink.

She is much bigger than Elizabeth was at this age. She's already filling out her 18-month size clothes and is the 90th percentile for head circumference and height (75th percentile for weight). She is feeding herself now, too, so the pureed baby food is out and we just cut up pieces of whatever we are eating now.

She's losing here babyhood, growing more into a little girl. While I mess the cuddles and closeness of babies, I feel some relief in their increased independence and I look forward to watching them explore and learn about their world.