1 Year-Old Ivie

We love Ivie so much! She has brought so much happiness into our home in the past year (and this year has flown by!). She is like mortar that binds us together. We all love and care for her, and we are united in our adoration for her. She makes us laugh! She is like a fun toy that just keeps on giving. The girls each love playing with her.

She is getting close to walking, in fact, the day before her birthday, she took her first few steps, but hasn’t since then. She doesn’t usually stand on her own, but we know she can, since she does the gymnast trick, and she has unknowingly stood for a long time. She just broke another tooth, so she has 5 now. She can be a picky eater, but let’s hope that’s just from teething. Good thing she likes her bottles! She seems to be switching to cow’s milk okay, so that’s nice. She is still waking up in the night for a bottle, but we are going to change that very soon!

If I had to use one word to describe Ivie, it would be “active.” She is not happy if she doesn’t have something to explore or learn from. She was looking for something to do in church today, and she found the wipes, opened them up, and proceeded to pull out each one and throw them to her side. She loves this activity! She did it three times, then I had to stop her. She gets so sad when something gets taken away from her.

She won’t sit in her high chair to eat unless she has toys to play with. She won’t just sit still, ever, unless she is sick or asleep. She needs something to hold and play with at the highchair, or she won’t sit and eat. It’s a lesson we have to continually learn. She could be starving, but won’t eat if she is understimulated. What a girl! I guess she is just really smart. And I know she is really strong. Dad Thatcher always comments about her strength. She throws balls really well (the other day, she passed a ball over her shoulder to Paul a couple times, just perfectly. Suprising!). She says, “dadda” and “mammamamamama” and said “thank you” one time. She is great at waving her hand good bye!

She loves playing with a baby doll. She holds her, hugs her, and gives a big open-mouthed kiss. I love when she gives us hugs and those same wet kisses. It’s fun to see her motherly instinct come out at such a young age.

And one last fact about her: She is still sleeping in our closet in a pack-n-play crib. A year ago, I wouldn’t have believed you if you told me that she would still be sleeping in our closet at age one. But when we tried to put her in the bedroom with Claire, it just didn't work. So the closet is our best solution for now, but that is going to change really soon!

We just love this sweet girl! So glad we get her in our family!