The Twelfth Month

If you follow me on instagram, you are probably well aware that baby Oaklyn turned a year old yesterday!

Today we had her 12 month appointment so it is time to end the "Monthly Oaks" posts with her stats by the month and what she is up to.

I really can't believe the first year has come and gone.

We are well on our way to toddlerhood over here and it's just beyond me that this time has come.

I'm currently turning into the mom that constantly has crackers and cheerios in the diaper bag, looks for "bribes" or "trade offs", and has to say "sit down" every 30 seconds while grocery shopping haha. 

At 12 months Oaklyn Joy is up to and in to absolutely everything!

-She loves oatmeal in the morning

-Is obsessed with holes. That may sound weird but she loves sticking her little fingers into any sort of hole. She'll lift Hunter's shirt up just to play with his belly button ha!

-LOVES books! She loves flipping the pages, and eating them... ew

-Her favorite foods are quesadillas, corn, and dill pickles. 

She is a bottle lover. Forever and always.

-Her paci is attached to her at all times and she wouldn't have it any other way.

-She gets into everything and makes pretty big messes haha.

-She throws tantrums if she doesn't get what she wants. Saying no is hard, but we're trying to stay strong.

-Her favorite word is definitely still dada but she's working on other words.

-She's walking all along furniture and goes pretty fast now. She occasionally stands on her own, but is too nervous to take a step on her own.

-She loves music and has some pretty awesome dance moves ha!

-She steals our phones every chance she gets and loves when it lights up.

-She points at everything all day long. She will point to what she wants but usually just points because she likes to.

-She has about 6 teeth and is working on a few more. The pediatrician said her molars will be coming through soon too. Uh oh!

-Ripping paper is a favorite of hers. Eating it is too.. gross

-One of her favorite activities is folding laundry with mama. aka messing up all the piles haha.

-She still isn't a huge fan of the car unless she has a whole bunch of puffs or cheez its

-She sleeps with a pink blankie and snuggles it with her bum in the air and it is the cutest thing I've ever seen.

-She's not a huge TV watcher. She prefers to be moving around.

-She's pretty shy around strangers but warms up pretty quick.

-She interacts so much more now and loves to play games. Peek a boo around furniture, building blocks, and being chased are her favorites.

-She thinks body functions are hilarious and does the motion for stinky every time she burps or toots. It's pretty hilarious!

-She shakes her head "no" constantly. Even if she means yes.

-Prefers sugar over almost everything, but cheese is always her first option.

- She finds other babies and children very intriguing. Especially when they walk.

-And, she finally snuggles a little bit before bed. 

As for me, I'm happy I completed my first year of motherhood!

I'm not ready for a second child any time soon, but I do often miss having a tiny newborn, Which is crazy... I kinda hated the newborn stage ha.

I'm excited to one day give Oaklyn a sibling but it'll be a little while.

Being a mama is so great and even though most days are exhausting, they are also so wonderful. 

I love my little Oaks more and more each day and I'm so thankful for her sweet spirit.

She's sassy, fun, happy, loving, and energetic. I really love her little personality.

I'm working on a little video of her first year and every time I watch it, I cry. 

I'm still in denial the first year has already passed. 

And just like that... the monthly posts have ended!

I really don't know what I'll do now as far as updates go... maybe every doctors appointment?

We shall see, but I'm sure you'll be seeing several more pictures of her :)

Stay tuned for her party post!

I swear the birthday posts will never end ha!

All my love,

Aleigh Joy

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The Eleventh Month

I'm currently sitting here in denial. 

I've been tearing up off and on all day.

 And more than usual, I've been watching old videos of my tiny girl.

I just can't believe how fast this time is going.

One month from today, we will celebrating Oaklyn Joy's first birthday.

How could that be possible?

This time last year I was a crazy pregnant woman trying to get everything ready for my little girl.

I was excited, nervous, and to be honest... clueless.

No one can tell you what to expect with your first baby.

You can prepare all you want, but just living the day to day is the only way you will figure things out.

But, to any mama's reading this expecting their first little one, just be ready to see your heart grow ten times bigger than you knew it could

You will think your heart exploded the first time your baby smiles at you and you'll feel a sense of pride that had never existed before.

Each new phase is so exciting and each day they are learning something new and different. 

It goes by fast, so try not to miss a thing.

I can't believe my Oaksie girl is almost done with her first year of life.

I have been planning her birthday party like crazy and I'm in denial that she isn't my tiny baby anymore.

She's learning and growing like crazy. Here's what this month has brought:

+ She has 4 teeth that have come through and 2 more trying to cut through! That explains why she's been extra fussy lately...

+ She never stops moving. The girl is constantly on the move and touching everything. She's such a curious little thing.

+ We call her destructo because she destroys everything she can ha! He recent favorite game is destroying all the towers dada builds with blocks and laughing about it!

+ She thinks tooting and burping is hilarious when she does it! She laughs as we say "stinky" and tries to do the hand motion with it. It's adorable!

+ She seriously gets heavier by the day! I'm not totally sure how much she's weighing right now but it's enough to make Hunter and I both tired.

+ She still loved being wrapped on mama in the Solly baby and I still love having her in it! Forced snuggles.

+ She has separation anxiety like you wouldn't believe... I'm trying so hard to love that she loves me so much, but I seriously can't even take five steps away from her without a full on meltdown...

+I'm pretty sure she could totally walk right now if she wanted to. She practically runs while holding on to things but the second the couch ends she gets down to crawl.

+She has started standing by herself a little bit but doesn't love it. Scaredy cat ;)

+She thinks practically anything her dada does is hilarious. I really love watching them play together. It warms my heart!

+She's a big fan of bath time and doesn't cry every single time water gets in her eyes any more!

+Everything goes straight to the mouth. Always.

+She chooses when she wants to be a good eater. Her favorite foods currently are shredded cheese, blueberries, peas, oatmeal, and oranges.

+ She has the funniest poop face ever haha.

+ She's not the best at sharing and also has started hitting and pinching. We've recently started trying to introduce discipline and teaching her what "no" means. I think she gets the concept of "no", but definitely doesn't always listen... obviously

+ Her favorite shows are daniel tiger and little baby bum... strange.

+She's obsessed, and I mean OBSESSED with books! She loves to turn the pages and could stare at them for so long. A huge thank you to grammy for giving her the singing book! She loves the thing.

+ She really isn't much different than a puppy, other than the fact that she can say a few words. But really, she eats our shoes, loves trash, and occasionally eats right out of my hands.

+ She also growls at me when I don't share my food... She now gets her own samples at Costco. People always look at me funny when I grab an entire sample for my baby... but she definitely holds her own!

+ She tugs and pulls on my hair and gets pretty angry when it doesn't come off my head. Along with me and Hunter's eyes, noses, and teeth.

+She has this thing with tongues currently. She pretty much thinks they're hilarious and love grabbing dada's. Ha!

+ She loves waving "bye bye" whenever we leave.. she even waves to the car when we walk away ha.

+ She also is loving playing hide and seek and when we chase her. She screams in excitement and it's seriously so fun!

+ She cries a ton but can also be the happiest and sweetest

+ Her little personality comes out more and more each day and we are just loving every second as her parents.

As for this mama, I have learned so much these past 11 months.

I've learned not to sweat the little things, and to always be there for the big things.

I've learned to remember to take it day by day and to cherish every new phase.

I've learned that I really can do anything and that between my motherly instinct and prayer, I'll always find a way to help my girl.

More than anything, I've learned how to give love when I really don't think there's anything left.

My PPD really isn't there anymore, but I'll occasionally feel bits of anxiety creep up. 

I don't handle stress the way I used to, but that's okay.

It's almost my one yeariversay on becoming a mom, and I really just can't believe it.

The second best decision I've ever made, is the decision to become a mommy :)

(the first was marrying Hunter)

All my love,

Aleigh Joy

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The Tenth Month

Princess Tiny is 10 months!

I'm super duper late posting this but the holidays got the best of me.

How is it even possible that our little girl is going to be one year old in a little less than 2 months?

I'm equally as excited as I am terrified and heartbroken.

I really didn't think I'd miss the infant days but I'm wishing I could have some of those first few days back more and more.

It's no secret that I had PPD/PPA right after giving birth and it made my first few months as a new mother filled with lots of tears, worry, and anger. 

But, I would still go back to those days in a heart beat.

I now know how fast it goes and how quickly things can change.

I remember calling my mom several times telling her what the problem of the week was.

She would sympathize with me and offer her advice and then say "just remember, it's only a phase. Next week it will be something completely different!"

Oh how true that is.

Babies grow fast. Too fast.

Here's what our Oaklyn girl has been up to this past month:

-She gets into anything and everything! Hunter always calls her "curious" as in, "Hey curious! What are you doing?" And, it could not be more accurate. She wants to see and touch everything.

-She stands and walks along the side of things while holding on. She will occasionally stand by herself for a second or two but once she notices she isn't holding on she falls to her bum. Little scaredy cat ;)

-She eats just about anything she can get her hands on! We've done a combination of baby led weaning and purees here and there and so far she has tried to eat everything we give her! Eating is her favorite pass time and she snacks all day long. I swear the kid is always hungry!

-She has the sassiest little personality and it is coming through more and more. If something is in her way she throws it behind her and continues crawling without batting an eye. It kills me every time! Some of her sassy traits are definitely funny but we unfortunately have a tantrum-throwing hitter on our hands and I'm working on starting early discipline. She really doesn't like the word no...

-She's sleeping better at night and has moved on to one long nap during the day. I thought I wouldn't like it as much but I actually love it! We can get more done throughout the day and as long as she's busy we can keep her up later.

-She pretty much hates the car seat. About 70% of the time she is in it, she's crying. She wants to be moving all over the place and she can't do that in the car. So if you were wondering... Yes, our road trip to San Diego was pretty miserable for all of us ;)

-She says "dada" "mama" and "oohhh" but her favorite is definitely dada. She usually only says mama when I walk out of the room and she's chasing me trying to get my attention.

-She falls down a lot and has already gotten quite a few cuts, scrapes, and bruises.

-Her favorite errand to run is going to Costco. I have to get her her own sample or else she'll eat all of mine!

-Her current favorite foods are corn, dill pickles, quesadillas, sliced ham, cheerios, graham crackers, and blueberries. We're working on veggies...

-Her smile lights up my world and her giggles are the very best! She thinks the word "stinky" is hilarious along with "silly" but her favorite is rubbing your head on her tummy. 

-She has three teeth and one about to pop through! She has her two bottom teeth and her top right. The top left is the one about to pop through. It looks hilarious!

-She's going through the separation anxiety phase and burrows into me if she's meeting someone new. She also looks at said person up and down and the second they look at her, she looks away.

-She had her first Christmas and got completely spoiled with toys! I would say that the ribbon, wrapping paper, tissue paper, bags, and boxes were her favorite though ;)

-She is incredibly smart and picks things up super fast. She has learned how to open cabinets and unfortunately the toilet lid. She imitates what I am doing all day long.
-She still LOVES to be wrapped on mama in the solly baby wrap.
-She also still growls and makes dinosaur noises all day long. 

-Overall she is incredibly busy and the perfect combination of sassy and sweet :)

Oaklyn really is the perfect little addition to our family. We love her more than we knew possible. We beg for time away from her, but the second we leave her we can't stop talking about her! She has filled a part of our lives that we didn't know was missing. She has taught us to be more selfless, and caring. I have loved watching her grow thus far and I'm so happy I get to continue watching her grow every step of the way. 

As for me, I'm wondering constantly what I ever did with my time before becoming a mother. Oaklyn keeps me on my toes and I feel like I'm always busy. I have never felt more important than I do when I'm taking care of her. Motherhood is no walk in the park, but it's every bit worth it. I'm no longer pumping at all and I really don't miss it! this past month I have loved showing my baby girl off to family and friends. She really is my greatest accomplishment :)

All my love,

Aleigh Joy

1

The Ninth Month

We have a nine month old baby. How did this happen?

Time is seriously flying!

My little girl definitely isn't so little anymore and it's equally so exciting watching her learn and grow as it is completely breaking my heart.

I've been wanting to go back to her newborn days more and more lately.

I wish I would have taken more pictures and videos and really lived in the moment when she was such a tiny squishy thing.

I was always in such a rush and trying to speed up her growth.

Most of that was out of excitement but a little part of it was out of selfishness... Her independence meant more freedom for me.

Now that she doesn't need me quite as much (but still a whole lot!) it's hard for me to believe I ever wished away her newborn days.

This month was a little tougher than the last because she was quite a bit more fussy and ya know... mobile! But so much fun and nonetheless, amazing :)

What is little miss Oaklyn up to these days?

The better question is, what isn't she up to? And in to...

Oaklyn is a good little crawler these days! She's figured out that she can go fast or slow and just about anywhere she wants! She takes frequent breaks to stop and smell the roses, but she sure is mobile!

She learned how to stand up when holding on to things! It can be a little frustrating on both ends but has caused some serious excitement and laughter as well! She gets such a big smile when she stands up and realizes she did it. Strong little one.

Speaking of standing up, she's got us all figured out. For a while she would just lay in her crib and cry til we came in to feed her. Now she stands up and yells at the door. If we don't come fast enough she throws her pacifiers at the door! Haha she's so crazy! Almost every morning I come in to her room to see her standing up with her long hairs completely covering her eyes and her paci's all over the floor!

She is eating WAY more foods that aren't pureed! She loves corn and olives. She also loves pasta and veggie straws! She's not so sure about scrambled eggs and could definitely do without green beans.

She loves trash much more than her toys. Give her a wrapper or piece of paper and she'll be entertained for a long time! 

She figured out how to transport her toys to the next place she wants to go and it kills me! She sticks the toy in her mouth and crawls to her destination. She then sits down, takes it out, and continues to play. She is so much like a puppy.

Speaking of animals, she definitely thinks she's a dinosaur of some sort... She makes tiny dino noises all day every day and can open her mouth wider than I can! She also growls... a cross between a grizzly bear and a baby raptor...

In her mind, hair brushes are for eating. Not getting tangles out.

She got a big girl high chair because the smartie pants figured out how to get out of her bumbo.

Sippy cups are toys at this point but we're working on it!

She says dada pretty clear and very often but she has also now said mama a few times! She gets it confused with nah nah quite a bit but at least I exist to her now ;)

She's much too busy for pictures lately and will not sit still. 

Cords are her toy of choice. Of course it's always my laptop or pump cord so we are constantly taking them away from her. She is never very pleased about that... So she figured out how to throw a nice big baby tantrum.

She's not a huge fan of the cold but she got some super cute clothes out of the colder weather!

She's obsessed with boys. She has more boyfriends than I can count! They're all married and I think she'll be devastated when she finds out ;) 

Her little tooth is the cutest and funniest looking thing ever. She has no clue what to do with it and feels it with her tongue non stop. According to the pediatrician she has four more coming on the top! What?! I guess there's an explanation for the fussiness...

This kid has been sick more times than I can count and it's driving me nuts! Friends, if you or your children are sick please stay away! We've lost much more sleep than we've needed to because Oaks has caught your colds!

Bath time is suddenly even more fun now that she can sit! And of course tries to stand ha.

She's still in size three diapers and is really thinning out!

I swear we keep Gerber in business because the girl could live off of puffs still. 

She understands how to dance and jump and it is the cutest thing in the world!

I would say she's more of a mama's girl but she definitely loves her dada too.

She's our little BFF and we love her more than we knew we could!

We feel so lucky to be able to call this spunky little girl ours :)

As for this mama, I'm loving motherhood more and more!

I'm still pumping and decided I will continue to until I'm completely dry. My supply has taken a huge dive and we are now supplementing but as long as I have some left, I'm going to continue pumping, why not?

Motherhood has been the craziest and most amazing journey and I'm so thankful I get to experience it with my Oaklyn girl.
She has quite the little personality and I'm constantly looking at her in amazement. I still can't believe that I made her.

I'm hoping her sassy little self will make the next one seem like a breeze haha!

I seriously cannot believe there is only three months until her first birthday!

Here's to the ninth month and many many Moore! :)

All my love,

Aleigh Joy

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