12 months

I cannot believe our little girl is a year old! It seems like she's always been a part of our lives, but at the same time it seems like just yesterday we were bringing home our little V! Such a fun year it has been, hard at times, but so worth it! She is able to say uh-oh, mama, dada and shoes.  She understands in English her nose, ears, tummy, foot, outside, shoes, yes, good-bye, hello, kiss, hug, blow a kiss, eat bath and music.  In Spanish she understands nose, ears, tummy, foot, eyes, mouth, outside, chair, fan, curtains, lamp, crib, diaper, door, bird, shoes, blow a kiss, kiss, hello, good-bye, yes, eat and music. When I say she understands, that means she can either point to, do or show you those things.  Daniel only talks to Variah in Spanish.  I will admit I thought the whole dual language thing wouldn't really sink in until she was in Kindergarten, so when she started responding to Daniel saying things to her in Spanish I was pleasantly surprised.  At her check up her weight was 17 lbs 4 oz (3%) and her height was 28.5 inches (31 %).  The dr. said not to worry about her weight, so I'm not too concerned.  With as much running around the house that Variah does, I'm sure she works off everything that she eats and maybe that is why she is so skinny.  My mom said that when I was a baby I was skin and bones as well.  So the apple doesn't fall far from the tree I guess!  Here is a picture of me as a baby so you can see how close that apple really does fall:

Now on to Variah-I'm gonna miss these monthly pictures, but man, getting her to hold still these last few months has really been a chore! She does NOT like to sit still.  Some children are little cuddlers, not Variah. She loves exploring and seeing everything that she can.  It is one of the things we love about her and one of the things I'm learning from her, the joys of always being adventurous! For the last monthly "photo shoot" I decided to fill her crib with balloons.  She had such a fun time playing with them and I didn't have to worry about keeping her still on the rocking chair for pictures.  Her cute dress is one that Daniel picked out for her from H&M when we were on our Babymoon. I thought it was a good dress to put her in for the big day :)

Please ignore my voice on the video

Saying shoes on our way to church