Skylar turns 1

Today Skylar is 1 year old. And what a year it's been! I have to admit I had my doubts early on as to whether or not we were going to keep her, what with all the screaming, and then there was the screaming, followed by more screaming, but we all hung in there and she made it.

She's not walking yet, but she will take 2 steps on her own and up to 4 if you really turn on the coaxing. She has given up the bottle completely, as bottles are for babies, and she is a big girl! So big, in fact, that she is too good to eat baby food, even the toddler ravioli that I've tried to pass off as big girl food. For breakfast she east two, count 'em TWO, packets of maple and brown sugar oatmeal. For lunch she usually has some chicken and corn and peas or small carrots, and one time, though I'm sooo sorry to admit this, she even had a hot dog. For dinner she eats whatever we are eating. She only has 8 teeth, so we cut it really small and she crams it all in her mouth and we call it good. Skylar loves "cookies" which are really ritz wheat crackers, and she can eat 11, yes 11, mini strawberry pancakes at one sitting. All she drinks is whole milk with a little bit of ovaltine or ice water, which is her favorite. But I think she just likes the sound the ice makes beating against the inside of the sippy cups when she shakes it.

Skylar is quite the talker, which is good because I know exactly what I need is another kid running their mouth around here, and she jabbers constantly. She's also extremely nosy, and right now she's trying her hardest to open a box that the UPS man left here even though it goes to our neighbors' house. She also spends a lot of time trying to make long distance phone calls.

All in all, she's really wonderful, especially if you don't count the moments when you say "No!" and she throws herself face down on the floor and pitches a fit for the ages. I guess sometimes some of the best things in life really are the things you don't plan.