A Year in Review - Miss Oh Waily

Last weekend was Miss Oh Waily's first birthday, so I thought I would do a review of her first year with us.

The Little Miss joined us on 17 August 2007 at 7:35am after giving twenty-four hours of notice. She didn't make it easy and was in danger of getting familiar with the ventouse when she finally gave up the fight and arrived the old-fashioned way.
Shortly after arrival she flat-lined and had some assistance from our midwife and hospital staff in order to clear her airways and set her on her way.

For those who understand these things, here are her statistics:

APGAR at 1 minute: 4
APGAR at 5 minutes: 9
Birth weight: 3465 grams
Head circumference: 34cm
Length: 52cm

As for her parents, she left her mother requiring running repairs and both of us completely smitten.

At three months old she had grown by 5cm and had added 2 kg. She was talking away and making her grandparents fall in love with her while we lived with them during our renovations. At three and a half months old we were back home and the little Miss managed the first of many physical milestones - she rolled herself over.

By January, at five months old, she was happily sitting unaided and was able to stand with support. She had added another 1.5kg and 5.5cm to her little body.

By March, just before her 7th month birth day she had added another half a kilo and 3cm. She began crawling a few days before her birth day and by month end was crawling everywhere and anywhere she could. Also at this point she began to kneel more and more, as well as attempt to pull herself up to stand using the furniture. She managed to do so a few times. By the end of March her two bottom teeth arrived within three days of each other. Just like buses. ;)

By April and her 8th month she was successfully pulling herself up to standing and was "cruising" around the living room. By the end of the month she was very stable and fast at cruising, and had also developed the ability to clap her hands properly. Previously she would clap with one hand open and the other closed as a fist.

By her next Plunket visit in May the little one had added another half a kilogram and 2cm. On my birthday, about two week shy of her 9th month birth day she provided me with a wonderful present - she stood up independently and unaided. A few days after her birth day I have noted in her Well Child Book that she had taken a step or two unaided, and so began the walking and running dynamo that is our daughter. By month end she was walking across the room with a fair amount of stability, but wasn't able to turn around yet without falling on to her bottom.

By mid-June the little Miss was sleeping through the night in her own bedroom. Her top right lateral incisor had appeared, and her curiosity about all things was growing like Topsy. Peek-a-boo had been a regular favourite ever since she became able to pull blankets or clothes between her line of sight and her parents. Now we had Peek-a-boo from behind the sofa and under the curtains. Books had become even more interesting and our attention span had begun to lengthen enough to really enjoy looking at the pictures and listening more to the story.

By July another top tooth arrived, this time the right central incisor. We developed another game - Up and Down. This is a derivative of Peek-a-boo. In our open plan living area we have had to develop a home-made security system for corralling a mobile baby since commercial baby gates just wouldn't cut the mustard. This largely involves the use of plastic boxes full of stuff (Christmas decorations, craft supplies, etc) placed strategically between seats and windows and walls. This however, has provided another source of Peek-a-boo material - the hiding by squatting down behind things. What happens when a baby brings this out into the near-open? Well her Mum changes it from Peek-a-boo to "Down" "Up". Within a fraction of a second the little person gets the concept, and off she goes - squat down "Down", spring up to standing "Up". Like all babies, we don't just do this one time and move on. Oh, no. So we have the beginnings of learning opposites.

By August, just before her first birthday, she had her visit with the Karitane nurse. Another kilo added and another 6cm grown. I still struggle with the fact that she sprouted up at the rate of 2cm a month.

And then on her birthday she got to enjoy her first ever piece of chocolate cake. And yes, she did like it. We did not, however, allow her to eat the inhabitants of 100 Acre Wood - that was left to the adults.

It's hard to believe a year has gone by. It's also hard to believe the extent of the changes and growth in her during that time. It's one thing to 'know' intellectually about these things, but it's a different thing to watch it all happening. Some things just seem to slip past, even though you are seeing her every day. I mean to say - 2cm a month in height !! The only real inkling I get that this is occurring is the fact that she can reach to the back of our little side table now.

Nowhere is safe any more, I spotted her managing to reach things at the edge of the dining table this morning.
Good grief - what will the next year hold ?!