A Week's Worth of Change

So we're into our second week as a 12 month old. Last week, I will admit, was pretty rough. I'm not sure if it was our check-up at the doctor (with a finger stick by a somewhat rough tech), another round of shots at the health department, or the lingering cold weather and subsequent continued hibernation, but Mia was pretty grumpy and definitely has learned how to throw a good tantrum. To complete the week, we had an awful night's sleep Saturday night with what appeared to us as fear of her crib. I've been told night terrors can start around this age, but there was something not quite right about her screams that left us both uneasy and unnerved. I kept wondering if she was remembering something from her past that scared her, and so I did the only thing I could think of at 1:00 am: pray for a spirit of peace. Having never done this before, I'm never sure if we're dealing with "normal" child development issues, adoption issues, or both, and so I tend to always err on the side of caution.
Thankfully this week has been awesome so far for both Mommy and Mia. I'm not sure what's made the difference, but it seems like she has grown up so much in the last 7 days. If you'd told me a week ago that I'd be feeding my daughter pot roast with carrots and potatoes, I'd have called you crazy. But that is, in fact, exactly what's happened. Last Friday, Mia began refusing all baby food. I could sense this growing independence coming, but I was not prepared for it to happen all at once. I'm not sure anything has given me more anxiety than food. I wanted to make sure she was eating healthy, well-rounded, non-processed, and mostly organic foods, which, if you didn't know, is extremely difficult to do on a budget! So after a quick crash course and consolation from my go-to mommy advice friend Shari, Mia is now eating all table foods and all by herself. She'll still let me feed her applesauce, oatmeal, and yogurt, but that's about it. Our big girl has eaten sunflower butter sandwiches, green beans, pot roast, carrots, potatoes, four cheese ravioli, a variety of fruits, macaroni with red sauce, and even macaroni & cheese from O'Charleys. There's no stopping her now!
We've also gained tremendous strides in her gross motor development. Our wobbly and somewhat timid girl has taken off...literally. It just a week's time, she's begun running around the house, chasing after Hank, and never, ever stops. Not even to watch Baby Einstein anymore :( This does make life a bit more complicated for Mommy as I can't go anywhere without a little shadow, but I just can't get over how much fun this age is. The other day I walked out of her room for just a moment, and when I returned she had her Belly Button book out, her shirt up, and was pointing to her belly b. I mean, how cute is that? I've been told it only gets better, but right now I just want to hit the pause button. Not forever, of course, but just for a moment. It's going by way too fast...