In less than one year...

We went from this...

To this...

I love how her face in the second shot totally sums up her attitude lately. Farewell to my little, happy-go-lucky, good-sleeping baby. Hello to my tantrum-throwing, picky-eating, nap-boycotting little booger. I'm hoping those darn molars make their appearance soon, because we are both bordering on looney tunes.

Transitioning to toddlerhood comes with a whole new set of expectations. We are still doing formula, because Lily *hates* milk -- I've been spiking it with Ovaltine to convince her to drink it. Milk also comes with a lovely side effect -- constipation. So, I have to give her juice to offset it. Either way, I'm stuck with a nasty poop diaper.

It also marks the end of an era for the pacifier. A week before she turned one, she started refusing it at naptime and bedtime, so all of our pacifiers now live in a small pile behind the crib where she threw them. I will clean them up one day. Maybe.

Food is another big change. I have to keep on my toes about feeding her finger foods that she will actually eat. I try to give her whatever I'm eating. Note to self: Baby is not interested in Thai food -- she prefers canned peas and sliced cheese. Or cookies. Or anything that she threw off her highchair the day before, which landed in a dust bunny that the broom missed.

Sippy cups. Do you know how many brands, shapes, sizes, colors, textures, etc there are of cups? Holy hell, there are tons! You can have rubber spouts, ones with straws, disposable ones, and the list continues on to infinity. If you find one the kid actually likes, then you have a 99% probability of never finding one exactly like it again. Lily's not too fond of sippy cups yet. What she IS fond of, however, is tossing them over the edge of the highchair, rupturing the seal and causing chocolate milk to careen across my hardwood floors. Don't worry, I swiffer.

And lastly, naptime. At some point around a year (give or take), babies can transition from two naps a day to one. Lily has been protesting naps lately, so I can't figure out if she's just teething and refusing to nap OR if she's actually ready to cut down to one nap a day. I'm hoping we'll figure that one our sooner than later. Before. I. Lose. My. Mind.

Lily is still a fun kid, just going through a weird stage right now. As exhausting as it is, it's still fun. Being a stay at home is by far the hardest job I've ever had. But at the end of the day, lying in bed and catching up on the shows I DVRed three weeks ago, smashed peas on my shirt, and ovaltine crusted in my hair -- I can honestly say: Its worth it.

See? She's irresistable :)