Got Milk?

It's amazing how much worrying you do as a mother. Normally it ends up being first-time-mommy-paranoia, but every now and then I've found that I really need to trust my gut.

So, Hannah has a couple of new issues that I'd like to share with you moms out there to see if you have any expert opinions. Here we go...

NAPPING
Hannah was taking her two naps a day like a good little girl until about two months ago. I figured she was starting to drop that morning nap since she was almost a year so I pretty much forced it on her because we have to be out of the house for nursery duty two days a week anyways. It was a difficult adjustment, but after about a week I had it down to a science. I had to put her down at one o'clock every day, no earlier and no later. Well, last week she decided to take a 2 hour nap in the morning and a 2 hour nap in the afternoon. It didn't really concern me because she had gone to bed late a few nights in a row and maybe she was hitting a growth spurt.
Once Hannah actually turned one she was doing pretty good on her afternoon nap. I was a little doubtful that she was getting enough sleep though, because her afternoon nap would only be 1-1.5 hours and most kids nap at least 2 when they're down to one nap a day. I tried not to worry about it and figured she'd adjust.
Then we went camping and Hannah decided to sleep during the day instead of at night. Since then, she awakes crying nearly every night at 3am and also in the morning she wakes up crying. She used to be a happy waker, greeting me with giggles and smiles when she woke up. Now she's an emotional disaster until her next nap. I've tried just leaving her in there, hoping she'll cry herself back to sleep, but it doesn't work. Once she's up, she's up. So, my question is what's going on? Why the sudden change?

MILK
I started dreaming up all of the typical theories that us moms have heard about. Maybe she's going to hit a milestone? Maybe she's just changing? Maybe she's getting more teeth? Maybe she's having nightmares? Maybe, maybe, maybe?
Now I'm staring to think maybe it has to do with her transition from formula to whole milk. She hasn't been having any kind of reactions such as rashes, etc., but she has been exceptionally crabby and her sleeping is really off. For example, last night we put her down at 7:30 for bed, she woke at 4, I gave her another bottle because I couldn't figure out what was wrong, and then she slept until 9:30! I rolled over in bed, thinking it was 7:00 or so and when I saw the clock I freaked out and ran into her room to make sure she was breathing. I decided to wake her up because I wanted her to go down this afternoon for a nap. Well, she didn't last that long...she went down at 11:00!
I'm thinking that the whole milk isn't filling her up like the formula did for her nighttime bottle and she's going to bed hungry every time I put her down. She's not a great eater and I'm worried that the formula was her main source of nutrition. Now that she's on whole milk, but not eating much, will she be OK?
Another thing is that I don't think she likes the coldness of the milk. She never took her formula warm, just room temperature, but she's really not fond of the cold milk. Do I warm it up for her then? That's really a habit I don't want to start. But, I want her to have a full tummy before night-night!

ADVICE
So, I'd love to hear what you all think I should do. I mixed some formula in with her milk again last night and I'm going to try again tonight to see what happens. I guess you could say I'm testing my hunger theory. In a few days I'll definitely give the doctor a call, but I'm sure you know how that is. You don't want to sound like a paranoid mom and the usual response you get is that every child is different and it's probably just a phase. But, my instincts are telling me that something else is going on (most likely related to the whole milk). I want my Hannah back! Thanks for "listening".

Nothing much new around here lately. Hannah still loves playing with her cars and trucks. She has figured out how to open and close the door of the bus and loves taking the bus driver out and putting him back in. I am amazed at how quickly she figures things out! The other day she spent nearly an hour trying to put a plastic Easter egg back together. She is a very determined little girl and does not give up until she succeeds at what she wants to accomplish.

When I was talking on the phone with a friend this morning I saw Hannah standing at our deck doors. All of a sudden, she took a few Frankenstein steps towards me and plopped down. I'm looking forward to this new milestone of walking, but my friends tell me to be careful what I wish for. I know it will be an entirely new level of mobility, but I'm looking forward to the convenience of setting her down in public places (she's getting too heavy to carry!). Not to mention how cute babies are when they're toddling around.

12 Month Stats

Hannah had a great check-up today. Doctor reported that she's healthy and happy, but we all knew that :)

Height-- 32 inches (99th percentile)
Weight-- 22 pounds, 9 ounces (79th percentile)
Head Circumference-- 19 1/4 inches (99th percentile)

Still Celebrating

Hannah had her very first birthday party tonight. Before the party started, she opened some presents, including her first baby doll. Then, Ashlyn, Monica, Luke, Carleigh, Lowen, Mason, and Jameson all came over with their parents to enjoy Hannah's favorite foods--sloppy joes, mac 'n' cheese, and canteloupe (notice a color theme?). Good thing the weather was nice because it was pretty crowded in the house!

After dinner, all the kids went nuts in the yard with balls and balloons. Hannah, you're going the wrong way on the slide!










What would a first birthday party be without a big hunk of chocolate cake?!?! At first, Hannah started crying because she didn't want to eat anymore, but then she heard all of her friends singing to her and cheered right up. Mommy and daddy made her the bunny cake (as if you couldn't tell). It didn't take long for her to realize what was in front of her. She had no problem eating nearly half of that bunny ear.

Hannah's First Birthday

Daddy was out of town during Hannah's first birthday, but that didn't stop us from having a fun day!

First, Hannah got into some trouble with the orange marker she's holding. Keep in mind, this was after she emptied the trash can, shredded some of mommies papers, and pulled all of the books off of the lower two shelves of the bookcase. What was mommy doing while Hannah was being mischievous? you're probably asking...writing lesson plans for the church program she's heading up.


Then, daddy called to wish Hannah a Happy Birthday. Hannah just loves listening to voices talking to her on the phone. They are normally high pitched and squealy (aunt Lauren!), but this time it was her favorite voice of all--DADDY! She also got phone calls from Grandma and Grandpa Coddington and Grandma Deibel.

To wrap up the evening, we celebrated with a birthday dinner at Red Robin. Hannah didn't really enjoy being strapped down in her high chair, but the bright orange balloon made it all worth it!

My Baby's One

Hannah has been such a blessing in our lives during her first year. It's hard to remember putting her in the car seat to take her home from the hospital, all of the spitting up she did, the sleepless nights, and her lack of pooping issues.

She is growing into quite an active little girl. I remember when she rolled over for the first time, started crawling, and now she's pushing furniture around the room. She has smiled her first smiles, taken her first bath, given her first kisses, and said her first words, "Uh-oh" and "Da-Da". I am missing all of the "firsts" but know there are many more to come.

We love you Hannah! Happy First Birthday!

Grandma and Grandpa Deibel

Grandma and Grandpa Deibel drove 10 long hours to come visit me for Labor Day weekend. I hadn't seen them since May and wanted to show them how big I'd gotten. I was so happy when Grandpa pulled a slide out of their car for my very first birthday present!

Here are some pictures of me playing with grandpa. He made lots of silly faces that made me laugh hysterically. I gave him lots of sloppy kisses.










We had lots of fun playing outside every day!












For mommy's birthday, we went to the ice cream store. I got to try a little bit of everything. My favorite flavor was daddy's banana ice cream with brownies and cherries in it.













Here are some pictures of the time I got to spend snuggling with grandma while mommy and daddy went on a date. She tricked me into sitting still by putting in my favorite video. Otherwise, I like to be on the move!