Our baby chimp

As I referred to in this post, we have a baby chimp living with us. Little Miss E is now 13 months old and I realized as I was going through the pictures for this post, I had a hard time finding a picture where she was not seated in her toy tub! (and I counted at least 4 different outfits--meaning this was not a single day occurence.) So here is our 13 month ode to our baby chimp...

Little Miss E got her fourth tooth this month--last week rounded out the second top front tooth.

I would like to say that teething is why she has been so challenging this month, but...I am not so sure. She definitely has a temper and is quite willful! We have had massive melt-downs when she does not get her way. Spankings often do not help, but I am resolved to win the battle. She is learning, little by little, that throwing a fit does not get her the food on my plate. She is learning to eat her own food before getting other food and will eventually learn that when she does not get the toy or whatever else she wants, throwing a fit will only result in discipline.

I have also decided that much of these discipline problems do result from having a VERY bright little girl who is very aware of everything that is going on around her and already the want to control it all. She is super observant and far more cognizant of what she wants and does not want than the average baby. She mimics us constantly and even told me several times this month, "Thank you" in response to me saying "Thank you" to her. She copies our actions too and (as previously mentioned) is quite aware of everything we are eating/drinking vs. what she is eating/drinking. E loves to clap and say "Yeah" (a thing she often sees us doing in an effort to encourage her good behavior!).

She is still in no hurry to walk, however. But she is getting steadier and steadier on her feet and now regularly taking 5-6 steps at a time before collapsing in giggles at our feet. She is so proud of herself.

Bedtime/naptime is still a challenge. While she will take one decent nap/day, she still fights going to nap/bed every time! (and is far from content in her crib as soon as she wakes up). Perhaps our little observant girl is afraid she is missing too much?

On the eating front, she does still love carbs best but will most often happily eat hotdogs and peanut butter and jelly. She is far more varied in her taste buds than her brother at the same age though and has enjoyed eggs, cheese, beans and rice, etc...and is willing to try almost anything once.

She is still petite but in all 12-18 month clothing. She finally wears shoes occasionally and while a bit big, they are fitting pretty well at size 4. Still in size 3 diapers during the day and size 4 at night.

Elizabeth is such a complex little girl full of emotion and drama but such affection too. I love this sweet little girl who eagerly stops to snuggle in the midst of play! She is such a gift from God!