Weaned, Walking, One & Washington by Nicole

Ila is now a weaned, walking, one year old who lives in Washington. It's pretty exciting to say the least. She is the cutest little walker! She is also a waver and pretty wild and her parents are weird. She has 6 teeth and will probably have 7 by the end of this week at the latest. She seems to be able to eat everything without problems, although we have yet to introduce peanut butter and honey. Washington is the 3rd state Ila has lived in since she was born. We live in her 4th

house and if you consider that she was conceived in Korea and spent 7 months in utero there, it's technically her 2nd country and 5th house

she's ever lived in.

Happy 1st birthday to our little girl! Being one sure is fun! We had an awesome birthday celebration for Ila on Friday night. My parents got to come celebrate with us and Trent's parents joined us via skype! We ate lasagna and had tasty butterfly cinnamon rolls that I made just for my girl. We opened lots of presents and played. We also measured Ila and compared them to her newborn measurements. Boy howdy has she grown a lot! Trent and I got her a drum with fun shakers and other musical instruments. She loves it, but mostly chews on the drumsticks.

Ila is a very social baby. She is always trying to strike up conversations with strangers at the store. She doesn't mind being held by unfamiliar people and she has a smile for anyone. She says "hi dada" to pretty much everyone, which can make me a little uncomfortable, and also the person she is calling "dada." She does however call her daddy "dada" and it soun

ds different then regular "dada." The words I clearly understand her saying are: Hi, dada, fish & that. She likes to point to things and say "that."

Ila's personality has sure blossomed a lot in the last

year as well. I remember wondering what kind of girl she would be when I was pregnant. Most people call her an "easy baby." Well, I'd have to agree that she seems to be a pretty easy baby in comparison to some I've been around. These days she keeps me on my toes 24/7. The days of "easy baby" left when Ila became

mobile, and now even more since she is walking and tumbling a lot more! She is very passionate about eating/drinking, playing and sleeping. Most of her crying is in direct relation to one of those things. She doesn't really cry much though, and she is getting so much better at communicating in other ways. For example just 2 days ago she was getting a little tetchy and got into something she shouldn't have. I said "Ila, no!" and she protested. It seemed to be a bigger protest then usual so I said "Whats

wrong Ila? Do you need something?" She signed drink & eat. So I got her some

food and drink and she was as happy as could be. It was a pretty big moment for us! Anyway, she is strong willed (which is no surprise with Trent and me as her parents) but she seems to listen pretty well. She is getting more and more mischievous though, and reminds me of her daddy lots more. She is a quick learner, but likes to see how far she can push the boundaries in the house of rules. She often knows when she is doing something she shouldn't be, because she usually looks at me first and smiles, then goes ahead and does it until

I say "Ila..." in my special tone. She has lots of freedom to roam and explore the house and loves the tupperware cupboard in the kitchen. She can play in it all she wants, a

s long as she stays out of the glassware cupboard!

Ila mimics her daddy more then anyone. She

is fascinated by his sounds, movements & facial

expression. She even favors her left hand. She is also built like him, with broad shoulders and a small waist. I'm very thankful for that. Oh, and she pretty much has a 6-pack like her daddy too! When he comes home from work, she races to the door and they say "hi' back and forth while Trent takes his boots off. They are pretty inseparable until bedtime after that!

Ila has blessed us and taught us so much in the last year and we look forward to more years to come! Thanks for the great times Ila, we love you!