Babies turn 1? Impossible.

At least I would like to think it's impossible.  It's still hard for me to grasp that Madeline is a whole year old and she has been for 3 weeks (Her birthday was August 18).  It was kind of an emotional experience.  On one hand, I am so excited that she's one; she's learning so much every day and it's beyond fun watching her figure things our for herself.  On the other hand, it's sad that my little tiny baby is morphing into a toddler (an extremely opinionated and determined one at that).  She's growing more independent, testing her boundaries, becoming more stubborn.  It's exciting and terrifying all at the same time!

We celebrated by having a little party with her little buddies.  She loved the cake.  Actually she didn't eat much of the cake, but she LOVED the frosting.  She ate it like a lady--one finger lick at a time (it took her about 20 minutes to finish it).

Now the interesting part--Madeline's 12 month (and slightly beyond) quick facts:

• Is 28.7 inches tall (35%) and 18 pounds 15 ounces (13%).
• Still has no teeth.  
• Took her first couple of steps 3 days before her birthday!  Since then she has gotten more and more sturdy, but still isn't exclusively walking.  She has taken up to 10 steps.  It's amazing how fast she's improved since she first started taking steps.
• Has started climbing on things.  We often find her on top of the ottoman (she's not tall enough to get on the couch yet).  Luckily she has figured out how to get off the ottoman without fall on her face.
• Loves dancing.  I mean really loves dancing.
• Is loud.  And constantly babbles.
• Doesn't like to share her mommy.  A little over a month ago I started watching a friend's baby part-time.  Madeline did not take this well at all.  The first few days were pretty rough for Madeline, but luckily she's gotten better.  Now we're working on her not attacking the baby.
• Has had her first time out :(.  This wasn't fun for either of us and it lasted roughly 45 seconds.  It was effective for the situation though.
• Still loves playing peek-a-boo.
• Never stops moving.  Ever.
• Hates whole milk.  Yesterday she drank more than she ever has before and it was roughly 4 ounces.  Normally she'll take one sip, give me look of disgust, and throw her sippy cup on the floor.  Or if I'm holding the cup, she'll push it away and turn her face.
• Has become a picky eater.  This drives me crazy.  If she's in her high chair she is VERY selective with what she eats, but if she's not in her high chair she'll eat just about anything.  And if she sees another baby eating it, she'll really eat anything.  We're working on this, too.
• Sleeps great for naps (she takes two naps for approx. 1.5 hours) and at night (around 11 hours).
• Gives hugs and kisses :).
• Screams every time I leave and always wants to be held as I'm making dinner.  This has caused me to screw up a lot of dinners recently.
• Loves books.  She often flips through them on her own and loves it when we read them to her.

I really can't believe how fast she's growing.  She is so much fun, but it's a differently ball game now.  I'm learning how to keep her occupied and how to help her develop and grow.  She's my little buddy, that's for sure!