Jovie Lauren: 6-12 months

 Well look at that, I fell behind on my updates for Jovie. We moved around the time Jovie turned 8 months old and I guess I fell off the face of the blogging Earth after that because it just dawned on me that I’m about 6 months late for an update. As I’ve mentioned before, I do this for me! I love being able to look back and see how far we’ve come, how we’ve all grown, and be reminded of how the “awful” times weren’t so awful at all. 

Jovie turned 1 a few weeks ago but she’s felt “one” for a while. I don’t know if it’s the early walking, the early teething, or her persistence in being a bigger kid but she hasn’t felt like a baby for a long time. Currently, Jovie has 9  (ish) teeth, working on her last three molars. Some days she has left because her top two canines keep popping in and out, but they’re there. At 7 months, she finally learned to crawl which was a godsend because from the time she realized it was a possibility (around 5 months) until she was finally able to move, she screamed. She was the least content baby I’ve ever met. Some babies enjoy their bouncers or sitting on a blanket and playing with music toys but not Jovie. She’d throw herself on her belly and scream until I came to save her and we’d do that all day in between naps and walks. We walked A LOT because for some reason, she was and still is content in that stroller! You can tell she’s soaking it all in, the trees, nature, the blue sky, the sunshine. She truly is happiest outside. 

A few other things I’d like to remember about Jovie. She’s picky with her food and how she’s fed. I continue to put everything on her plate but she is a meat, cheese and fruit girl. I’m sure she’ll grow out of it, but it weighs on me daily. I always worry she’s hungry but whatever she lacks in solid food, she makes up for it in milk. She is a dairy QUEEN. She also won’t really let me feed her. She grabs the spoon or fork, even if I’m just loading it for her, and it’s so frustrating because I’m sure she’d eat more but won’t *insert eye roll here*. Finn wasn’t this picky and would allow me to feed him so I just get nervous she’ll be the exact opposite. 

At a few days after the ten month mark, Jovie took off walking and honestly never looked back. She never crawled on her hands and knees, only bear crawled, and I’m sure it’s because she didn’t want to like it or be committed to it. Once she started walking, it was like she had walked forever. She was really balanced and we would get complimented on it at the park when people would find out her age. Her walking honestly made everything a lot easier as well because as previously stated, she was the least content baby, POSSIBLY EVER.  Once she walked, things got much better, she became more satisfied and I could get her claws out of my legs and actually accomplish things around the house. This year was a true testament to my patience and although I told most everyone I talked with about how frustrating she was, I enjoyed having a baby that wanted me and to be with me. I really had to “let loose” and I quote that because I still managed to keep my home clean to my standards but it just took breaking things into tasks and doing them daily and being more flexible with myself. 

Now Jovie is working on manding for things. She hasn’t shown much interest in actually talking but she’s figuring out how to sign for things or bring them to me. Finn didn’t talk until he was two so I’m curious to see how she’ll be different.

Jovie has also become a much better sleeper since we moved out of our tiny apartment. This confirmed what I knew all along which was she needed her own space. Once we moved her into her room she started taking better naps and sleeping longer stretches at night. Now she’ll wake for her pacifier or because she’s had a bad dream, I’m assuming, and will be comforted back to sleep pretty quickly. Considering how poorly we slept, the first six months, I’m making up for it now. I am pretty well rested! 

Things are starting to feel back to “normal”, as normal as they can be considering COVID has shut everything down, but I’m thankful my babies are growing, happy, and we can go do fun outdoor things like go to the park, longs walks, riding bikes, etc. I am so thankful for my spunky little gal. She really has brought so much joy to our family and I love watching Finn be an amazing big brother who really loves her and wants to protect her. Thank Jesus for that.