Y’all, I woke up and my baby girl became a toddler! I swear a week ago she was giving me these adorable coos in her tiny baby voice, and now she’s singing in the back of my car in her “big girl” car seat. Woah. I love it.

There’s so much cuteness that I don’t want to forget, and yet life seems to be flying by, so this post is for me, so that when she’s a teenager I can go back and relive these precious baby moments.

• In the last two weeks, Wrenn has started using sign language! Y’all, this is a game changer, because my little one can now communicate what she wants. Think about how liberating that must be to be able to clearly communicate what you want for the first time. Right now she knows “more please,” “hungry,” “all done,” and “milk.” I’m also trying to teach her “water” and “diaper change.” Since most of her signs revolve around food, she is quite passionate when she uses them. I’m so proud.
• She does know a few words, which she uses when it’s just us, but rarely performs on command. Her current words include mama, daddy, papa, puppy, hi, bye, and ball.
• When we put her to bed for naps or overnight, we tuck her in tightly with the quilt I made her, and then hand her a stuffed bunny, which she snuggles up next to her face. She tends to go to sleep at night almost immediately, but her nap schedule is totally in flux. I think she’s in the process of dropping her morning nap, but she still lays down for about an hour every morning for “quiet time” (which usually involves laying down and singing), and then takes a decent nap in the afternoon.
  
• We bought her a new “big girl” car seat about a week ago. I pulled it out in our front entryway to try to figure out how to put it together, and Wrenn immediately came over and climbed in. I wish you could have seen the pride on her face – it was such a big moment for her. She practiced climbing in and out over and over. When we got it installed and she got to ride in it for the first time, she felt SO BIG. Moments like that make me so happy as a mama.
•  My baby girl loves to dance. ALL THE TIME. If music comes on, even if it’s just a commercial, she will start wiggling her bootie, shaking her shoulders, and stomping her little foot. It’s hysterical. We went to dinner and sat on a patio and let her walk around (it wasn’t crowded), and she went from table to table dancing as the patrons cheered for her. A few days ago I taught her how to twirl in circles, and now she twirls and twirls and twirls until she gets so dizzy she falls down in a fit of giggles. IT IS THE BEST THING EVER.
• She gives hugs. And kisses. Over and over. To me, to her daddy, to almost everybody she encounters. Especially to other children. And furniture, her books, her toys. Did I mention I caught her kissing an oscillating fan? And sometimes when she gives me a hug, she pats me on the back as she hugs me. I melt every time.
  
• Now that our hot Texas summer is over and we’re enjoying some slightly cooler temperatures, we’ve been taking Wrenn to the park almost every day. I let her lead me around and decide what she wants to do. At first she didn’t understand, but now she proudly walks around the playground, going from the swing to climbing the jungle gym to walking to the fence to look at the ducks (have I mentioned she is obsessed with animals?). She’ll point at what she wants to go on and I lift her up and help her on.  She has always loved being outside, and you combine that with the freedom to do whatever she wants to do and ALL THE OTHER KIDS that she can watch… and well, it’s her little version of heaven.

Having a 14-month-old is the greatest thing ever. I thank God every single day that he made me her mama, because it’s the greatest privilege I have ever had. That child brings me so much joy.