Finley Grace, 13 Months.

To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure if- after the one year mark- I should continue with these monthly Finley updates. I went back and forth. Should I keep them monthly as they had been? Every three months? Longer? Ultimately, I'm still not 100% certain how I will continue throughout the next year, but for this month, I realized that Finley was advancing in leaps and bounds, and I wanted to keep record of that, if only for myself. So, here's a look at what Miss Finley is up to at 13 months.

• Finley weighs about 22 pounds.
• She is currently in 18-24 month clothing. She can still actually wear 18 months for the most part, but when we recently updated her wardrobe for Fall, we opted to move her on up so she could wear them longer through the winter!
• Finley's vocabulary is already picking up...which, as a mom to a child with autism/speech delays, is really quite astounding to see. In addition to mama, daddy, bubba, Anna and Elsa, she has also added hi, bye, nananana (Frozen- this is the opening song and how she asks for the movie or aknowledges that something is from the movie), mimi (milk/nursing). She has also repeated a few words (like dog), but doesn't seem to say with regularity yet, so we won't count them just yet.
• She can appropriately nod in response to some questions. (Do you want milk? Do you want to watch Frozen?) She waves and blows kisses. She is just starting to shake her head, but doesn't seem to be with intention yet.
• She can point to some objects when asked- like nose, Anna or Elsa. (Again, astounding to see as Shaun did not point at all until 3 years old.)
• She can 'ask' for songs by doing her 13 month old variation of the hand motions (clapping for patty cake or pressing her index fingers together for Itsy Bitsy Spider). Likewise, she will respond to the names of both by performing the same actions.
• She has been walking since she was 11 months old, and by now has mastered it! There's no stopping her. She likes to be into EVERYTHING! We recently had to convert our dining room into a blocked off play area for her to keep her out of bubby's playroom (Legos!) or from climbing the stairs!!
• She is a climber also. Toys, stairs, onto the couch...if she can climb it, she WILL climb it. Getting down on the other hand...well, that's a work in progress.
• She still adores Frozen. And by adores I mean is obsessed with. Seriously.
• She's still a great eater, but we've discovered she's not a meat fan. She does however LOVE beans. Of any kind, but especially black!

As you can see, this month has been another huge one for Finley. As a mom to a child with autism, it is really interesting (and quite honestly a sigh of relief) to see our girl flourishing in areas of communication and social development (her pediatrician actually said she is ahead of where they expect a 13 month old to be). I so enjoy watching her learn and discover the world around her. Each day is something new, and it's so fun to watch!!