I love documenting and sharing Arbor’s development and milestones. Arbor turned 13 months old on January 6th, but I have been waiting for her to hit a very special milestone before hitting publish. Here is Arbor at 13 1/2 months old.
Arbor – 13 Months Old
Arbor is officially WALKING! She took her first few steps between the high chair and kitchen cabinets on Christmas Eve, but quickly went back to crawling. We think she didn’t feel safe enough to move around without support. She does NOT like to walk holding your hands, or using her walking toy, so we just let her do her thing.
On January 16th she really started to show off with walking all over the house! She likes to climb up the step into the kitchen and slide off of it to stand. Sometimes she will pull up on furniture and then take off walking as well. We have only seen her go from sitting to standing once, but I know she will do it more often with practice.
My Feelings about our 13 Month Old
I’m feeling very sentimental lately as I recall where we were a year ago. Arbor was so tiny! We had just made it though 4 days of isolation in my bedroom while her sisters recovered from Covid. I don’t recommend staying in one room with a baby for that long when you are battling postpartum depression. We did a lot of dancing to keep up morale.
Annabelle and Ailey are still in love with their baby sister – probably more so now that she says their names! I love watching the three girls play together – it’s usually something silly.
A lot of people say things (milestones) go by much faster with their third child – I don’t agree with this sentiment. I feel like my husband and I are paying such close attention to every little thing she does that we don’t miss a beat. We really try to absorb all of the new tricks she performs, as well as what she does on a daily basis. The whole family watches her every move and listens to all of her babbles in awe.
Arbor’s Favorite Things
Favorite Words: “MAMA: (I wanted her to say this more often and she made it happen – and says it all. day. long), “Up” (especially when she wants to dance), Bubba (Muffin), “Yah” (rhymes with pa), “All Done”, “Dance”, “Boon” (belly button)
She tries to repeat a lot of what we say, but also babbles in her own language. She shakes her head No or swings her arm around to signal her dislike of something. Sometimes we catch Arbor singing gibberish to the tune of songs we listen to!
We’ve entered the stage where she gets frustrated when we don’t know what she wants. It’s clear she wishes she could say the word for whatever she desires, and often screams discontentedly. We have been trying to teach her sign language since she was four months old (more, eat, thank you) but she isn’t interested in signing.
Favorite Toys: Aside from everything in the kitchen/bathroom cabinets, Arbor loves to play with Tonies and her big sisters’ American Girl kitchen and spa. We have a lot of toys she only plays with when we initiate the playing.
Arbor likes to play with these buckets in the bath. I just ordered these mold free squirt toys after we found her favorite squirt animals were filled with mold (yuck!).
Favorite Things to Do: Dancing is definitely one of Arbor’s FAVORITE things to do. Whether she is dancing in our arms around the kitchen or bouncing on her own feet, Arbor likes to dance all the time. Now that she can stand on her own I know she will be dancing every time she hears a beat.
Arbor enjoys putting little things inside of big things – not necessarily toys, but anything and everything. A sock in the pan drawer. A puzzle piece in a box of stolen crackers. My eye cream in the toilet.
She also enjoys reading books (see her favorite books here), reorganizing the cabinets in our kitchen, and digging in the trash. It’s embarrassing how many things she has successfully stolen and eaten from our kitchen garbage can. See more favorite things here.
13 Month Old Milestones
I don’t like to compare Arbor’s milestones to other babies her age because I know every child’s development is different. With that being said, if you have a little one the same age as Arbor, don’t worry if he/she is doing different things.
Arbor’s 13 Month Old Milestones: She found her BELLY BUTTON and now wants to see everyone’s belly button. She calls it a “boon.” Pulls off socks and shoes, turns pages in a book, throws a ball and chases after it. She enjoys holding utensils while eating – can put a loaded fork or spoon in her mouth, but can’t load it herself. Points to her nose, eyes, belly button, ears, and hair when prompted. Brushes own hair. Drinks out of a cup (or rather her bucket in the bath). Likes to look at her reflection in a mirror and play peek-a-boo. Puts a diaper or pants on her head to make you laugh.
A 13 Month Old’s Daily Menu
One of my most asked questions about Arbor is WHAT DOES SHE EAT during the day. My 13 month old is already starting to pick favorites when it comes to food. We know quickly what she doesn’t like because she shakes her head NO or deliberately drops the food off of her high chair. Here is a sample of our 13 month old’s meal schedule:
6:30am Wake-up and nurse
7:00am Breakfast: banana, scrambled egg or egg white, sourdough toast with butter or half an english muffin OR Once Upon a Farm Smoothie and Veggie Egg White Muffin
10:30am Post Nap 1 Snack: Once Upon a Farm Fruit and Veggie Blend or Yogimelts (she sometimes nurses when she wakes up from her first nap too)
11:30am Lunch: meatballs and pasta cooked in sauce this is usually leftovers from dinner the night before
2:30pm Wake-up and nurse/Post Nap 1 Snack: clementine and cheerios
4:30pm Dinner: refried bean and plant based cheese quesadilla with a side of blueberries and tomato slices OR chicken (any way) with macaroni & cheese and green beans
5:30/6:00pm Nurse before bedtime
More of Arbor’s favorite foods: raspberries, turkey meatloaf, turkey chili, pasta with sauce, soup noodles, cookies, and usually anything she sees me eating.
Here is everything we love for meal time for our 13 month old:
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