What child is this?

I have always assumed that Ivy's sleep would get better.  In the long term (like, geological time frame) I held out hope that she would eventually start taking naps and sleeping through the night, and, just generally, stop being so fussy and tired all of the time.

As usual, I was right.  :-) 

Ivy has just always been, from the beginning, a baby that needed to be in the action.  She wanted to be with us, at all times, doing the things we are doing.  She still does, and now, finally, she can.  I think mastering walking is what allowed her sleep to settle into a routine.  She toddles around after us, plays the way Eliot plays, and is much, much happier.  (She even makes a vroom sound when she rolls his cars around, though she is imitating him rather than imitating an actual car noise I think)

Since our return, Ivy has been sleeping through the night 12-14 hours without interruption, and taking a 2 hour nap.  In other words, she's getting about 3-4 more hours of sleep than she used to.  Wow.  Not only that, but I am putting her down awake in her crib, she waves and says "bye bye" while snuggling her lion, and then when I get to the doorway, she rolls over and falls asleep.

What this also means is that we have gone from nursing about 6 times a day to 3 times a day over the last week, without any complaining from her or work from me.  This is a much more manageable level and helps assure me that yes, someday, she will wean.

Just not quite yet.

Ivy also had her 12 month pediatrician visit, and she has completely fallen off the chart for weight and almost fallen off for height.  I've got to bring her back in three months and as long as she has gained something, the doctor won't be concerned. 

And while I'm bragging about her, she now says "wawa" (water), "mama", and "bye-bye".  I believe I have also heard a few tentative "dada"s since getting home, but we'll give it another week to be sure. 

Here's something you don't see every day (at least not chez moi):

A well-meaning friend gave me a pacifier during my phase of desperation, hoping it might help Ivy sleep better.  Neither she nor I were particularly interested in it though, and so it just ended up in a basket on the changing table for months and months.  I gave it to her to play with yesterday while I was changing her, and suddenly Ms. Everything-plastic-makes-me-gag couldn't get enough of it.  She walked around with it for about ten minutes before Eliot stole it, and who knows where he put it.

p.s.  Doesn't Ivy look just like an owl with those big dark eyes?