Thirteen Months of Toddler Frances

For Frances's thirteen month birthday, she and I went for a little jog around a nearby pond. It's possible I got more out of the experience than she did, since she was in the stroller the whole time, but I like to think we both enjoyed ourselves. It was a bit nippy that day, so first we got all bundled up.



Then we got Frances into the stroller and headed off around the pond.

Two miles later, Frances was completely asleep in her stroller, which is a minor miracle these days.

I was very proud of us.

Alright, Thirteen Month Fun Facts

• Firsts: The walking is the most exciting first, obviously. She still mostly walks only to get from one familiar face to another, but she's branching out slowly. She's really keen on going from sitting to standing without using any props. She's only managed it a couple times, but she's very determined.
• Favorite Foods: My baby likes beans - black beans, kidney beans, cannellini. I think she gets it from the Uptons. She also devoured a slice of Starbucks Gingerbread Loaf by the fistful yesterday, leaving only crumbs behind for her momma.
• Frequent Comment: "She's so serious!" I get this a lot from strangers who try to get Frances to smile when we're out shopping. They are met with polite but stone-faced silence. It makes me a little sad, really, but it may just be Frances's version of stranger anxiety. At least strangers don't make her cry. And she smiles and chatters plenty when she's around more familiar folk. She talks up a storm and nods emphatically when she hears a recording of herself.
• Favorite Activity: She loves, loves, loves climbing up on our bed. It gives Mark and me little heart attacks when she heads for the edge, but so far she's done a good job - not to say a perfect job - negotiating a safety zone. We lost some Parenting Points one very sad day, but Frances survived. Frances also likes looking at catalogues while she's eating - a love of simultaneous eating and reading, she gets that from her mother!
• One word to describe Frances this month: Trooper, with a capital T. All the books tell me that she's going to start asserting her independence soon, but for right now, Frances is so good about putting up with our demands. We can ask her to skip naps, stay up hours past her bed time, run to the grocery store at dinner time, you name it, and she just keeps going. She really impresses me.