in the blink of an eye.

It happens.
The switch from baby to toddler.
In the blink of an eye.

Someone should tell you that ahead of time.  It's not a gradual switch.  It's a wake up one morning and all of a sudden...bam! you have a toddler and the itty bitty baby days are over.  We had that recently. 
It is crazy.

We have a walking, talking, dancing toddler.  With some dramatic toddler attitude on top to finish it off.  Oh my goodness how much can change in such a short period of time.  There is still that special sweetness that makes her Quinn, but she is throwing in some new little dramatics these days and it is entertaining!  We love every single second of discovering this little girl and watching her discover herself.

Walking:  She has been walking around stuff for months.  But our cautious little girl is just starting to release the reigns a little from needing to grasp onto something.  About 5 steps she will take on her own, otherwise it's still cruising around pushing her stroller and hanging onto the furniture or hands.  I'm actually loving this cautious quality we are seeing in her.

Talking:  FINALLY we hear "Dada"!  Thank goodness!  After 5 and a half months of "mama", dada was starting to feel a little left out.  She is still a babbler and her vocabulary doesn't exceed mama, dada, no, and yeah.  But the watcher of phonemes I am, I am in awe of the development of her sounds everyday.  She has so much to say, and it's starting to come together.  Sounds a little like Boo from Monster's Inc.

Dancing:  Oh yeah, she is a booty shaker.  Jammin' out to Gavin McGraw's Not Over You last night, we had ourselves some fun.  I so love the dancing.  I wonder if she will enjoy as she grows older? 

The Attitude:  Nothing out of the norm for a toddler, just funny how it comes out of nowhere.  Quinn is still an easygoing girl so for her to show anything like this is just funny to us.  But she is definitely playing up the drama.  She makes the squishiest little mad faces, since she is just now starting to get upset about things. (taking things away, wiping her nose, wanting what you have).  It is helping us to eat a little less around here especially snacking, we don't dare to eat unless she is eating at the same time.

As we welcomed February the other day, I am doing a lot of reflecting over the last year.  The first year of Quinn.  Every stage is so much fun, and looking back through pictures is filled with so much joy. 

Just a couple mommy favorites from the earlier months for fun.
(I'll be doing more as we approach her birthday)

Oh those blue eyes and pouty lips. 
Our absolutely stunning little Quinn.

Welcome February.
Such a special month you are.