She might have been one for a few weeks now, but I have finally wrapped up the series of posts about Zinnia’s first year. Who ever said that third children don’t get many photos? I think I’ve taken more of the smiley munchkin than the other 2, and they have thousands 🙂

The first year goes by in the blink of an eye, or at least the blink of a weary sleep-deprived eye, but I’ve tried to document Zinnia’s first 12 months for her to look back on one day.

There have already been a few posts in this series

• The birth of Zinnia Delphine
• Zinnia’s first month – a photo essay of life on the outside!
• Zinnia’s second month on the outside
• Time flies when you get no sleep – Zinnia’s 3rd and 4th month
• Look at me grow – Zinnia’s 5th to 7th month
• Zinnia’s adventures from 7 to 10 months
• A fabulous Sping flower themed birthday for Miss Zinnia
  
  ……… and now here finally 10 -12 months with a few photos, and then some musings (and of course photos!) of her first year.

10 months old, September

Look, at me, I’m now good at sleeping in my cot in my room during the day (let’s not talk about night time) but I still love my suit with ‘wings’. Mum is going to have to get them off me soon!

I spend lots of my day sitting in my high chair, eating and watching my alpaca friends open the door and come in to say hello!

As the weather is warming up I’m enjoying outside time with my siblings. They discovered that I love bubbles! It keeps us all entertained for hours…..

The bubbles and sunshine make me giggle and clap!

October

Mum finally got me out of my winged suits (that wasn’t fun for either of us). Now I can stand up in my cot it was time to be wing free…..My parents don’t like that standing up game, especially when they aren’t getting much sleep because of all the teeth I’m growing. I had none at 10 months and all of a sudden 6 are coming at once!

Down the coast we go…..

In the school holidays I got a little holiday with my family down the South Coast. The weather wasn’t that great, but gee I had fun. There were pelicans and pizza……

…… and so much sand! I love sand. My crazy siblings were playing in the cold water but I was happy with sun and sand!

We went on lots of walks on the beach and around the rock pools. Lucky I love the ergo!

I also had my first swing. Astrid was on the other side and gee I giggled and clapped!

There were walks, beaches and lighthouses and plenty of fish and chips! I do love chips. Apparently my siblings didn’t get them this young……

11 months old, October…..

On my big brother Soren’s birthday I was exactly 11 months old! Mum didn’t realise this time last year I would also be a 13th baby 🙂 Soren got plenty of presents and let me get a little practice in with opening them.

I’m well and truly on the move now chasing the other kids everywhere while Mum is trying to take photos……

The best bit of Soren’s birthday was the gelato cake. That was delicious!

Flashback……

After all the warm weather it was back to the cold for a few days. Mum found the bear hat and it was a flashback to 2012, I definitely look like my big sister. Here I am in the top photo (October 2019) and the bottom photo is Astrid in November 2012!

Garden baby…….

Back to the warm weather again and I’m out in the garden every chance I can get! Maybe it’s something to do with my name?

Since I’m great at standing up, I’m so helpful with smelling all the pretty flowers…….

Mum thinks she can just plonk me in the garden while she gets some weeding done. Okay, okay I love it!

I do love to cruise around the pots and the pond just looking cute!

Cheeky

Now that I’m super fast at moving, I get up to all sorts of mischief! My hair is growing so much that Astrid loves to do it up in pretty styles for me……

I’m constantly getting inthe mischief when I’m not in my pen. It keeps everyone on their toes!

Speaking of mischief, I love to play with the road bike on the trainer. Mum and Dad do not find this amusing as I get covered in grease! They have had to rearrange the furniture now to stop me……..

I love pretty much all food, but with all those nasty teeth coming through, frozen blueberries have become my favourite!

Yep I’m cheeky but I’m cute. Who can say no to this face?

A new cousin….

At then end of October my new cousin Audrey was born. I thought she was pretty cute (as did my siblings). It’s hard to believe I was even smaller than this when I was born!

November

Just because I’m almost 1 doesn’t mean I don’t love to jolly jump still! These days I love a musical accompaniment and an audience….

Oh and Mum finally gave in and let me have babycinos. She’d been holding out on me so I didn’t demand them all the time, but I made her break! I love babycinos…….

Big sister Astrid has been at it again with my hair! Soon it will be long enough for a real pony tail. I am pretty good at chasing toys all over the floor too. It won’t be long before I’m trying to get up those stairs…….

I’m so big now!

In a few days I’ll be one! You can’t hold me like a little baby any more, I’m much too wiggly and giggly…….

Yep, those fences are there to stop me plunging head first down the stairs. I do like to rattle them until you let me out…….

Mum cracked out the wheely bug for me! I’m almost big enough and I’m certainly giving it a good shot. I think this might be my Christmas present.

Astrid got this bug for her first birthday. She’s a bit big now, but it’s perfect for me….

I’m a high speed terror. Crusing the furniture and crawling super-fast. You can’t keep me out of anything!

12 months old!!!

And then I was 1! More about my birthday here, but I had a fabulous time. I do love helping mum bake and cake……..

A beautiful year with Zinnia……

Her arrival may have turned our world upside down, in more way than one, but it’s been a pretty magical and beautiful year with our little Zinnia Delphine. A family of five with a baby in the house has meant more work and less sleep, but plenty of laughs and smiles. She really is the happiest of little girls. So similar to her siblings but also different in many ways.

Your name

Zinnia you may have remained unnamed for almost 3 weeks but that was because we had some very long lists and it took a while to find the right name for you. In the end you had to be my Zinnia (which probably wasn’t the name top of my list before you were born but felt right after I met you).

Zinnia’s part of the sunflower family are bright and cheery and known for endurance, daily remembrance, lasting affection and goodness. All things that are very true about you. You are tough, bright, sunny, happy, cuddly, affectionate and remind us of all the wonderful things about kids and babies.

Your middle name Delphine, has various meanings; of the womb, dolphin and after the blue delphinium family. It is also French like your big sister’s middle name. It fits you perfectly, and was a hot contender for your first name but Zinnia Delphine was the winning combo. It took us awhile but we got there and you are most definitely Miss Zinnia Delphine.

Oh how your have grown in the first year. There have been thousands of photos but here are just a few to show how you have grown and changed……

Just born…

1 day old….

1 week old…..

1 month old…..

2 months old…..

3 months old…..

4 months old….

5 months old

6 months old….

7 months old…..

8 months old….

9 months old….

10 months old…..

11 months old……

12 months old……

Zinnia at 1……

At 1 you are just as stubborn and cheeky as the day you were born. You came out screaming like your big sister and you have attitude and spunk. You never stop smiling, even when you are sick or grumpy you try to smile. You smiled the day you were born and never stopped. You truly are a happy little girl and I hope it continues!

You aren’t quite walking yet at 12 months (13 months is a different story), but you are cruising furniture and crawling at high speed and are constantly climbing everything and getting into mischief!

You are constantly getting into everything, unpacking, emptying and rearranging. You love to jolly jump, climb stairs, play with your siblings (even though it’s generally rough-housing with Soren) and causing no end of trouble.

You love your food, all food! Fruit and anything dessert like are your favourites but you are very partial to pasta, pizza and most veggies (especially in chip form).

You have grown super fast, you started out smaller than your brother and sister by a long way but are now much bigger than they were at 1! We made it to 6 months breastfeeding (with bottle top ups) but with no supply line this time you had enough and wanted you milk from a bottle, with a preference for calories in food form!

With no teeth until after 10 months you got 6 in the space of 2 weeks, with more coming.

You were the earliest to start talking, saying ‘Mum’ at 4 months and never really shut up. Your list of words is 7 or 8 at 12 months but you babble and sing constantly and will be talking non-stop like your siblings soon. I enjoyed the silence while it lasted! Your favourite song is ‘if you are happy and you know it’ and you love to clap both your feet and hands every time you hear it.

You love walks in the chariot with me or taking the alpacas out in the ergo. The chariot is great for bike riding too and you are partial to a bit of shopping and lunch with Granny!

Like your siblings you love the water, baths, showers and swimming are all favourites and we’ll have another swimmer on our hands soon with the amount of time you spend at training and meets!

You are definitely a fun (if sleep-depriving) addition to the household. One day you’ll sleep in your own cot in your own room at night! You’ve recently started sleeping through the night around half the time, so Mum is wondering when she’ll feel human again soon? Coffee has sustained us this year and you think you can share that with me, stealing my keepcup and scamming babycinos.

You adore your siblings and they adore you right back. The novelty has most definitely not worn off for them. From before you were born they adored you and they dote on you, even though you do try to steal their things and bite them from time to time. Astrid and Soren are excellent helpers, with looking after you and playing with you. You love to sing with them in the car and they play games with you and want to cuddle you constantly. It’s a refreshing change from them trying to kill each other! Maybe you’ll always be their favourite. They even fight over who is playing with you…….

It’s been a year of adventure and blessings. We’ve been busy, so busy that it’s flown by. It’s hard now to remember what life was like without you. Definitely a little quieter, a little less messy and with a little more sleep, but let’s face it the other 2 had ruined that for us anyway so you are just continuing the trend. It’s mostly definitely been a beautiful year with you Zinnia and hopefully the next one is just as lovely, if with a lot more sleep!

You love your headbands and clips. You dance every time you hear music, you do love to boogie! No one can resist your infectious smile and you wave at everyone like the Queen and they just have to wave and smile back!

Happy first birthday Zinnia Delphine……