how do you work these things?

Legs, that is...
Poor, dear, sweet little Jolie has begun pulling up and what they call in parentland, "cruising" along things taller than her. This can be a coffee table, her mother's calves or even a portable radio player.



So far, there have been only minor setbacks when it comes to falls but that may have to do with the fact that once standing, Jolie can't seem to sit again.



This is mainly annoying in the middle of night when she wants to practice standing while using her crib as a guide. And then FREAKS OUT because she wants to go back to sleep but cannot even get close to laying down without assistance.



This has only happened a couple of nights in a row, so maybe all the daytime practicing is sufficiently exhausting for now and we'll be out of the midnight sessions.

As we narrow in on the one-year mark for Jolie Grace, she still only has the bottom center two teeth but makes good use of them eating a variety of things (spagetti, grilled cheese, apple slices and string cheese, to name a few.)
She is still nursing several times a day but only when not distracted by anything and not for very long unless it is the first time in the morning (~6:30 a.m.) or final time before bedtime. (~8 p.m.)
We also kind of think she said her first word, Mama and she also attempts Susannah with a couple of grunts that sound a bit like "manyanna."
She loves being outside and especially enjoys her big sister's former baby swing.

In other Jolie related news, her latest well baby checkup (just before Christmas) showed that she is stretching out a bit and tapering off when it comes to weight. According to the hypochondriac-ish substitute pediatrician we saw, this could mean she's anemic. But we think it's probably since she's been 20 pounds since she was six months old and is now actually a bit mobile and probably really using some of the fuel her body consumes.
It's kind of funny because it's now become a family joke. As in, Jolie is busy chowing down on scrambled eggs with spinach and cheese and we say, too bad she's so weak and little due to being anemic.
Or she breaks one of her sister's colored pencils in half and we say, too bad she's so weak and little due to being anemic.
Yeesh.
I am struck by how I find I still need to serve as an advocate in our little family's health care decisions, much like I did during Susannah's birth and later during the time I took considering Jolie's.
During the "well baby" check up that the pediatrician wanted to test Jolie by finger pricking and subsequently testing her blood, said pediatrician got snarky when I refused to then let them draw blood from my healthy baby's arm vein just to "double check" the marginal results. (normal blood iron level: 11 whatever it is they measure blood iron level in, Jolie's was just under 10.)
As she prescribed an iron supplement that we did purchase but have no plans of using, I tried to be nice and said "thank you so much for understanding my point of view."
And as said snarky pediatrician walked out of the exam room, she said: "Well you just need to understand you may be giving your child an iron supplement she doesn't even need."
Oi vey.
And she just wanted to give the baby girl a (n invasive!) test she apparently "didn't even need."

Life lesson #313: Respectfully, don't just believe whatever your healthcare providers tell you without using your brain too.