Unpacking 12 month clothes

So most moms complain about baby clothes sizes being way off. We haven't had that problem at all. She grew out of her newborn stuff pretty quickly, but everything else has fit at the right time (excluding Gerber's clothing...they seem to run 2X smaller than every other baby clothing brand).
I took her to the pediatrician for her 1 year check up and shots. Turns out she had a little growth spurt and is back into the mid 50th percentile in height--once again, a "well, this is a surprise. She will probably be taller than you" comment. I think she will say that every appointment--50th percentile in weight and 70th percentile in head circumference. I guess baby clothing manufacturers are using the 50th percentile to make baby clothes. Here are some interesting things I learned:

• Late crawling often means late walking, but early talking--not sure if this means on time talking since she is doing spanish immersion and that usually means late talking
• I need to offer her more food before her milk, and try to keep it around 24 ozs a day, as toddlers figure out early on that it is much more time efficient to suck down a glass of milk then sit and eat.
• Totally okay if she is happy eating blueberries, peas, and cheerios at every meal...since they are healthy choices it is okay, and I just need to try to offer her other things. Soon enough she'll have new favorite foods.
• And my favorite new tip from the dr. New research shows 90% of freckles can be avoided with good sun protection (sunscreen, hats, etc). Yay! She doesn't have to be covered in freckles like me, even though she has a genetic predisposition to it.

Here's a pic of Penelope in a pair of 12 month low rise jeans...doesn't work so well with cloth diapers and chubby thighs.

Her Espana shirt from Christopher and Jen

Don Juan--for those of you who weren't following during my pregnancy, we didn't know Penelope was a girl and we weren't sharing our name ideas, so we called her Don Juan--Don after Chris's grandfathers, and Juan after my grandmother's middle name.

We've been so lucky to get boxes of clothes from our parents, grandparents and friends, that I rarely buy baby clothes, but sometimes I just can't help myself! Such a cutie!

Here she is at the doctor's office. (Any moms of little girls have tips for hair control? She pulls barrettes out within 10 seconds, and they aren't allowed at day care. Her hair is so fine I don't think a ponytail would hold...)