Dear noy,
She's almost one -- and can you believe how much she's grown and changed since you first set eyes on that teeny, fragile body? By 12 months most babies are 50 percent taller than they were at birth and weigh three times what they did then. Here's a look back at what else your baby's accomplished this year.

Around this time, some children become seriously picky eaters. Just keep offering her good food and plenty of snacks and sooner or later her appetite should bounce back to normal. If your baby eats hardly any veggies one day, try to serve up plenty the next day. And never force something on her -- if your child's truly hungry, she'll eat what's in front of her without any prodding from you. And most kids do end up getting the nutrition and calories they need, even if they skip a meal here or there.

One food she probably won't need any arm-twisting for? Birthday cake! It'll be a blast, but make sure to keep things in perspective -- there's no reason to let the little details stress you out. To make the day as smooth as possible, delegate, delegate, delegate: Ask a friend to take pictures so you can actually be in them, consider hiring a cleaning service so you can stay out of the kitchen, or have baby's nanny or favorite sitter on hand in case she should get a little fussy and need a break from the crowd. Get more great time- and stress-savers here and below.