Happy 1st Birthday, Munchkin! How in the world are you already a year old? It went so fast -- too fast! In some ways, it feels like you were born just yesterday, and in other ways, it seems like you've been a part of our family forever. This first birthday is definitely bittersweet. I'm so proud of the little boy that you are becoming, but I am also sad to think that you are growing up and that you were never be this small ever again. I had been saying for months that I didn't want to cut your hair till your first birthday, and I'm so glad that we waited and did it the day before you turned one because you instantly looked so much older!
This month has been another big month for you as you continue to become more and more active. You do something new everyday and constantly keep me on my toes as you have no fear and are into everything! You are now super fast when it comes to crawling, and although you have not taken any steps on your own, you love walking around while holding our hands, and one of your new favorite things is to walk around on the outside of your walker. You also learned to open our doors this month, which seems crazy to me. I didn't realize that you were able to reach the knob, and as I was taking a picture to text your dad to show him how close you were to reaching it, you grabbed the handle, pulled it down, and almost fell face-first into the garage. Thankfully, I was right there to catch you before you fell, but it definitely scared both of us!
You also said your first non-babbling word this month -- "dog". You were in the kitchen eating breakfast. Annie and Amos were barking outside when all of a sudden, you looked out the door and said "dog". Your dad was feeding you, and I was in the other room, but we both heard you say it clear as day. This month, you also started saying "woof woof" when we ask you what a dog says, and one day when your dad was giving you a bottle in your room, you saw your stuffed monkey on the shelf in your closet and immediately started making monkey noises.
You absolutely love music {just like your dad} and start dancing as soon as you hear it. You love being outside -- swinging in your swing in the backyard, hanging out in the grass with Annie and Amos, riding up and down the street in your Cozy Coupe, and riding around the neighborhood in your wagon. You start crying as soon as it's time to go back inside, and Mimi says that you cry every time that you leave her neighborhood park -- no matter how long y'all have been there or how much she promises to bring you back after your next nap.
Thankfully, you're still a pretty good sleeper, but unfortunately, you've gone back to waking up in the middle of the night, which is actually just super early in the morning {around 5 or 6 a.m.}. You're definitely not ready to get up for the day {I can tell by the way you rub your eyes and fuss}, but thankfully, you go right back to sleep as soon as I've fed you. Sometimes I wonder if you will ever "sleep through the night", but I've gotten used to the routine, so it's really not that bad. After you fall back asleep, you sleep till about 8:30 a.m. and then wake up in the best mood. You still take 2 naps a day -- one from around 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and then another from around 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. You still go to bed around 8 p.m., and thankfully, you are still so good about going to sleep -- both at nap and bedtime. As of right now, I typically nurse you before both naps and give you a bottle before bed, but over the next month or so, I plan to replace those routines with reading books, so hopefully those transitions go okay.
As far as eating goes, you are doing so good! It's almost hard to believe that we ever had a hard time getting you to eat. You still nurse or take a bottle 4 times a day, and you eat 3 meals. As far as your eating schedule, I nurse you or give you a bottle the first time you wake up and then feed you breakfast {yogurt mixed with cereal and fruit puree, a little bit of eggs and sausage -- or whatever else we're eating, cheerios, and some fruit} at about 9 a.m. You nurse before going down for your morning nap, eat lunch {2 veggie puree cubes, chicken, and some fruit} when you get up, and then nurse again before going down for your afternoon nap. For dinner, we start off with 2 more veggie puree cubes and then typically give you some of whatever we're having for dinner, and then I nurse you or give you a bottle one last time before you go to bed. We're still giving you 6 tablespoons of cereal each day for the iron -- 3 of which we mix with your morning yogurt and 3 of which go in a bottle of milk. You've also tried a lot of new things this month, but the two biggest things that you tried this month {both of which you LOVED} are my homemade taco soup {which is actually pretty spicy} and your first cake -- a chocolate cupcake from Hey Cupcake that Dada brought home to celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary.
This month, I decided to take your pictures the day before you turned one so that we could have one printed for the banner of monthly pictures that I hung on the fireplace at your party. Thankfully, I was able to get a couple of good ones with the help of Dada and Grandma {who recently made the name switch from "Big Momma" to "Grandma"}; however, I didn't take any of you in just your diaper with your stuffed dog at the time and have since then decided to just let it go. You're not really a fan of the monthly pictures any way, and as your dad constantly reminds me, you're a boy and therefore won't care about any of this stuff down the line any way -- haha. ;)
I love you, Sweet Boy, and I can't wait to spend another amazing year with you -- experiencing all that this wonderful life has to offer. You really are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I love you with all my heart.
Love,
Momma
{12 MONTH STATS}
Measurements:
- Weight: 24 pounds, 14 ounces
- Length: 30 1/4 inches
Sizes:
- Clothes: 18 months
- Diapers: size 4
- Shoes: size 5 1/2 -- since you're taking steps now {with our help}, we had you sized at Stride Rite and bought you shoes were designed to actually help you walk
