Carter: 12 Months

Monkey,
You are TWELVE MONTHS old today! An entire year! Stop right now and re-read that last sentence....an entire year! Can you believe we made it?!? We made it through all the reflux, and screaming, and not sleeping, and not napping, and bronchiolitis, and biting and here we are, living to tell about it all! Boy, what a year it has been.  We are so thankful that you are here, and that you are healthy, but mostly that you are OURS!

There really isn't much "baby" left in you; you are all toddler now.  You have opinions about things, you communicate your needs/wants/likes/dislikes, and are doing something new almost daily.  You love to explore and observe, and are experimenting with talking and singing.  And I think you may even be considering walking.  I wouldn't be surprised if you held back (like you've done with most other milestones) for a few more months, but I can see it in your eyes and I know you flirt with the idea of taking just.one.step.  No rush.

We have developed a steady and predictable schedule and I couldn't be happier about it.  You wake up happy every morning and talk to me over the monitor until Daddy or I go in and get you.  You nurse, eat breakfast and play for awhile before going down for your morning nap around 9:30.  Some days you will nap for an hour, some days for two hours.  Then we usually run errands or play outside for awhile.  The it's lunch, bottle and down for your second nap which is longer- almost two hours everyday.  Sometimes when you wake up Daddy is home and we play some more, visit friends, and do some walking/bike riding/ strolling.  Then we wrap up the day with dinner, bath, nursing and bed.

This month you have started waking up a tad on the early side.  And by tad I mean you are waking up before 7.  Not okay.  I will remember this when you are sixteen and want to sleep until noon.  I'm thankful that you go down so easily at night and sleep soundly until morning, but let's go back to the 8am wake-up calls, okay?

I don't what to say about your eating habits.  I guess you have a little of your mother in you.  You are picky.  There, I said it.  You love your grains and your dairy, but could care less for any meat.  You eat any fruit or veggie if they are pureed but are much more picky if they are raw or cooked.  And you have finally mastered the art of the pouch!

You are holding steady at eight teeth- four top and four bottom.  But brace yourself when I tell you that you are cutting all of your molars all at the same time.  Your poor little mouth is just one big, swollen and bruised mess.  And your attitude this week has matched your mouth- ugly and gross.  I'm so ready for these molars to cut through and for you to be pain-free.  It kills me to see you so upset.

We made it an entire year nursing.  And I'm surprising myself by saying that I'm not sure when this journey will end for us.  I've tried really hard to not have any expectations about breastfeeding you.  I knew it was something I prayed for during pregnancy, but I also knew that it's not always in a mothers hands.  Once we got going breastfeeding and were successful I didn't set a timeline in my mind of how things "should" go, and instead just took it month-by-month to see what was best for us.  And now here we are at the 12-month marker and I'm looking around to see where we go from here.  My heart is telling me to let you self-wean, be it tomorrow or months from now.  Like I said, I'm not having any expectations for what I "want" to happen and instead will let you and my body take the lead and decide where to take us.  But I am anxious to see how you respond to cows milk!

You should see yourself crawl.  Zoom zoom!  Sometimes I doubt that you are considering walking when I watch how fast you can get someplace by crawling.  Although you still prefer to be close to me at home, you will gladly tour the house all day long just playing with whatever you decide looks interesting at the moment.  It's fun to watch your wheels spin as you decide what to and how to play with things.  You are becoming very familiar with the phrase "that's mamas" as it seems you only want to play with the things you shouldn't!

Oh, I love you.  I love you so much it hurts, but it hurts so good.  Big kisses and even bigger hugs from us to you.  To the moon and back.

12-Month Stats:

Weight: 12 pounds, 3 ounces (41%)

Length: 30 inches (58%)

Eating: nursing around 7:00am and 7:00pm, breast milk bottle around 1:00pm

Bedtime: around 7:30pm

Awake: between 6:00 and 7:00am

Naps: around 9am and 2pm

Diapers: size 3 Huggies, size 4 overnights

Clothes: 12 months

Favorites: Mama, crackers, dancing, playing with doors, Cooper, washing your hands, electronics, driving your Buzz Lightyear car at Nana's, turning lights on and off, playing catch
Dislikes: putting you in your carseat, taking away things you shouldn't have, diaper changes, being away from Mama, the nursery at church

Development: standing for long periods of time, waving, giving kisses (only Daddy), cruising along furniture, babbling all day
Words: mama, dada