Mr. ONE Year Old!

12 Months!

Weight:  22 lb

Height:  2.5 ft (30 in)

Teeth: 4 top, 3 bottom

James Loves:

Playing hide and seek, peek-a-boo, music (both listening to and playing with instruments), mimicking others (sounds/gestures), dancing, walking/running, books, story time, library, feeding himself, drinking from cup and a straw, "talking," waving hi/bye, giving high fives, cuddling with teddy bears, hiding in play hut, Mr. Potato Head, cars, dump truck, animals, remote controls, phones, soccer ball, stacking cups, Mama, Papa, grandparents, Daddy's golf club, opening cabinets and doors, turning lights on/off, emptying things out (hamper, legos, toy bin, book shelf, DVD's, etc), rides in wagon, watching snow fall/playing with the snow (inside), being the center of attention, and the list goes on!

James Doesn't Love:

Teething, diaper changes, when Mama walks out of sight, not getting his way (a glimpse into the 2's are beginning...)

Food Update:

We are still nursing (Yea! High-five to this Mama for making it to 13+ months)!  James nurses/drinks BM only 4 times a day now (morning, mid-morning, mid-afternoon and bedtime). He is eating breakfast, lunch and dinner in-between. We will be starting the weaning process to organic whole milk in February. Hopefully James is agreeable to it! He is crazy for cottage cheese and yogurt, so he shouldn't have any problems with dairy, but it will be a big change for him (and me)! 

James LOVES feeding himself though, which means he refuses to eat from a spoon, unless he can "do it" himself. So far, he has a 90% success rate of getting the spoon into his mouth; and probably a 75% success rate of actually getting the food on the spoon into his mouth - but he is getting better every day! Finger foods are wildly appreciated, which is making feeding him more fun, and challenging at the same time! Good thing I have patience! I finally got over my fear of him gagging/choking as he was eating. At 11 months, he was so excited about food, but still getting a handle on the chewing thing, that I found myself holding my breath with anxiety every time I watched him eat/chew something (is that normal, or just me?). After lots of practice, and cutting everything into tiny tiny pieces, James is turning into an adventurous little eater. I have finally curbed my fear, and meal times are much more enjoyable now! I love this baby and toddler cookbook. Great recipes, tips and inspiration for our homemade adventures! 

Favorite foods (in no particular order): 

Cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, yogurt, cheddar cheese, wheat toast, waffles/pancakes, oatmeal, pasta, rice, sweet potato, pumpkin, squash, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, peas, green beans, asparagus, scrambled egg, banana, apples/applesauce, apricots, peaches, chicken, ground turkey/beef, salmon/white fish, black/chili/kidney beans, hummus

Not-so-favorite foods: 

Fruits (oranges, watermelon, berries, kiwi) other than bananas and apples (when given by themselves, too sweet?). The faces he makes are hilarious! He loves most fruits if mixed into something else, like dairy, toast or a vegetable, just not alone. Tofu. Avocado (he broke out in a fever/rash when we introduced avocado at 7 months, so I have been hesitant to give it to him again.) However, now that he has had more foods, this will soon be on the menu again. (Hopefully no reaction this time.)

What a difference a year makes! Truly. Looking back at James' birth story , it is hard to believe all that we have been through this past year as a family of three! We are proud, very blessed, parents to a ONE year old! (How did that happen?!) James is sweet, loving, serious, silly, entertaining, persistent, daring, smart, strong, independent, and yet totally dependent all at the same time! He is Mama's little sidekick and our best buddy. James is a tiny man packed with big personality. I could go on describing him and how much I am in awe over him for days, but I will let the pictures from our 12 month photo shoot do the talking! 

Enjoy!

Where's James?

Our little jumping bean

Still loves looking for hidden treasures

Love his crazy wavy hair
(no first hair cut yet though...maybe a trim soon?)

Melts my heart every time

"Hi!"

Funny things he says:
Mama! (in a variety of tones now for different reasons), Papa? (searching for Phil or Gramps daily), Pup-pup (puppy), Mmmmm (after eating something he likes), Nana (banana), 'Tis ta' (nanny Krista), 'Up or Alp' ( for help or to get out of highchair), Hi!, 'Dat dat?!' (What's that? Or Give me that!), 'Wa tis?' Or 'Wa tis tis?' (What is this?). He says this to everything now and points and repeats until you give him the word label. Good thing he hasn't discovered the word 'why?' yet! Although he says few words, he understands the majority of what I ask him about, or to do or get. That observant little mind has picked up a lot and it always amazes me when I ask him something and he actually goes to get it! Turning into quite the little helper!

Love that little toothy smile!

Just a little man and his thoughts; and an iPhone.

James, you have turned our world upside down, in the best way possible! You have filled our hearts with more love than we could have ever imagined. We are so lucky and thankful to have you in our lives. Thank you for a great first year - and taking it easy on us "rookie" parents. We are loving every minute with you.

We love you so much little man!