baby z is one year old!

July 07, 2014

baby z is one year old!

my baby. he is a big boy now. well, not really. he's still my baby, still a baby in the eyes of most people. but he's a year old now. wahhhhh! just kidding. i love watching him grow. in the past month he has been babbling even more now, putting more sounds together, imitating sounds. now when he plays with his cars, he makes a brrrrrrrr noise with his mouth. he says cracka for cracker, he also says mama and baba if prompted, he also says wow. he doesn't say them super clearly, he says them in baby talk. the only word he says on his own is cracka. it's pretty funny. he is using his hands a lot, too, to communicate. let's see, he is taking steps now. he isn't walking completely, but he takes about 5 steps and then falls. he walks with his little push toy really well. he is so funny when he tries to walk, he takes his wobbly steps with his arms in the air and screams and squeals in delight and excitement as he goes. it cracks me up, he is just so happy that he is walking (or trying to). it's really stinkin cute. he is becoming more expressive and more opinionated if possible. we had his first birthday party on his actual birthday, and it was great. i'll be writing about it in another post. i think this will be the last of the monthly updates of baby z on this blog. i will probably do an 18 month and 24 month update, etc. so, here's the last of the monthly updates:

he really was having fun

-growth: still in 12-18 month clothes. we haven't taken him to his 12 month doctor appointment yet, so i don't know his official weight and height, but i think he is around 20 lbs and 30 inches. he still just has two teeth but i am sure he's teething and a few more will pop up pretty soon here.

at his first birthday moustache bash

-development: like i said above, he is trying to walk, taking baby steps, literally. he is able to point to his head, hair, mouth, belly, toes, when asked. we're working on the rest, as well as colors and shapes and all that. i pick up his ball, say ball, and then he says baaaaaa. it's pretty great. he is really good at throwing things now. he throws his ball, speed crawls to it, picks it up, squeals, throws it again. he likes to stand up and bang his hands on the top of the glass coffee table. there's just so many things that he's figuring out right now and i imagine that it will be like that for the next several years.

playing with his stacking blocks toy

-transportation: speed crawling and baby steps, although he doesn't walk to get around at t his point. oh, and he got a really great tricycle for his birthday so that is his new mode of transportation, he doesn't know how to pedal it obviously, but it has a handle on the back that i can use to push it, and he loves it.

practicing walking

-sleep: pretty much the same as last month. no changes there.

mini-hike in the beautiful sunshine

-nourishment: since he is a year old now, there are no food restrictions (except those that can cause choking), so that opens up cow's milk and honey. i have been giving him sips of cow's milk and he seems to like it ok. he pretty much eats whatever we are eating for dinner. he has been looooooooooving watermelon lately. it's funny, a few weeks back he would not touch it. he wanted blueberries. then the next week he wouldn't eat blueberries, he wanted strawberries. this week it's watermelon. he fills his cheeks with it. he is finally starting to like meat now. he is not a huge fan of steak, but he likes chicken, fish and ground beef. he really likes beans, and rice of course. he has been eating well again, for about 2 weeks he was a little picky and didn't eat very much at each meal, but he's back to normal now. he doesn't really eat very much of the puree now, except his prunes!

stealing a cookie

-personality: so inquisitive, he likes to try to figure out how things work. he will flip his toy over to inspect the screw holding it together, things like that. it's great. he gets a little inpatient sometimes when he can't make something work, or if he can't reach something, etc. he is silly, sometimes he fake laughs, he fake sneezes, stuff like that to make people laugh. he is becoming more cuddly, he will give me hugs and kisses randomly. he is a clever little guy, too. i can't wait to watch him grow into a little boy.

pulling grass and sharing with mama

-likes: books, bubbles, balloons, his new tricycle, being outside, sneaking out the back screen door, playing in the grass, throwing stuff, playing his tambourine, grabbing his toes, pulling his left sock off, his cousin lucy, waving at people in the store, playing with his cars

checking out creepy monkey

-dislikes: falling asleep, getting his diaper changed, being in the car or his carseat, having a shirt pulled over his head, sleeping in his crib, bonking his head

so happy playing in the dirt

-me: i love love love this guy so much. there are some different challenges at this age, different than when he was younger, but i feel like he is more fun now. we have a pretty good routine down now for the day, especially since he takes 2 naps during the day, one morning and one afternoon. sometimes it's hard to get anything done during the day. it's all about feeding z, giving him a nap and playing with him. i can barely get to wash the dishes, tidy up, and cook dinner. but then i remember that i am doing the most important thing by raising my son and if i can get any of the other stuff done, it's extra. at least for now while he's at this age. he is such a sweetie. i have been reminiscing a lot about when he was a newborn, and he was so squeaky and wobbly. i feel like being a mom is a constant challenge, but it really is the most amazing thing i could have done in this world. it is such a special role, to be a mother.