Nolan: twelve months old
It finally happened.
You turned one year old.
You crawl faster than we can run after you.
Your giggle is infectious.
You are quiet, observant, intelligent, sneaky, ticklish, patient, gentle, loving, wiggly, curious, and empathetic. You aren't easily startled by barking dogs, the trash trucks, or firecrackers but the cherry pitter, daddy's sneezes, and other people crying really upset you and make you cry! While you can be stingy with your smiles for strangers and can be cautious when others try to hold you, you don't cling to us and have let our friends & family snuggle you on several occasions.
You love feeding yourself, banging on your piano, playing peek-a-boo, chasing the cat, doing "the airplane", having raspberries blown on your tummy, bath time, turning the pages of books, pointing, pushing buttons on the remote and Wii controller, shaking pill bottles, twirling my hair while you are nursing, the fan blowing air in your face, people-watching, opening & closing doors and cabinets, being swung at the park, and swimming. You love when I play "This Little Piggy" on your toes and you put your finger into our mouths to check out our teeth. You love your jumperoo and exersaucer but are happiest when free to crawl around from toy to toy and cruise along the furniture. You love being pushed around the block in your buggy and being worn in the Baby Bjorn so you can face the world head-on. You are babbling, rolling your tongue, blowing raspberries, smacking your lips, and mimicking a lot of the sounds we make at you. You haven't identified someone or something with words just yet but you do respond to people and your favorite toys with an eager smile and reaching hand. You know your name and respond when called. When I sing "Shake, shake, shake shake your booty" you bend your knees and bounce up and down while standing. When sitting down and Emily or I say "Rock-a, rock-a, rock the boat" you will rock your body back and forth. If we wag our finger at you and say "No touching that!" you will stop what you are touching and crawl away.
You are waving "hi" and "bye" and just started clapping when we clap and say "yea!".
You have seven (7) teeth! The top four center teeth, the bottom two center teeth and the tooth just to your left of center. You are cutting your eighth tooth, the bottom tooth just to your right of center.
This month was a rough one for you as far as illness is concerned. You had croup first. Luckily, we knew exactly what it was, having survived it with Emily when she was only a year old, and were able to identify it and get you to your Pediatrician's office during office hours for a steroid shot and a prescription. Then, you had double ear infections with both ear drums having burst. You were up crying hysterically and nothing we offered comforted you for two nights and out of concern we took you to your Pediatrician and discovered your infection. Antibiotics and Motrin had you feeling better in 24 hours. What a champ you have been, handling so much discomfort. You are extra snuggly when you don't feel well, which we love, but your laugh and smile diminishes completely and you become almost silent, which we don't love. Emily would do (and did try!) anything to make you smile in hopes that you might feel better!
In your mental and emotional development, you are growing by leaps and bounds! You have discovered how to make music by shaking things and banging on things; you can manipulate most of your toys like how to play peek-a-boo with a toy on your exersaucer by pushing the top down to lock it in place and then, pushing the button to make the top pop back up; and you can turn on all of your toys and make them spin, flash, and play music because you know which buttons make those things happen.
You have; however, hit a plateau in your physical growth, holding steady at 18lbs 6oz (less than 10th%), 29" (25th%) and 43.5cm head circumference (25th%) but you are strong, steady, a great eater, and burning through calories with all your daily activities. You still ride in your infant car seat, but only while in the car, as you prefer to sit up like a big boy in your strollers. You stand on your own, completely unsupported but have yet to attempt to walk. And we are OK with that as you will be off running before we know it! :) You are still wearing all your size 9 month clothing and PJs and your 9-12mo socks and shoes. You are also still in a size 3 Pampers Swaddlers Diaper.
You will eat some pureed baby food. Sprout Organic Oatmeal with roasted apple sauce is your favorite for breakfast. You also love Plum baby organic Plum Berry & Barley, Sweet potato Mango & Millet, Spinach Peas & Pears, and Raspberries Spinach & Greek Yogurt.
Table food is really what you are after these days!
Your favorites are:
Fresh pears
Fresh blackberries
Cheddar cheese sticks
All flavors of yogurt
Virginia-style ham slices
Gluten-free, vegetarian flaxseed waffles
Quinoa macaroni 'n cheese
You also like and eat regularly:
Fresh blueberries, apple slices, and banana (cannot believe you are finally eating banana!)
Fresh, steamed peas
Boiled potatoes
Gluten-free blueberry muffins
Grilled cheese sandwiches
Rice cakes
You are always watching us while we are eating and we often give you bites off our plates. You had a bite of Emily's corn dog just yesterday and ending up eating half of it yourself! You seem to not enjoy the texture of steamed broccoli, roasted butternut squash (it use to be your favorite!) and spaghetti squash, rotisserie chicken and grilled chicken, rice, whole beans but we continue to offer everything we are eating to you, except citrus and honey at this point. I'm going to offer you hard-boiled egg and spaghetti sauce this month.
When you are hungry, you make a low-pitched whine and try to climb one of us, tugging at our clothes to be picked up. You eat slowly and methodically, reaching for food that has dropped into your lap and eating any food that has gathered in your bib. You don't care about having wet or messy hands or about food in your hair and can be a bit squirmy when we are trying to wipe you down and clean you up.
You are also drinking water successfully from a straw sippy cup at every meal. You can almost get the cup upright and positioned into your own mouth (it's quite heavy!). After your one year well-baby exam next week we may be introducing milk.
You are an excellent sleeper, putting yourself to sleep for two naps a day and at bedtime. The time of day isn't important to you, it's the intervals of time between naps that determines your day. You are still solidly following the 2-3-4 sleep schedule: AM nap after being awake for the day for 2 hours, PM nap after being awake from your AM nap for 3 hours, bedtime after being awake from your PM nap for 4 hours. We still follow our strict sleepy time routine: turn down lights, turn on sound machine and fan, change your diaper, sing to you one song, and set you in your crib with your Rhino Jellycat. You will often times jump up and down in your crib, giggling and babbling before settling down to sleep on your tummy with your knees drawn up under you. You don't move around at all for naps, waking up in the same place you fell asleep in. You often sleep 1.5-2.0 hours in the AM and 1.5-2.0 hours in the PM. You sleep through the night 11.5-13.0 hours every night.
Your typical daily routine:
7:30am - Wake up. Daddy gets you from your crib, changes you, and brings you downstairs for me to nurse you. Then, you have a few minutes of play time with Emily before I take her to school.
8:30am - Breakfast! Daddy sets you in your highchair in just a diaper and gives you 1-2 waffles (or a few mini muffins) and a whole banana. You often like to share a yogurt cup with him. After cleaning you up, which always includes wiping you down from head-to-toe and then getting you dressed for the day, it's play time.
9:30am-11:00am - Nap
12:30pm - Lunch! Most of the time it's daddy feeding you as I am either volunteering at Emily's school or running errands. We double bib you: cloth under a plastic catch-all bib and you go to town, feeding yourself happily. After another wipe down, it's play time.
2-3:30pm - Nap
3:30pm - Snack (fruit, cheese, Puffs) is usually given to you by me either outside in your exersaucer so Emily can play or in your stroller so Emily can be at an activity, at a play date with friends, or at swim lessons.
4:30pm - I nurse you for the final time of the day.
5:30pm - Dinner! I set you in your highchair in just your diaper and let you feed yourself for about an hour while I make dinner for Emily and help her with homework. We head straight to the bath tub once you are full.
6:30pm - Bath, lotion, PJs, play time and books
7:30pm - Bedtime
You hair no longer sticks straight up, as if you've put your finger in a light socket. It has gotten so long and is so thick, it lays down and it's pretty straight. It's almost hanging in your eyes so, it might be time for your first hair cut! Your finger nails and toenails grow so fast, I really need to trim them weekly and we have your eczema completely under control.
Emily continues to be your favorite person, drawing out your biggest belly laughs and toothiest grins; you chase after her, let her carry you around, and reach for her when you see her. It's precious to see your admiration of and love for her.
We love you so much, Nolan Sean. Happy 1st birthday!!!
Our little monkey-moo, little man, biggie smalls, peekie-poo, boogie, diggie.
You turned one year old.
You no longer look like an infant. You barely have any baby left.
You crawl faster than we can run after you.
Your giggle is infectious.
You are quiet, observant, intelligent, sneaky, ticklish, patient, gentle, loving, wiggly, curious, and empathetic. You aren't easily startled by barking dogs, the trash trucks, or firecrackers but the cherry pitter, daddy's sneezes, and other people crying really upset you and make you cry! While you can be stingy with your smiles for strangers and can be cautious when others try to hold you, you don't cling to us and have let our friends & family snuggle you on several occasions.
You love feeding yourself, banging on your piano, playing peek-a-boo, chasing the cat, doing "the airplane", having raspberries blown on your tummy, bath time, turning the pages of books, pointing, pushing buttons on the remote and Wii controller, shaking pill bottles, twirling my hair while you are nursing, the fan blowing air in your face, people-watching, opening & closing doors and cabinets, being swung at the park, and swimming. You love when I play "This Little Piggy" on your toes and you put your finger into our mouths to check out our teeth. You love your jumperoo and exersaucer but are happiest when free to crawl around from toy to toy and cruise along the furniture. You love being pushed around the block in your buggy and being worn in the Baby Bjorn so you can face the world head-on. You are babbling, rolling your tongue, blowing raspberries, smacking your lips, and mimicking a lot of the sounds we make at you. You haven't identified someone or something with words just yet but you do respond to people and your favorite toys with an eager smile and reaching hand. You know your name and respond when called. When I sing "Shake, shake, shake shake your booty" you bend your knees and bounce up and down while standing. When sitting down and Emily or I say "Rock-a, rock-a, rock the boat" you will rock your body back and forth. If we wag our finger at you and say "No touching that!" you will stop what you are touching and crawl away.
You are waving "hi" and "bye" and just started clapping when we clap and say "yea!".
You have seven (7) teeth! The top four center teeth, the bottom two center teeth and the tooth just to your left of center. You are cutting your eighth tooth, the bottom tooth just to your right of center.
This month was a rough one for you as far as illness is concerned. You had croup first. Luckily, we knew exactly what it was, having survived it with Emily when she was only a year old, and were able to identify it and get you to your Pediatrician's office during office hours for a steroid shot and a prescription. Then, you had double ear infections with both ear drums having burst. You were up crying hysterically and nothing we offered comforted you for two nights and out of concern we took you to your Pediatrician and discovered your infection. Antibiotics and Motrin had you feeling better in 24 hours. What a champ you have been, handling so much discomfort. You are extra snuggly when you don't feel well, which we love, but your laugh and smile diminishes completely and you become almost silent, which we don't love. Emily would do (and did try!) anything to make you smile in hopes that you might feel better!
In your mental and emotional development, you are growing by leaps and bounds! You have discovered how to make music by shaking things and banging on things; you can manipulate most of your toys like how to play peek-a-boo with a toy on your exersaucer by pushing the top down to lock it in place and then, pushing the button to make the top pop back up; and you can turn on all of your toys and make them spin, flash, and play music because you know which buttons make those things happen.
You have; however, hit a plateau in your physical growth, holding steady at 18lbs 6oz (less than 10th%), 29" (25th%) and 43.5cm head circumference (25th%) but you are strong, steady, a great eater, and burning through calories with all your daily activities. You still ride in your infant car seat, but only while in the car, as you prefer to sit up like a big boy in your strollers. You stand on your own, completely unsupported but have yet to attempt to walk. And we are OK with that as you will be off running before we know it! :) You are still wearing all your size 9 month clothing and PJs and your 9-12mo socks and shoes. You are also still in a size 3 Pampers Swaddlers Diaper.
You will eat some pureed baby food. Sprout Organic Oatmeal with roasted apple sauce is your favorite for breakfast. You also love Plum baby organic Plum Berry & Barley, Sweet potato Mango & Millet, Spinach Peas & Pears, and Raspberries Spinach & Greek Yogurt.
Table food is really what you are after these days!
Your favorites are:
Fresh pears
Fresh blackberries
Cheddar cheese sticks
All flavors of yogurt
Virginia-style ham slices
Gluten-free, vegetarian flaxseed waffles
Quinoa macaroni 'n cheese
You also like and eat regularly:
Fresh blueberries, apple slices, and banana (cannot believe you are finally eating banana!)
Fresh, steamed peas
Boiled potatoes
Gluten-free blueberry muffins
Grilled cheese sandwiches
Rice cakes
You are always watching us while we are eating and we often give you bites off our plates. You had a bite of Emily's corn dog just yesterday and ending up eating half of it yourself! You seem to not enjoy the texture of steamed broccoli, roasted butternut squash (it use to be your favorite!) and spaghetti squash, rotisserie chicken and grilled chicken, rice, whole beans but we continue to offer everything we are eating to you, except citrus and honey at this point. I'm going to offer you hard-boiled egg and spaghetti sauce this month.
When you are hungry, you make a low-pitched whine and try to climb one of us, tugging at our clothes to be picked up. You eat slowly and methodically, reaching for food that has dropped into your lap and eating any food that has gathered in your bib. You don't care about having wet or messy hands or about food in your hair and can be a bit squirmy when we are trying to wipe you down and clean you up.
You are also drinking water successfully from a straw sippy cup at every meal. You can almost get the cup upright and positioned into your own mouth (it's quite heavy!). After your one year well-baby exam next week we may be introducing milk.
You are an excellent sleeper, putting yourself to sleep for two naps a day and at bedtime. The time of day isn't important to you, it's the intervals of time between naps that determines your day. You are still solidly following the 2-3-4 sleep schedule: AM nap after being awake for the day for 2 hours, PM nap after being awake from your AM nap for 3 hours, bedtime after being awake from your PM nap for 4 hours. We still follow our strict sleepy time routine: turn down lights, turn on sound machine and fan, change your diaper, sing to you one song, and set you in your crib with your Rhino Jellycat. You will often times jump up and down in your crib, giggling and babbling before settling down to sleep on your tummy with your knees drawn up under you. You don't move around at all for naps, waking up in the same place you fell asleep in. You often sleep 1.5-2.0 hours in the AM and 1.5-2.0 hours in the PM. You sleep through the night 11.5-13.0 hours every night.
Your typical daily routine:
7:30am - Wake up. Daddy gets you from your crib, changes you, and brings you downstairs for me to nurse you. Then, you have a few minutes of play time with Emily before I take her to school.
8:30am - Breakfast! Daddy sets you in your highchair in just a diaper and gives you 1-2 waffles (or a few mini muffins) and a whole banana. You often like to share a yogurt cup with him. After cleaning you up, which always includes wiping you down from head-to-toe and then getting you dressed for the day, it's play time.
9:30am-11:00am - Nap
12:30pm - Lunch! Most of the time it's daddy feeding you as I am either volunteering at Emily's school or running errands. We double bib you: cloth under a plastic catch-all bib and you go to town, feeding yourself happily. After another wipe down, it's play time.
2-3:30pm - Nap
3:30pm - Snack (fruit, cheese, Puffs) is usually given to you by me either outside in your exersaucer so Emily can play or in your stroller so Emily can be at an activity, at a play date with friends, or at swim lessons.
4:30pm - I nurse you for the final time of the day.
5:30pm - Dinner! I set you in your highchair in just your diaper and let you feed yourself for about an hour while I make dinner for Emily and help her with homework. We head straight to the bath tub once you are full.
6:30pm - Bath, lotion, PJs, play time and books
7:30pm - Bedtime
You hair no longer sticks straight up, as if you've put your finger in a light socket. It has gotten so long and is so thick, it lays down and it's pretty straight. It's almost hanging in your eyes so, it might be time for your first hair cut! Your finger nails and toenails grow so fast, I really need to trim them weekly and we have your eczema completely under control.
Emily continues to be your favorite person, drawing out your biggest belly laughs and toothiest grins; you chase after her, let her carry you around, and reach for her when you see her. It's precious to see your admiration of and love for her.
We love you so much, Nolan Sean. Happy 1st birthday!!!
Our little monkey-moo, little man, biggie smalls, peekie-poo, boogie, diggie.
Happy Birthday to Nolan! What a good little boy. He is adorable!
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