12 months - The Big ONE!

12 months

To Olen Ray,

 12 months old! How can this be? Has it really been a year since you were born, since you came into this world, since we held you for the first time, since you looked at us with those beautiful blue eyes, since you showed us the true meaning of unconditional love? My heart tells me it hasn’t been that long, those moments were just yesterday, but the calendar tells a different story.

Speaking of story, you write you own little chapter every day in the “Life of Olen Ray.” You have continued to become quite the comedian with your number one goal being to get the attention of others, if they laugh or smile at you, all the better. When we go somewhere (like a store or restaurant) and someone doesn’t smile at you, let the games begin! You continue to look at that person and smile in every way possible until they acknowledge you and accept that smiling at a baby (well big boy now) really will make their day brighter and heart happier.

Daddy is home! Yeah, the crazy work schedule has ended and he gets home most evenings around 6:30. We still meet him at the end of the driveway for a short ride before dinner. It is so nice to be able to eat dinner as a family and for daddy to help mommy with bath and evening routines. I love every moment with you doodle bug, but it is nice to get the dishes done and my email checked before 9:00 at night :-) When I tell you it is time to go meet “dada”, you grab some shoes (any shoes - mine, yours, daddy’s) and head for the front door. It is so great to see you excited about your dad. You love him SO MUCH! The feeling is mutual, because he would give you the world if you asked.

Speaking of heading for the door, you are walking. About two days before your first birthday, you started taking 3-4 steps without falling down. About 1/2 through your 12th month, you gave up crawling for movement on your chunky legs. When you fall down (which happens a lot), you push that bottom up in the air, put those hands on the floor, grunt a little, stand up, and off you go!

At your 12 month check up your weighed in at 26 lbs and height looks about 29 inches. I have the percentages somewhere and will add them if I remember. Dr. Thomas says everything looks great and you are super healthy!

You still LOVE to eat. It is great to enjoy meals with you as you eat anything we do. You have even started to want things in large pieces or “sticks” (like french toast or sandwiches) so you can practice your biting skills. So far, the biting is still only with food at the table. You still drink from a straw cup and refuse milk. I get it in you with frozen popsicles and smoothies. Although I am starting to think it might hurt your belly-belly a bit. The last few nights you have had smoothies before bed, have ended up being rough evenings. You cry and cry as I rock you until falling asleep. We are going to hold off on evening smoothies for a bit I think. Still nursing four times a day and that just makes me smile. It is such a special time we have together each day and I am not ready to give it up. Plus the fact that you don’t like milk gives me an excuse to continue a bit longer.

You had your first hair cut this month.  No more wispy curls behind the ears. I have some pictures and a really funny video of the whole process :-)

Let’s see, we have baby chicks now and you really enjoy checking on them. You run to their box and dance up and dance while watching them peep and play. If we head outside, you head straight for the chicken coop to check for an egg. It is so cute to watch you open the box and get excited to find one inside. Your play skills continue to amaze me each day. I can’t remember which ones I documented for last month but you can turn pages (and open) a book, throw a ball, kick a ball, scoop dirt, climb the ladder on your slide, put a puzzle together with help of course, and you love to carry around heavy/big items.

Your speech leveled off a bit as you perfected walking. You have a few new words though: neigh-neigh (horse), baa-baa (sheep), k-k-k (cookie), baba (bottle), ne (no), and hey. The others are still in the mix though, especially dada and mama. The stroller is not your friend anymore so I toss you up for a back carry when we are just going for a short walk. It is much easier to keep you happy that way. We all know the goal for a mommy is a happy baby!

Ok doodle, I think those are the big things for this month. I will get a post up of your party pictures soon. We love you. We love you. We love you. Every time I look at you my love for you just grows by leaps and bounds. Stay sweet and keep giving love to all you meet. Keep making, well insisting, other people smile. It truly does make the day a a little brighter. 

 
Love, Mama and Dada