Dear Doster- 12 Months

Dear Doster,

Everyone warned me how quickly time would fly once you arrived.  I hate to say it, but they were right.  Each day I find myself holding our moments together very tightly!   I’m making a real effort to stay in the moment with you, and it is very rewarding.

You are such a cool customer.  You laugh, you point, you crawl, you wobble, you amaze me!

We had an amazing birthday party for you, but I think I will do a separate post on that one later.

Here’s just a little sneak preview.

I have never seen such an amazing, decisive, smash cake performance!

We also had some professional pictures of you taken too; I will download them soon and put them in a separate post as well. But I’ll go ahead and say—you are just too cute for words sometimes.  I can't resist, here is a sneak peak of that too:

Size:

 21 Pounds (24^th Percentile)

28.75 Inches (19^th Percentile)

Head Circumference – 46.5 cm (55^th Percentile)

Feeding:

No real changes until we hit your actual birthday.  I’m writing this a few weeks later, and there have been many changes since you turned one, including more finger foods and whole milk—which is all a new adventure for us. 

I’m not very confident or experimental in the kitchen, but luckily, you are pretty easy on me. 

Sleeping:

Guess what? We finally found our rhythm with naps.  You take TWO 2-hour naps at home (still a work in progress at school) and sleep about 11-12 hours each night.

Development:

 You are a pull-up machine.  You are a very fast crawler, and you love being chased. You are getting very good at your sign language.  Can I take a little brag moment?  At your 12-month doctor’s visit, I was giving you yogurt melts to keep you entertained while we talked to Dr. Painter.  You kept signing “more” and it was cracking him up.  We showed him some of your others, and he said he rarely sees a 12-month-old sign as well as you.  He even called in his staff to watch you. We were very proud! 

Things you can sign:

More (your favorite)

All Done

Milk

Please (sometimes)

You babble a lot, and sometimes it really sounds like you are saying things!   A few days ago, I swear I thought I heard you say “good job.”

Words you say well:

Dada

Mama

Ba (means book, ball, or Brighton)

Papa/Papa Pat (my dad)

RAR (your growl)

Personality:

You are so curious!  You love looking around and making choices.  You are also so sweet—you've mastered giving kisses.  You are so darn lovable; I can’t even get over it.

You like: tags, phones, Brighton, dancing, baths, puffs, pancakes, balls, books (turning pages is your favorite), Bear Bear, “getting people” (growling), peek-a-boo, seeing your family

You dislike: diaper changes, having your face wiped, having your paci taken away

You are such a wonderful blessing.  Every night before bed, your dad and I actually talk about how awesome you are, and how much we love being your parents.