12 Months = 1 Year!

December 10, 2013

12 Months = 1 Year!

It's hard to believe, but today is James's birthday! My sweet Chubby Cheeks has grown and changed so much over the past year. Our lives are so much better because of this precious blessing-

He has changed a lot in the past month. Here's what he is doing that's new-

-He is rolling over! I know that this is a milestone that most 6 month old kids have mastered, but James was a little rolly-polly at that point and didn't care to move much until recently. He started tolerating time on his belly much better and now he rolls from his belly to back all the time. He occasionally rolls from his back to belly, but not too often.

-He is a scooter! He can't crawl. Sometimes he tries, but he just doesn't get it. But this boy has learned how to scoot across a room. He is very proficient on the wood floor or tile and he's pretty good on rugs or carpet too. He is enjoying his new independence and it's fun to watch him explore on his own. I love watching him scoot around in the kitchen and letting him get under my feet. It's fun to have his company in there.

-He still can't sit up on his own, so if I leave him on his belly, he just turns in circles on his belly or scoots backwards.

-If I sit him up and he's near something tall and sturdy, he will use it to pull himself up. He gets very excited when I sit him up in his crib and he pulls up on the crib. He can cruse along his crib or a toy when he's standing, but he's still not very sturdy when he does this. I have to watch him or he'll fall over.

-He's still napping two times a day for about 1 1/2 hours for each nap.

-He has had some big time eating changes! He eats yogurt, Puffs, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries every time they are offered to him. He also eats peas, black beans, rice, or beef on occasion. We basically give him whatever we're eating and then we add some berries. It's fun to see him actually eat solids. I would say that he eats about 10% solids and 90% breast milk.

-He's obviously still nursing. My goal was to follow the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for breastfeeding. Their recommendation is "Exclusive breastfeeding for about the first six months of a baby's life, followed by breastfeeding in combination with the introduction of complementary foods until at least 12 months of age, and continuation of breastfeeding for as long as mutually desired by mother and baby" (see more here). I am so glad that I met my goal of breastfeeding him for at least a year! There were struggles in the beginning, but with supportive friends, family, pediatrician, and lactation consultants, we were able to overcome them and I'm so very thankful. At this point, I plan to nurse him until he's ready to wean.

-We are incredibly thankful for a very healthy first year with James. Other than the 24-hour stomach bug and a runny nose a couple of days, he has not been sick. We are so so glad.

-James is full of personality and smiles at friends and strangers alike. He is such a sweet boy.

-I'm pretty sure he said "Mama" for the first time in context today. He has made that sound for several months now, but today when I picked him up from MOPS (a 2 hour program that meets biweekly for moms with kids birth-preschool where the moms have some mom time and there is great childcare), he scooted over to me and when he threw himself on my lap, he started saying Mama in an excited tone. It melted my heart. My birthday boy gave me a great gift!

Since we already celebrated his birthday on Saturday in his Winter ONEderland, we just had a relaxing afternoon and I got to take several pictures of him doing his thing around the house-