John is 12 months old!

Likes: Pushing my Radio Flyer cart up and down the hallway, turning the pages of books (don't you dare touch that page), giving sloppy, open mouth kisses when asked, drinking anything from anyone's sippy cup (Mama has to keep a close eye on me at playgroup), taking all the books off the bookshelf, eating waffles, pancakes, applesauce, edamame, grilled cheese, sausage, green beans, and strawberries, dancing to music, walking with assistance from chairs, toys, adults, and bar stools, shaking my head when I'm all done eating, pulling all the toilet paper off of the roll, crawling through the tunnel at gym class, and holding Henry's hand in the car while we're driving (this one melts Mama's heart).

Dislikes: Being away from Mama (this one melts Mama's heart, too), having my clothes changed, and eating birthday cake or ice cream (just like my big brother at this age, but Mama is sure I'll like it later).

Growth: I weigh 23 lbs., 3 oz., and I am 31 inches tall.  This puts me in the 55th percentile for weight and the 85th percentile for height.  In my first year of life, I put on about 15 lbs., and I grew almost 10 inches!

Spring is here!

We enjoyed some beautiful Spring weather in Georgia last weekend. I think we hit a total of four parks in two days. This time of year makes me thankful that we live where we do.

Happy Birthday Nanna!

We celebrated Nanna's birthday last weekend. The boys were jumping up and down at the back door when Nanna and Pa pulled in the driveway. We celebrated with her very favorite - coconut cake. Henry celebrated with his very favorite - a special owl cupcake that he picked out. He enjoyed it (shirtless, of course) until all the frosting was gone.

The next night, Nanna and Pa took Henry out for an early dinner. They also let him pick out a pair of sunglasses for our upcoming beach trip. (I think the glasses make him look about thirty years old.) Later that night, we gave Nanna her birthday gift: a night of babysitting the boys. Yes, that is just what she wanted! We enjoyed dressing up, eating steak, and drinking cocktails while the boys enjoyed playing with Nanna and Pa, eating a buffet of snacks, and staying up late. It was that rare win-win-win of a night.

John is 11 months old!

Likes: Eating large quantities of food (my favorites include bananas, hummus, clementines, edamame, blueberries, goldfish crackers, pasta with red sauce and meatballs), holding onto Mama's hands to "walk" around the house, playing peek-a-boo with a blanket, reading books about Elmo or farm animals, drinking cold cow's milk from a sippy cup (I'm officially bottle free!), clapping my hands when someone shouts "yay!", doing the downward dog yoga pose, cruising along furniture, throwing my paci's out of the crib (Mama puts three in there at bedtime and they're all gone by morning), and shaking the maracas at music class.

Dislikes: Napping while teething (I got four new teeth in the past three weeks, so I'm exhausted), eating fish, rice, beans, or burgers, and having to wait even thirty seconds for a meal (I want to eat and I want to eat now!).

Growth: I weigh 23 lbs., 1 oz., and I am 30 1/2 inches tall. This puts me in the 60th percentile for weight and the 90th percentile for height.  I had a huge growth spurt this month (almost 3 pounds in one month!) and it shows.  All that eating wasn't for nothing.

Shout out to Big Boy!

John loves to eat.  He cleans his own plate, and then cleans his brother's.  And he is about to have three more teeth at his disposal.  Bring on the ribeye.

Be Mine

We had a lovely Valentine's Day. This morning the boys made homemade Valentine's for Daddy. Most of the paint found it's way to the paper; some found it's way to John's feet (and tinted them pink for the rest of the day). We had dinner at the same place we have had dinner for the last ten Valentine's Days: Cracker Barrel. It was John's first visit. That boy loves him some biscuits. After dinner, per Henry's request, we ate cupcakes with candles and sang "Happy Valentine's Day" (to the tune of 'Happy Birthday') to yours truly. I told Henry that Valentine's Day is all about love. When I asked Henry whom he loved, he thought quietly for a minute. Then he exclaimed, "I love bandaids, Mama!". And what child doesn't?









 

And just for fun, here is a look back:

Letters and Sounds

Henry knows all his letter sounds. He can even sound out some simple words. We are proud parents.

He also knows some other sounds. Daddy is very proud.