14 Months

Hello, little boy! Poor kid had a cold when I took these pictures, but he's been pretty tough despite the runny nose and cough that just won't quite go away. You can also see the little red line on his cheek from where he scratched himself several weeks ago. I'm hoping it will fade eventually, but I can't help but worry it's going to scar that perfect little face (that's the crazy talking). And he also needed a haircut ;) Oh well! I wish I could say I look this cute when I'm sick and tired and in need of a fresh new 'do! At 14 months, JJ...

-Is obsessed with Colt's bellybutton. It's weird. And cute. It's weirdly cute? Also, hilarious. -Signed "more" for the first time! Of course, it's because he wanted more of the Milka chocolate bar he was enjoying for dessert, and not more snugs from mama, but it was still pretty awesome.
-Is starting to point at the different pictures in his books, especially if I do it first.
-Peek-a-boo's like a pro-behind corners, in the mirror, and my personal favorite, by placing a hand over one eye while watching his peek-a-boo buddy with the other, then pulling his hand away to reveal both eyes and a huge grin. 
-Loves to ride his little Power Wheels Quad around the apartment all by himself.
-Can throw a pretty hairy tantrum when he doesn't get to do what he wants to do. I guess I have a toddler, now.
-Is enjoying the fine art of testing his boundaries. Jace loves to tease us. He knows he isn't supposed to do certain things, like drop his food on the floor, or pull the DVDs off their shelf. So, for instance, he'll grab a piece of food, dangle it over the side of his tray, and stare at me until I notice what he's up to. As soon as I say, "No, we don't throw our food," he smiles and shoves the food into his mouth. Or, he'll walk over to the DVDs and touch all the cases, looking deviously over his shoulder at Colt or myself the entire time, observing our reactions. He likes to toe the line, this one.
-During Nemo, there is a scene where the fish yell "Darla!" when the crazy little girl comes to see her uncle, The Dentist. Whenever this scene rolls around, Jace shouts along, too. "Dah-ya! Dah-ya!"
-Loves the Merry-Go-Round at the playground. He screamed when I tried to take him off. I predict his favorite ride at Disneyland will be the Teacups.
-Sticks tongue out at me when I stick my tongue out at him.
-Goes into a room and shuts the door behind him, then gets upset and bangs on it when he realizes he's locked himself inside. 
-Likes to put his head on my chest while I sing to him before bed.
-Waves at Daddy, at me, and at himself when I put my phone camera on "selfie" mode.
-Loves to watch the airplanes land at the local airfield.
-Is in a major snuggy phase. He needs some time to wake up after naps, so he just sits on my lap, drinks his milk, and holds my hand while he watches Daniel Tiger or Nemo. I can't get enough. Someone please tell me he'll still love to snuggle like this for at least 20 a few more years?
-Loves the big yard at the new house! I think I'm going to have a very muddy little boy on my hands from here on out.

13 Months

Oh, my little funny man. You keep me so busy. The days of plopping you down on my bed and snapping a few cute pictures are long gone. You are always in motion, a blur, swiping at any piece of technology in site.

I hope you don't miss your bottle too much, because we have yet to find it since you hid it from your father and I a few days ago. However, I did eventually locate the package of wipes you concealed after pulling out half the pack and discarding them in the corner of the living room. 

You're starting to understand function of objects, which explains why you like to take the toothbrush you've designated as a chew toy/all-purpose cleaning tool and pretend to brush my teeth. Mmm...delicious. 

You love dogs, dirt, being outside (you cry when I bring you inside), cars, your soft monkey and fuzzy blanket from Great-Grandma C, being chased and tickled, wagon rides, pulling the laundry out of the hamper and putting it back in, reading books in your car seat, standing on tippy-toes to dig around in drawers you're too short to peek into, stacking anything you can find (blocks, cans of Diet Dr. Pepper, bark-dust chips, etc), your best friend Henry, taking things apart and putting them back together, birds, watching the airplanes land and take-off, your truck book, "helping" me while I'm in the kitchen by removing every piece of tupperware from the cabinet drawers and shoving the lids under the oven, and walking/crawling up all three flights of stairs to our apartment by yourself. See? You really are a busy bee, and I love it.

Your favorite foods include homemade brownies with icing, raspberries and greek yogurt, anything with green chiles, raisins, chocolate milk and Ovaltine, green beans with garlic salt and cheese, chicken, green smoothies, eggs and toast, cheese-sticks, and applesauce. When you really like something, you say "Mmmm!" and I laugh, because I have obviously birthed the funniest 13 month old in existence.

Your latest words include Mama and Dada, yeah, done, cool, wee (when going down the slide or on a wagon ride), and dog (which sounds the same as your word for "done").

You have a liking for mischief and small acts of naughtiness that I never had. You know exactly what "no" means, and you completely understand when you're doing something you're not supposed to do...so you wait until I'm looking, give me the sauciest expression, and do it anyways! I'm not exactly sure how to handle such defiance, but I'm doing my best to be consistent and establish boundaries (whatever that means with a 13 month old). I know it's important to teach you respect, to listen and obey, but I also don't want to stomp this spunkiness out of you; it can be exasperating, but I love your nerve. 

Yesterday, you wore your very first hole in the knee of a pair of jeans while playing outside, and your dad and I giggled and gloated over it after we tucked you into bed. Sometimes we miss our baby, but we love watching you become a little boy.

You're at such a fun age. We sure love you, munchkie. Thanks for making us laugh.

P.S. Please stop biting me. 

The Best Thing I've Ever Made

Pretty good, right?

Update Shmupdate

Don't worry, I was sitting at a stoplight. And JJ wasn't in the car. So it's fine, right?

-I chopped five inches off my hair. I haven't had more than a trim since 2011, so it's like an inch for every year!

-I deleted Facebook...

-And joined Goodreads instead! I need more beautiful and substantial books in my life that are not of the social media variety. I'm so excited because I finally have a place to consolidate all the books on my "Want To-Read" list. First up: "In the Time of the Butterflies," by Julia Alvarez.

-We've finally been getting a little more sun, and it's starting to warm up the tiniest bit, so we are spending as much time outside as possible.

End shmupdate.

For My Valentines

This year for Valentine's Day, I made a little video for Colt, Jace, and the grandparents. I can't believe how much has changed, and how quickly time is going. It's definitely been a year full of love (and poopy diapers).

♥

Jace's 1st Birthday Party

1 Year

He's one. It really happened! Even though I swear it was only about four days ago I was in the hospital recovering from 27 hours of labor, snuggling an 8 lb 1 oz babe with long skinny legs and wavy strawberry blonde hair. This has been the fastest year of my life. It's finally hitting home just how quickly parenthood is going to go. Part of me is so excited for Jace to grow up and go to preschool, then kindergarten, and learn how to swim and ride a bike. But another piece of me is a little panicked at how quickly he's is changing...Wait, baby! Slow down a little! Stay my tiny for just a bit longer.

We kept today's celebrations pretty low-key, because we are having a small birthday party on Saturday (like, really small. Us, my parents, and the Pollard's. But there will be cake, presents, and Mickey Mouse napkins, thus I'm calling it a party). So today, we woke up and had our traditional hagelslag for breakfast. We met up with Colt at our favorite burger place for a birthday lunch, then went shopping to pick up a few small items for his birthday bash this weekend. We fielded multiple Happy Birthday texts from adoring grandparents, aunties, and cousins, and when C got home from work, he took JJ to play at his favorite rainy day spot (the indoor play area at the mall, HA! That's a Pacific Northwest childhood for you). I cooked up birthday chicken enchiladas for my little green chile-loving gordito, and then we opened a few presents from Grammy (thanks again, Terri). We wrapped up the day by sticking a single blue candle into a huge carrot cupcake, singing Happy Birthday, and letting him go to town. At first, he just picked delicately at the icing, but after a few minutes, he figured out what was going on and seized the opportunity, proving he really is my son by stuffing his face with cream cheese frosting. 

At 1 year, Jace....

-Is walking/running. He took his first steps on January 13th, 2016 (at 3:20 pm), and he's just getting better and faster everyday.

-Loves to play "cheers." We have a green smoothie together every afternoon, and when I say "cheers!" he clinks his cup with my glass and takes a drink. 

-Claps his hands together by himself when we sing "Patty Cake".

-Loves his books, his walker, his basketball, and his wooden puzzle. He's especially adept with his walker; he does laps around the apartment, maneuvers around obstacles, and when he runs into something and gets stuck, he picks the walker up and moves it, inch by inch, until he's free and clear. It's so funny to watch him problem solve. 

-Has six teeth.

-Loves to "read." He crawls over to his books, picks one off the shelf, flips through the pages one at a time, tosses it aside, grabs another story, and repeats the process. It makes my heart swell with joy when I see his little head bowed over a book. 

-Is SO busy. He's constantly moving, always exploring, pulling things out of his cabinet in the kitchen, trying to get into the bathroom or his bedroom to tip over the humidifier, banging on the washing machine, following me as I vacuum, and playing in the dishwasher as I load/unload. I secretly love it, but I know he's only going to get busier (and faster).

-Says "Yeah!" when you ask him a yes/no question, but it's not intentional. It is quite cute, however. He also says "Mmmm" when he's eating something yummy, and says "Mama" and "Dada" all the time, but not purposefully. No words yet, but...

-I can tell his receptive language has really taken off. He knows "Go get the ball," "I'm gonna tickle you," "I'm gonna get you," and "Come here." He knows several other words (mama, dada, smoothie, num nums, Grammy/Grampy, Mimi/Papa Todd, books...). He's getting smart.

-Was weaned this last weekend, and now drinks whole milk instead, like a toddler...*sniff*

-Goes to his friend Henry's house to play while I go to work as an SLP at a local preschool one day a week. They're the cutest friends.

Fastest year of my life. Does it slow down from here, or are the next 17 years going to blink by just as quick?