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?

Eleven Months!

I know I post a lot of pictures of Jace that look pretty much the same...but I can't help it. I just think he's adorable, and I don't have anywhere else to put all of these extra shots! So they come live here, on the blog. 

Jace turned 11 months on December 26th, but we were pretty busy over the holidays and I never got a chance to sit down write his little update, or take his picture (these photos are from our trip to Leavenworth a week before Christmas). So this is a little late, and in just a couple more weeks, I'll be writing about his first birthday.

What.The.

How do I almost have a one-year-old??

At eleven months, Jace...

-Has five teeth, with number six on the way. He actually cut his fifth tooth while we were at my parent's house, so now he's had a tooth come through while visiting each of his grandparents. Impeccable timing, kiddo.

-Is becoming a great imitator. When we say certain words or phrases, he tries to copy the vowels and consonants, and his sounds and intonation patterns come super close to ours. His favorites are: "Where dada go?," "Hey Jace!" and "kitty cat" (he loved the cats at Mimi and Papa Todd's; whenever he saw Riley or Bella he would stop whatever he was doing and say "Oooooooh!").

-Is so persistent. I love watching him problem solve. He attempts a skill over and over and over again (like placing his food in the lid of his training cup. Why?) until he is successful, or something more interesting catches his attention. When he loses a toy under the couch or chair, he reaches his arm in there and adjusts his body angle until he retrieves it. I actually really admire that trait; I tend to get frustrated quickly and give up when I can't figure something out right away. That patient persistence is Colton all over.

-Says "doe-di doe-di doe-di" over and over again. No meaning, just fun to say I suppose.

-Is EVERYWHERE at church. It's hard!

-Loves to "help" me in the kitchen by emptying out the tupperware/bottle cupboard. 

-Just started exhibiting some separation anxiety. Not going to lie, I was a little worried. He'd go to anyone, without a second glance at me, and I was a liiiittle concerned that there was an attachment issue (thanks, Google). But now, even though he is still super friendly and loves to smile and interact with everyone, he definitely likes to stay close to mama. 

-Crawls like Grammy says Colton did as a baby: he puts his head down like he's going to ram something, and plows forward at full speed. 

-Stands up by himself for several seconds at a time, cruises around the furniture like it ain't no thang, and loves to walk around while holding our hands. I don't think we're too far away from having another biped around here.

-Has become extremely picky. No more vegetables for this guy, unless it's in a green smoothie. Even most fruits he won't touch anymore. Sigh. He does, however, play with all of his food-he shakes it, places it carefully on his head or in his cup, and drops it down the back of his shirt. So, you know. At least he's touching his vegetables.

-Gives me big, sloppy, open mouth kisses over and over again. I love it.

-Enjoys grabbing my hands and clapping them together. I guess he's bored of making his own hands clap. 

-Inconsistently waves hello. He doesn't do it all the time, and I don't think he understands what it means, but give him a break. He's only eleven months old.

-Loved getting up early with mama during Christmastime and turning the lights on the Christmas tree. He smiled and smiled up at the tree and we just sat together in the dim living room, enjoying the twinkly lights. It was my favorite part of the holiday season.

-Plays independently for longer periods of time, which is nice. He LOVES to drive his cars around the living room (he loves anything with wheels, including other people's strollers, toys, and wheelchairs). He purposefully rolls his little basketball out in front of him and chases it down.

-Quit the binky cold turkey. He refused it once he started teething. Sometimes, I miss the bink, particularly when he's screaming in the car.

-Still loves the blender, hair dryer, and the vacuum.

-Laughs and laughs when I fake sneeze

-Loves to stroke my hair softly...for a minute. Then his sticky baby paws enclose my strands in an iron fist as he yanks them mercilessly out of my head.

I used to believe I was a patient person. Now, however, I know that I was simply a well-rested person. I'm learning that I don't do well on very little sleep, and I'm a completely different mama after a peaceful night's rest. This boy keeps us on our toes, but I wouldn't have it any other way. That's what boys do, right? He's too much fun, and his little gap-toothed smile and playful spirit bring us so much joy. We love our little J-man.