ONE year old!

Dear Everett,
You’re ONE YEAR OLD! This is what you've been up to:

Talking/Jabbering/Communicating
You’ve been making new sounds and communicating lots this month.
You point and jibber jabber
You make sounds like Doh-Doh, Row ("r" sounds; especially to sing roll ‘em, up, roll ‘em up in the pat-a-cake song), and making the "muah" sounds for your sweet kisses.
You say the words, “Mama” and “No” really well. Funny thing is, we try to not to overuse the word "No", unless it’s really bad or dangerous for you. Instead you hear and know the words, "hands off".
When we ask you, "where’s Mommy’s nose?" you smash Mommy’s nose.
When we ask you, "where’s Mommy’s hair?" You rub Mommy’s head.

Music/Videos
You really enjoy listening and playing music. You light up when we sing songs like, If you’re happy and you know it, Head shoulders, knees and toes, and you still love to sing, Pat-a-cake and Itsy bitsy spider
Your favorite DVD’s right now are Blues Clue’s, Alphabet Power and Bear in the Big, Blue House.

Crawling / Climbing / Walking
You’re definitely past crawling now. You prefer walking and when you fall, you stand right back up, and most times, it’s without help from furniture or walls. You’ve gotten really good at climbing; specifically in and out of your new ball pit.

Sleep
Bedtime is 8:30 p.m. You wake up around 5:00 a.m. for a bottle and diaper change; then wake up for the day around 8:00 a.m.

Naps
Nap times are around 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. and are typically one-two hours each.

Playtime
You have so many favorite toys right now. You especially enjoy playing with your wooden hammer, phone receiver, push car and throwing/rolling balls. All of these things were given to you for your first birthday. You're a bit mischievous too...and some might call it down right, manipulative. :) Recently, you started throwing a favorite toy over a baby gate in hopes that you might convince one of us you need out from behind the gate, to retrieve your prized possession.

Teething
No new teeth this month. You still have 2 up top and 4 on bottom. I suspect you will have a new tooth or two, very soon as it seems your gums are bothering you again.

Personality
We forgot to report that last month, you would get a bit distraught with new faces and voices. In fact, if a stranger said “hi” or started talking to you, you would be very upset and even cry. I’m happy to report you are past that stage.
You are so very sweet and love giving hugs to loved ones. You like to snuggle and wrestle.

Meals
You really enjoy meal times and like trying new foods. Some of your fav’s: watermelon, pineapple, guacamole, Spanish rice
a sample of what your meals are like:
Breakfast – piece of toast, scrambled egg or cheerios and banana
Lunch – peas, green beans or corn, plus something else like sliced cheese, and a fruit
Snack - Graham cracker, veggie puffs, fruit or vegetable.
Dinner – more veggies, black beans, crackers and a Gerber cookie for dessert.
You enjoy feeding yourself and also like using a fork.

Physical
At our 12 month doctor’s appointment, you weighed 23 pounds, 3 oz. and 31.5” in length.
You wear 18 month clothes (except your waist is still a 12 month), wear a size 4 diaper and size 4 (almost 5) shoe.
Your hair is a reddish-brown and needs cutting. We’ve been debating it for some time now and are thinking we may need to make your first hair appointment this month. Though your curls are adorable, they are a little unruly sometimes and you are in the stage of sharing your meals with your hair. It will be very sad to see your beautiful locks cut off.

Happy Birthday darling boy, we love you completely.