jc at twenty-one months

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here we are again! another month closer to two. i don't even want to think about it. i can't believe my little guy is approaching this birthday so fast. it's been easy to distract myself with our impending home purchase and wedding, but it's coming no matter what. i guess i better get to pinning some second birthday ideas, eh?

this month has been SO much better in toddlerland. the tantrums have been to a minimum and happy-go-lucky jc has been in full effect. i know the grumpy, grouchy jc usually comes around when he's sick or teething and he's been very healthy all month. but that still means NO NEW TEETH! i swear, i'm going to have to get dentures for this kid. no molars yet. no canines yet. i'm not sure if i should be worried about this or not. i can definitely feel them under his gums (at the risk of getting bit) but there are no signs of them cutting through yet.




another reason that i've been a little concerned with his teeth is jc's speech, or lack thereof. again, i don't know if i'm just being a worry wart first time mom but i feel like jc should be talking more. and charles who is usually mr. cool-doesn't-worry-about-anything has expressed the same concern. i wonder if his lack of teeth may be limiting sounds he can make? and therefore, words he can say? i don't know. i tried really hard to compile a list of all the words jc can say and i got about 40-45 words. he's put two words together a couple times, usually "bye bye daddy" or "bye bye puppy". i guess it's a fair amount of words but he just doesn't say them very frequently. i guess i kinda thought he would take to talking the same way he took to walking. once you start, you keep going and get better at it and do it all the time. but he seems to learn a couple new words every couple weeks but then he won't use them consistently. i'll ask him to say a word that i know he can say and he will refuse. get mad even. i don't know if this is just being a toddler, testing his limits and whatnot but it is SO frustrating. i've been trying to play dumb more often to make him actually say what he wants instead of just pointing and grunting but he will get SO frustrated with me. if i push it too much, it turns into a full on tantrum. so if anyone's got any pointers or can assure me that this is normal or even tell me that it isn't so i don't feel crazy, i would love any and all of it!

jc has also been exhibiting a sort of split personality at times. sometimes it seems like his separation anxiety that i thought was a thing of the past is in full swing. other times, he is happy and friendly with people we just met. i think that if he thinks we are leaving (even if we aren't), that's when the separation anxiety kicks in. if he's pretty confident that, yes we are in a new place with new people but my parents are staying here with me, he is super happy and friendly. he will offer you the toy he is playing with and fist bumps if he really likes you. kisses and hugs if he loves you.

some of his favorites this month include the books Good Night California and anything elmo related, CHEESEBURGERS (all caps is necessary because this is the kid who wouldn't eat meat at all), park trips, turning anything into a drum, and just hanging out in his little tikes cozy coupe.




here are some 21 month milestones via babycenter. again, jc was born almost two months premature but i'm going to compare his stats to his actual age anyway. because that's how i roll.

mastered skills (most kids can do):

can walk up stairs - yes, as long as he can hold onto something. he definitely prefers to try to walk up them rather than crawl.

able to set simple goals (e.g. deciding to put a toy in a certain place) - yes. in fact, he spends most of the day trying to place a menagerie of toys in mr. potato head's butt (if your kid has a mr. potato head, you know what i'm talking about). and it's only certain toys and if they fall out, god help us all.

emerging skills (half of kids can do):

throws a ball overhand - yes, all day everyday

kicks ball forward - yes, all day everyday

stacks six blocks - it might be cheating because we don't have regular blocks, just mega blocks that connect together but i've seen him stack at least ten blocks

advanced skills (a few kids can do):

names simple pictures in a book - this is one of his favorite things to do

can walk down stairs - same as with walking up stairs. it's not perfect but if he can hold onto something, he will prefer to walk down rather than climb down.

jc at twenty months

check out previous monthly posts here

so cue the mommy guilt but i totally skipped out on jc's nineteen month post. i don't know what happened but before i knew it, it was the end of january and his twenty month birthday was like five days away. so i told myself that i would make it a priority to do his twenty month post right away, on time even, but then that didn't happen either. so here we are, nine days after his twenty month birthday. so jc, if you ever read this, mommy loved you just as much during your nineteenth month of life as ever.

sorry for the lame iphone picture but this has been what is holding up this post. jc is still sick and now i'm sick so an iphone picture is what we are going to have to work with!

speaking of being sick, it has been a pretty rough couple of weeks around these parts. jc had a low fever for a few days with no other symptoms but he was MISERABLE. he finally got over it for a couple days and then BAM he got a cold. so we've been nursing this cold for the past few days and it finally seems like we are on the other side of the hill. but now i'm sick so we're a bunch of mouth breathers over here. you think that having your kid at home and not in daycare will help keep them healthy but i swear someone sneezes across the aisle at target and jc is sick.

minus the sickness, jc has been turning into the most rambunctious little toddler. i really can't believe that he will be two in less than four months. it is boggling my mind. he loves to get into everything and is constantly doing something. he's been doing so much better with the other little boy that i watch twice a week. they are doing a very good job of sharing (germs especially) and respecting each other's space which is so much more than you can ask for with a 20 month old and a 14 month old. there is still the occasional fight over a toy but for the most part, they play very well together.

one big leap we've experienced is jc's use of the word "no". while this can be a very frustrating time with him saying "no" to EVERYTHING but it actually helps when i offer him choices, especially at meal times. lately it's been horrible because apparently sick jc simultaneously wants nothing and everything. but under normal circumstances, this word can be very useful. i'm still waiting for this "burst of language" that's supposed to happen around this time. i know it will help a lot with jc's frustrations if he can actually tell me what he wants. it will help with my frustrations too.

right now jc likes garbage trucks, dogs (cats are still his favorite though), pretending to crash his matchbox cars together and trying to put on mommy and daddy's shoes. his favorite books right now are the very hungry caterpillar and a yo gabba gabba book called "it's nice to be nice". his favorite foods are yogurt, cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, fruit snacks and crackers. sleep schedule is still the same, one nap in the middle of the day that lasts about 2-3 hours. we still only have eight teeth. no canines or molars. i was actually really hoping that these illnesses were signs of teething but no such luck. i've been risking my poor fingers everyday checking to see if there's any new chompers in there with no avail.

i saw this idea over at suzanne's blog so i'm going to copy it because that's how i roll. sometimes i feel stuck trying to write about new things jc is doing every month because i forget about all the little things. i'm going to compare jc to the twenty month milestones even though he was almost two months premature. so here are some twenty month milestones according to babycenter and how jc is stacking up:

mastered skills (most kids can do)

Feeds doll - jc LOVES to feed his teddy bear and other lucky stuffed animals

Takes off own clothes - he can take his zipped up jacket off and his socks off. and his pants have magically been off a couple times after his nap.

Dumps an object in imitation, such as throwing garbage away - he likes to put garbage in the garbage can, if that's what this means. i even gave him an empty fruit snack box to play with the other day and he took it straight to the recycling can. al gore would be so proud.

emerging skills (half of kids can do)

Learns words at a rate of ten or more a day - when it comes to understanding them, this is probably true but saying them out loud? definitely not.

Can walk up stairs (but probably not down) - he walked (not crawled) up one step at our friend's house the other day all by himself. stairS, i'm not so sure.

advanced skills (a few kids can do)

May start exploring genitals - bahahahahaha i guess you could say jc is baby genius in this area heh

Draws a straight line - not on purpose

Names several body parts - he can say "nose" but cannot say any other words that identify body parts. but if you ask him he can point to his hair, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, tongue, arm, elbow, hand, fingers, belly, booty, weiner (we are real scientific over here), thighs, legs, knee, foot and toes.

jc at eighteen months

{check out previous monthly updates here}

eeep, this post is a little late. time is just going so fast! i can't believe that we are halfway through jc's second year and well on our way to turning TWO. i don't even want to think about it. i don't want to rush it. this time with jc right now is so awesome and i don't want to miss a thing. ok i might have just sung that in my head like aerosmith but that's beside the point. point is, STOP GROWING JC! STAY LITTLE FOREVER! /crazy mom rant




this is how most pictures of jc are these days. blurry. and he's well aware of the camera. either he's running towards it to play with buttons or he's hamming it up big time. and that's pretty much how he is when there isn't a camera around either. he's usually a little shy at first around new people, which i think is pretty common for most people. but once he warms up, he loves to be the center of attention.

i was sitting here trying to count all the words he can say this month but it's really hard to keep track at this point. he is constantly babbling and saying things that sound like actual "words" but are kinda hard to pinpoint. he can say a lot of words that start with the letter b, but they all sound very similar. i usually know what he is saying, mostly due to the context of the situation, but i don't think other people know that he's even trying to say anything. but there are several words that he says very clearly. he's also started imitating the dog and the cat. which is pretty much the cutest thing ever. what is really astounding to me is how much he understands. he's always listening, even when you think he's completely occupied in something else.




he is a very curious little boy. even at our own home that we spend most of everyday in, he discovers new things. and points out where i'm lacking in the baby proofing department. although, i'm becoming aware that it is almost impossible to complete toddler proof a home. he does really well while running errands (except for the fact that he expects me to hold a bowl of cheerios or goldfish the entire time we are at target so he can snack at his leisure) because he gets to look around and see new people. he wants to hold and inspect everything before it goes into the cart.

he's getting better at sharing and playing with other kids. i babysit my good friend's 1 year old son, damian, twice a week and it was becoming a little problematic between the two of them for a minute there. jc didn't want to share and this would result in yelling, hair pulling and biting. no bueno. just stressful for everyone involved. i started trying time out and i don't know if it actually worked or he just got over it, but he's doing SO much better. he lets damian play with 95% of his toys without a problem. there's still that 5% that are SUPER DUPER special (oh, like that empty salsa cup from the mexican restaurant we had lunch at the other day) that cause a problem, but i just try to recognize those toys before the issue begins and hide them. neither of them notice and no fights ensue. win win. he's even started OFFERING toys to damian. oh and giving hugs and patting his head. so cute!




jc is still a teeny tiny little guy. he weighed in a whopping 20 lbs 15 oz earlier this month and is 30 inches tall. he still wears mostly 12 month sized clothes but a few 18 months sized items fit him as well. but since he was a preemie, they still compare his size to babies about two months younger than he is and he is average in that age range. his head is huge though and is larger than average for his actual age! i've finally come to terms with jc's size and no longer fret about it so much. it used to bother me so much when people would make comments about his size, even when i knew they weren't being judgmental. it just always felt that way. his doctor is not concerned and he is a happy and healthy little boy. and hey, i'm getting more use out of every size clothing than any other mom that i know. what else could i ask for?

all in all, i think jc is settling into toddlerhood very well. i'm so excited for christmas this year because he sort of gets it. of course, he doesn't quite understand santa yet but he loves all the decorations everywhere and he will definitely understand getting presents everywhere we go for a couple days. i love him so much and i hope he has the best christmas ever!!

speaking of best christmas ever, you won't see me around these parts for the next few days. we are heading to tahoe this weekend and won't be back until wednesday. i am so so so excited to spend a few days with our best friends and their kids in the snow (hopefully, it's raining here today so hopefully that means snow up there!). i'll probably pop in on twitter and instagram (you follow me on both right? ok good.) but the blog will be a little quiet. i can't wait to share our trip with you when we come back!

jc at seventeen months

Here we are again. Another month past. The fact that JC will be six months away from turning two next month is mind boggling. But I will try my hardest to live in the moment and focus on his seventeen month milestones! I took these pictures at our favorite nearby park. It's just a quick walk through the greenbelt behind our house and we are there. JC likes it because it has so many things to play on and I like it because it has shade and is not 99% sand.




Words cannot express how excited I am about how many changes JC has been going through. He really is the happiest little mini-person you'll ever meet.

Most of JC's days lately are spent literally running all over the house. I've saved myself a lot of sanity by just closing all the doors in the house except the door to his room. Since he is no longer happy just hanging out in the living room. He has to be EVERYWHERE. The whole house turns into his playroom. Speaking of which, the definition of "out-of-reach" has changed around these parts. Shelves that once were safe havens for anything you didn't want JC to get into are no longer safe. I found JC digging through his Halloween candy bucket yesterday that he had managed to pull off a shelf in the living room that I thought was out-of-reach. I guess not anymore.

JC also definitely starts to get a little stir crazy after being home all day. I try to make at least one "outing" everyday with him, even if it's just to Target or the grocery store. He loves to go out and about. By far, his favorite outing is going to visit Charles for lunch. We usually have to push nap time a little bit to do so but it's worth it.




Do you see how tall my little preemie baby is getting???? It's out of control.

While JC does love to get out of the house from time to time, he also LOVES nothing more than to bring me 100 books to read to him all day long. Usually I get a good variety but lately he's been obsessed with these Elmo's World books. I have seriously read "Food" and "Babies" at least 15 times each today. And the day is only half over. It makes me really happy to see how much he loves books. I feel bad because he'll bring me a book and pat my legs furiously while I am making dinner and I have to ignore him. He then likes to lay flat on his belly on the kitchen floor and suck his thumb in a "non-violent protest" kind of way.

He hasn't been too big on tantrums but he will get frustrated if I take away something he wants to play with that I don't deem a necessity (like my phone or the remote control) or if I take too long to make him food. God forbid he have to wait 70 seconds while I microwave his pancakes. I wrote a little bit about my foray into disciplining JC a couple months back and I have since decided to give the whole time out a try. I keep his pack-n-play set up in our room and place him in there for one minute. It isn't ideal (the pack-n-play takes up a lot of space, I don't want him to have negative associations with his pack-n-play, blah blah blah) but it seems to have worked a little bit. His biggest issue has still been hitting the dog or cat. So if I see him do it once or if he's about to do it, I tell him "If you hit the dog I will put you in time out" and that alone usually works. Now that he knows what time out is. I may do a more in depth post if this continues to be an issue. But for now, that is working in our house.



Please look at the shadow of the back of his head on the right hand side of this picture. His hair looks pretty neat and tidy in the front but is a crazy rat's nest in the back!

No new teeth this month, surprisingly. So we are still at seven teeth. I've been looking but still no molars. JC is wearing mostly 12-18 month clothing and size 4 or 5 shoes. He still has one random pair of jeans that are 6/9 months that still fit him. I really wish baby clothing sizes would be a little more uniform. Help us parents out. One nap a day, usually between 1:30 until 3:30 or so.

JC first fall as a toddler has been so much fun. We had a blast running around pumpkin patches and apple orchards the past weekend. Like I've said before, I am definitely more of a "toddler mom". I'm very much looking forward to Thanksgiving in just a couple weeks! Hopefully JC won't turn his nose up at the turkey!

jc at sixteen months

I can't believe I'm writing this post already. And JC was officially sixteen months four days ago so I'm actually late! Every month is bringing so many new changes but I feel really overwhelmed when I imagine life a year ago. JC was just four months old and the difference between then and now has been astronomical. People are awesome.




{check out other monthly updates}

We had a really fun photo shoot at my parent's new house over the weekend. They were actually just moving in but JC and I couldn't wait to run around in their backyard. Because we have a pool at our house, JC's running around time is very limited. He is not a fan of grass, so he stayed on the little brick patio but managed to entertain himself with a found soccer ball and a few pebbles that resembled balls.

BTW, I don't think I've expressed how excited I am that my parents and little brother have moved back. We've hung out almost everyday since they've been back. Now, I've just got to convince my sister.





Last month I talked about the transition of going from two naps to one. It has actually been really great. I was upset about dropping his second nap but it's great because it gives us more time to get out and do stuff. JC is definitely getting to the point where he is not happy to just sit around the house all day.

For those keeping track, we got two more teeth this month. His top left lateral incisor and bottom right lateral incisor. No molars yet. I am really dreading their arrival.

He genuinely enjoys running errands, going to Target or the grocery store and he definitely enjoys getting to run free at the park. While I do love fall, in our neck of the woods it usually means the beginning of the rainy season so our park trips will have to be limited but I'm definitely going to bundle him up and take him out when it's not too wet. He just loves it so much.

JC has become a real social butterfly. He loves waving at everyone, especially other little kids. At the park, he will literally run up to another kid (without any prompting) and wave so hard I think his arm might fall off. Sometimes the kids reciprocate, sometimes they don't. I hope he doesn't get discouraged when they don't. It's so adorable.





That look gets me every time. The way he moves in the world is beautiful. I love to watch his eyes take everything in. Even just watching him scan the shelves at the grocery store, you can really see him trying to learn and understand.

Some new words this month include "cheese", "teeth", "belly", "juice" and "yummy". He'll also make "mmm mmm mmm" sounds if something that he is eating is particularly delicious. He's going through a picky phase (at least, I hope it's a phase) where he doesn't really want to eat different things. Things like pasta that I could always count on have become hit or miss. He'll pretty much always eat a piece of cheese or suck down a squeezy pouch but everything else really depends on the day. I try my best to give him a healthy variety but there are some nights where I throw my hands up in the air and make him a PB&J. Again.





JC doesn't like: grass, things that feel "squirmy" or "sticky", taking a shower with me, being told to not play in the dog's water dish.

JC loves: blocks, his teddy bear, sleeping in, Sid the Science Kid, Lucy our cat, and the park.

So excited to let JC run around this autumn. He can really experience my favorite season for the first time.

jc at fifteen months

{check out past updates here}

I can't believe that it's already time for another monthly update! And I'm a few days late. There are so many changes that JC has been going through this past month, I'll just jump right in.

He is getting better and better at walking everyday. His toes are starting to point forward instead of out and he's getting some speed. Now, that doesn't mean to say that he doesn't fall. He falls all. the. time. But he's a really good sport about it most of the time and just gets back up and keeps going. I don't know where he gets all the energy. With walking and walking better, has come a few more challenges. He's not always content to just sit in the shopping cart when we are shopping anymore. Luckily, he's only done this when Charles is with me so one of us can watch him as he walks all over Staples or Babies R Us. He is also pointing out our weaknesses in the babyproofing department. He definitely keeps me on my toes.




JC's communication skills are growing by leaps and bounds. He has a few new words ("moon", "that", "there", "boom" referring to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, "bear") but the amount that he understands is ridiculous. I am always surprised by how much he comprehends. I ask him to bring me something (shoe, toy, his cup) and he will find it and bring it to me. I tell him it's time to brush his teeth or take a bath and he heads on over to the bathroom. He can point out six body parts on himself when you ask him where they are. He still uses pointing as a main part of his communication but he has replaced grunts with "that" and "there". He does like to yell, which isn't always awesome. I don't think he yells because he gets impatient but more because he likes to yell.

One sad realization that I've come to in the past few days is that we are officially retiring his second nap. I have gone through all seven stages of grief in the loss of this nap but I am finally out on the other side and it's not so bad. We'll definitely play it by ear on some days to see if he will need a second nap but for the most part, I think we are down to one. JC used to take his first nap at about 11:00 after he had been awake for about two hours. This was always his longest nap and he'd sleep until 1 or even 2 sometimes. Then he would take an afternoon nap at about 5 until 6:30 or 7. He has gradually been fighting both of his naps, which is crazy because he has always been SUCH a good sleeper. And if he did take a nap, it would be much shorter. I was in denial about it, hoping and praying that he was just fussy that day or it was too loud in the house. But, this started happening more and more consistently. So I've decided to keep him up a little bit longer in the morning and put him down at about 1:00 or 1:30. Then he sleeps for a couple hours (he slept yesterday for three) and he is pretty good and rested for the remainder of the day. I can still manage to get most of the things I need to get done during naptime without much difficulty. It's also nice to have him awake longer in the mornings so we can run errands or do fun things (zoo trips, park visits, go to the library) during that time too. We used to have to wait until about 4 to start doing anything and then we'd have to be back by 5:30 to get him down for his next nap. Didn't get much done. So this will be a lot better.




We got one more tooth (his right lateral incisor, so I don't forget to mark this in his baby book) this month, bringing our total to five. I'm still going to say that teething has not been a big issue for us so far. I mean, sure he's grumpy or cranky sometimes but it's really hard to pinpoint it and say "oh yeah, it's because he's teething". But we also haven't had to deal with molars yet and I'm scared of those. They just seem and sound so much more painful. We go in for his fifteen month doctor's appointment tomorrow so I will have all of his official stats then but I'd say he's about 20 pounds, not too much weight gain since his last appointment. What I'm really curious about is his height, because he does seem significantly taller.

Some of JC's favorite things include hugs (he LOVES to hug his stuffed animals or even his little plastic figurines. If it has a face, it's getting a hug.), Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?, dancing, pulling the cat's tail, making fart sounds with his mouth, banana bread, pulling EVERYTHING out of his toy box, his little toddler sized couch, playing in the sand and wood chips at the park, running around naked and bath time.

We've had some issues with separation anxiety and discipline this month but I hope to write more in depth posts about that soon.

All in all, toddlerhood has been treating us pretty well so far! Sure there are challenges but there is so much fun stuff too! I love that JC is getting more independent and exploring everything. I am so excited for him to learn more words and understand what we are saying so we can communicate with each other even better. As he's getting older, I'm coming to the realization that I am more of a "toddler person" than a "baby person". Don't get me wrong, I loved JC just as much when he was a newborn and an infant but I am having more fun raising a toddler. I love taking my little best friend with me everywhere.

fourteen months

Check out JC's other monthly updates here.

Every month it's the same, but I can not believe how big my little man is getting. This month has been crazy full of new milestones but the biggest one was definitely walking. JC took his first steps on the fourth of July and everyday he is walking more and more. He's still very wobbly but I think he's more sure footed than he seems. He went from primarily crawling with the occasional steps to preferring to push his walkers all over the house to walking primarily. He's also able to pick something off the floor and stand back up without sitting down or falling. I took him to the playground on Tuesday and he was practically running to the different equipment. I was so nervous that he was going to faceplant on the sidewalk but he did really well. It was the first time that I felt like he "belonged" at the playground. He wasn't "too little" to do anything. I was so proud of him.



I love this picture. He looks so big! I can't believe he could actually walk in those flip flops. Like a flip flop walking pro.

His vocabulary and communication skills have improved greatly as well. It's amazing how much he can communicate with pointing and grunts. The other day he crawled super fast through the kitchen into the pantry, sat up on his knees, pointed at the box of Cheerios and said "that". He understands a great deal of what I am saying to him, making it much easier to find out what he wants or what is bothering him if he's upset. Some new words this month: "bird", "button" (sounds like "buh-on"), "this", "that", "no" (i'm a little scared of this word), "again", and "done".



Pointing and clapping have been other skills that JC has mastered this month. He is learning when it's appropriate to clap. He is usually prompted by the word "yay!".

I'm not sure how much JC weighs or how tall he is but he is finally starting to outgrow some of his 6-9 month stuff (yeah, he's a little guy). I'm guessing he's around 20-21 pounds. He's been wearing 6-9 month and 12 month shirts, pajamas, and shorts/pants. Some 12 month stuff is still too big on him though. Including a REALLY cute Sesame Street t-shirt that looks like a tunic on him. I'm patiently waiting to put that on him.

JC cut one more tooth (his top left middle tooth) bringing our tooth total to four. Teething has still not really been an issue (knock on wood). I've discovered that if I give him something to hold, he will be distracted enough to let me brush is teeth for at least a few seconds.

His favorites this month include Yo Gabba Gabba, his Bright Baby First Words book, balls of all shapes and sizes, ducks and geese at the park, opening up all the cabinets he can find, taking awesome naps, and bananas.



I'm looking forward to what the next month has in store!

jc at thirteen months

Baby Man is thirteen months old as of the first! It's so crazy how much he has changed just in this last month.

The biggest development that I've noticed is his speech. He has learned so many new words and he understands so much. I'm always surprised by what words he remembers and how much he comprehends. "Mama", "dada", "baby", "happy" (all time best moment was during a diaper change, as I wiped his booty he yells out "HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!"), "ball", "bread" (more like "Beh!"), "bath", "yeah", "banana" (more like "nana"), "kitty", and "doggie" are all words that I can say, for sure, that he can say. He says what sounds like "thank you" sometimes when I had him something that he wants. I'm still not 100% certain on that one, he kinda mumbles it. I also think he says "MO!" in response to Elmo. At the beginning of the month, I would say that he knew about three words and he has more than doubled that.

He likes to go shopping with me, going out to lunch with his daddy, playing in his baby pool, rubbing the cat's tail in his face, throwing things across the room and then chasing after it, watching the washing machine and dryer in action, taking everything out of the diaper bag, playing with empty water bottles, and watching Sesame Street.

He doesn't like getting his face cleaned off, having to sit still for longer than 60 seconds, really long car rides, being in his stroller for longer than twenty minutes, and any other books besides "Biscuit".



We've got three teeth and two more JUST waiting to cut through. It doesn't seem like teething is bothering him so much but he has his moments.

Two naps a day are still our standard, although I think he's getting somewhat close to dropping his afternoon nap. His morning nap is usually close to three hours long (I know, I'm lucky) but his afternoon nap is usually about an hour to an hour and half long and sometimes he skips it all together but then he is really tired by bedtime.

Still no walking yet but I'm not concerned. He seems to be just fine crawling around. I'm trying to enjoy my pre-walker a little longer before he really can get into e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. I think he's really close to be able to stand without pulling himself up using something else. If that makes sense.



This is, by far, my favorite face that he makes.

Mealtimes are getting a little easier. I just try to pay attention to his cues a little better and I always keep some baby friendly food in the diaper bag. His favorite food is definitely bread, of any kind. Banana bread, garlic bread, beer bread, plain bread, you name it. Breakfast is almost always yogurt, mixed with either rice cereal or oatmeal and blueberries. He loves snacking on bananas, oranges, and nutrigrain bars (I like the Trader Joe ones). Pasta is also a favorite, as long as he likes the sauce that it's in. He's starting to get over his egg boycott that he seemed to be on at the beginning of the month but he still is not super stoked on them. I still struggle to include vegetables into his diet. Oh and he hates milk. Since he eats yogurt almost everyday I don't worry about it too much but I still would like for him to drink it. He'll drink chocolate milk. :) But not regular milk.

I'm so excited to see what the next month has in store. Every month, we get closer and closer to seeing his little personality shine through. I can tell you will all certainty that he is definitely a ladies man. He will straight up check out little girls as they walk by. Doesn't even try to hide it. And he gives the biggest smiles to the friendly women who stop to say hi to him at the grocery store. He loves to laugh and do his "happy dance" when he's having a really good time. He enjoys being around people and he's very friendly toward most everyone. He really is just the greatest little person I've ever met.

Happy thirteen months JC!!

twelve month doctor check up!

Why that has an exclamation mark at the end of it I'm not quite sure. If you asked JC about it, he wouldn't be as excited about it. Actually, it wasn't all that bad.

JC showing off his sweet band aid, Tsunami looking extra thrilled in the background

His one year stats are as follows:

18 pounds 12 ounces

27 inches long

18 inch head circumference

Compare that one year go:

5 pounds 4 ounces

16.9 inches long

Do they measure your baby's head when they are born? I can't find this number anywhere if they did.

I can't believe how much bigger he has gotten! He's still a tiny guy compared to other babies we know but when I see how much progress he's made I am so proud. His doctor is definitely not concerned so I'm not either. My little tiny preemie is growing up.

He had the nicest nurse sing him "Happy Birthday" when he got a little fussy while he was getting weighed. That made him happy. We got three shots today, one in each arm and one in his thigh. This was the first time he's received shots and really seemed bothered by them. I'm not looking forward to bringing him into the doctor once he figures out/remembers where we are and what they do there. There was a mom there practically shoving her son into the back as he cried and cried, just terrified at the idea of being there. They hadn't even seen him yet. For now, JC cried just a little after his shots. But it didn't last long. Nothing a little daddy snuggles couldn't fix. An hour later he was as happy as could be.

Extra drooly, just how I like him

<3 Melissa

They say it's your birthday!

JC all brand new on his birth day, one year ago

Today is JC’s first birthday!!!!!!!!

I really wish I had my blog earlier so I could have done little posts like this every month but I figure better late than never right?

It’s crazy to think about how much change has happened in the last year. When I brought JC home, he pretty much slept all day. Being a newborn plus the added fact that he was a preemie made it so that he slept for about 2-3 hours, would wake up to eat and then immediately fall back asleep. I knew it was important that he saved his energy so he could grow and get bigger. Now he’s so active and alert. He’s a little person interacting with the world around him, learning a million new things every day. I feel truly blessed to witness his ability to find joy in the simplest acts. Everything is brand new to him and he loves it.

Let’s go through some stats shall we…

JC ‘s sleep schedule has been pretty much the same for the past three months or so. He wakes up between 9 and 10. He goes down for his morning nap between 11:30 and 12. He sleeps until about 1:30 or 2. His afternoon nap normally occurs between 4:30 and 5:30. He sleeps until about 6-6:30. We start his bedtime routine around 9 and he’s down for the night between 9:30-10. When it comes to sleep, I really can’t complain. This kid is a champion napper. He has slept through the night since he was about 4 months old. OCCASIONALLY he wakes up in the middle of the night due to teething pain but it’s very few and far between. I feel pretty lucky that I have a baby who loves sleep as much as I do.

He’s eating three solid meals a day now. We are still nursing about four times a day. Well I guess three times a day since yesterday when I decided to officially start weaning him. We are both ready. JC’s favorite foods are scrambled eggs (with cheese, bell peppers, and/or tomatoes), rice & beans, avocados, yogurt with rice cereal & mashed up blueberries, ANY pasta/sauce combination, and quesadillas. He mostly drinks water but he has had a little bit of orange juice a couple of times and he LOVES it. He likes to feed himself with his hands but he hasn’t quite figured out that you need to tilt a cup to get water out of it. I’ve tried switching his sippy cups from a cup that has a soft sippy part to one that is hard but I’m not sure if he gets how it works. He finally seems to get how straws work now though and he likes drinking from them.

His favorite toys are his train and his new “mail cart” as I call it. Both of these are big and have wheels and are meant to push around while standing up. He is getting a lot better at pushing them without falling over. His favorite books are Biscuit and Baby Faces. They’ve been his favorite for a while. JC really only notices the TV when Sesame Street is on it; Elmo is his favorite. Besides that he isn’t huge on television.

JC is an expert crawler and pulling himself up to a stander. I catch him letting go of whatever he’s supporting himself with and he can stand for 10-20 seconds before he falls down. One of his favorite things to do is pull himself up to a stand using our headboard on our bed and falling down on purpose. He’ll fall on his butt and then on his back and he’ll laugh and laugh. It’s so funny to watch him play little games like this. He also loves to dance. His favorite songs are anything that involve a guitar, but especially Jack Johnson. Or when his daddy plays for him. Katy Perry is still his number one lady.

He’s starting to figure out how to clap. He’ll put his hands together and move them up and down. His pincer grip is pretty much down pat. He’s really good at picking up cheerios and other little pieces of food and feeding himself. He tries to pet the cat but usually ends up pulverizing her. Luckily, she’s really sweet and seems to be ok with it.

He says the words “dada”, “mama”, “baby”, and as of yesterday “birthday”. If he knows what they mean, that’s a different story. He has become quite the babbler. He used to be the strong, silent type but lately he will sit on the floor and babble all day. He’s also what you could call a “hand talker”.

Baths are very enjoyable. We are still using the little inflatable tub in the big bathtub but he’s getting more and more curious about the rest of the bathtub around him. He likes to stand up and splash down on his baby booty.

We are FINALLY getting some teeth! Well a tooth, to be exact. It is his bottom right center tooth, if that makes sense. It made it's first appearance a couple weeks back and has been slowly but surely making its way up. JC totally digs brushing his teeth tooth too. 

That’s pretty much JC, in a nutshell. He’s still super mellow and easy going. He has a little bit of stranger anxiety that’s setting in but that’s normal. It just takes him a little bit to warm up to you if he hasn’t seen you before or in a long time (which for him is more than a day). But once he does, he loves most people. I’m really looking forward to what the next year has in store for us!

I’ve still got to go through all the birthday party pictures from the weekend. I’ll get those up ASAP! Here's a teaser picture.

That is my adorable cake monster. Needless to say, he enjoyed his birthday cake.

<3 Melissa