12 Months Old

My precious Samuel Jacob,

You are a whole year old! What a milestone in your little life! I wish you could know how special this last year has been since you've been a part of our little family. We can't imagine our family without you being a part of it. You have brought us such joy and laughter and precious, precious memories. You are the sweetest thing around, and I am so very blessed to call you my son.

You are standing on your own for long periods of time, and we've caught you taking a step or two before you drop down on your knees to crawl. It's happening more and more often, and I know it's just a matter of weeks before you're fully walking. You look so big when you stand by yourself. You're certainly turning into a toddler before our eyes. You are a pro at climbing the stairs. We always keep a close eye on you, but you can climb up and down our entire flight of stairs all by yourself. You're such a big boy!

You have become more attached to your pacifier in the last three or four months. For the first seven or so months of your life, you could have cared less about it, but you took up a fondness for it lately. You always want it when you're sleepy, and any other time you can find one. They disappear frequently around here.

You love to sing "If you're happy and you know it." You clap your hands on cue and recently have started "stomping" your feet too (really more like bending your knees up and down). It's adorable!

You have a fondness for shoes. You are always playing with your shoes, trying as hard as you can to get them off, and if you're not wearing them, trying to get them back on your feet. 

You are still in love with your Daddy. You cry sometimes when he leaves to go to work. You and he have a special relationship.

You weigh 23lbs, 14oz (75%), are 29 1/2 inches tall (50%), and head circumference is 19inches (90%). I can always tell that you have a big head when I try and get shirts over your head :). You're wearing 12 month and 12-18month clothes, size 4 diaper, and size 4 shoe.

You love to eat! Anytime you see anyone eating anything you point and grunt and make a scene until we give you some of whatever we're eating. You'll try anything, and you almost always insist on feeding yourself. It makes for messes at mealtimes, but it's fun to watch you become more independent. Your favorite foods are grilled cheese sandwiches, yogurt melts, bananas, goldfish, and graham crackers.

You're still getting formula in your bottles in the morning and at bedtime, and whole milk in a sippy cup the rest of the day. You're doing well on milk, but are a messy drinker. You like to spit half your mouthful of milk out every time you drink

Your favorite toys are dishes/play food and our play kitchen, balls, and Nathan's play vacuum. Playing kitchen is your all time favorite thing to do. You eat the food, stir spoons in your bowls, and get drinks from the refrigerator. It's cute to see your play developing as you get older.

You are obsessed with dogs. There are two big white dogs that live next door, and every morning when you wake up, we look at the window to see the "Da's" You point and say "Da, Da" over and over. It's one of the few words that you know by heart.  and say all the time.

You are sleeping much much better at night. YAY!!! It's unusual for you to wake up in the middle of the night these days. It happens occasionally, but not often. You usually sleep from 8:00-6:30 or so. I think you're getting close to dropping your morning nap. There are several days you haven't napped in the morning and you've been fine. You sleep about 2 hours for your afternoon nap (a little less if you've napped in the morning). I'm thinking that since you're sleeping better at night, you're needing less daytime sleep.

You and Nathan have the sweetest relationship. He told me the other day that "Samuel is my very best friend." You have no idea how much I pray that continues to be true for your whole lives. You are starting to play together more and more and pester each other more and more too :). You learn so much from watching him, and you light up in the morning when I ask you if you want to go find Nathan.

Swinging is your favorite thing to do! You would swing all day if we'd let you. If we ever talk about it, you immediately point to the back door, and once we're outside you head straight for your swing. I'm excited about the weather warming up, so we can spend more time outside.

Your other favorite thing to do is brush your teeth! Anytime the bathroom door is open, you crawl right in, climb up on the stool, and reach for your toothbrush. You'll stand and chew on your toothbrush for the longest time. I can't figure out why you love it so much, but you look so old standing on that stool by yourself brushing your teeth!

These big milestones are bittersweet for your momma. I'm sad that we'll never get to experience your first year again, but so looking forward to watching you grow and learn in the next year. You have the sweetest personality. You are such a happy, joyful boy. The littlest things make you squeal with laughter. Keep that joy sweet one!

We love you more than you'll ever know!