12 Months Old = 1 Year!

This is Michael's final monthly update! I can't believe my little boy is 1 year old already! Where did this year go?

Here is what Michael is up to at 12 Months Old:
- He is walking everywhere! No more crawling for him!
- He is working on getting his 1 year molars. The top ones are almost through, and the bottom ones are very swollen.
- He weighs about 24 lbs and is 32” tall!

- He is still in size 3 diapers and size 18 month clothes.
- He is eating all kinds of table food. The only baby food he still gets is apple sauce, baby yogurt, and baby cereal (for breakfast). Some of his favorites are: cheese, chicken, pizza, and grits.

- We are almost done transitioning him to the milk-based formula. Once that is complete, we can start to transition him to whole milk. Let’s hope that goes well. He hasn’t had any more issues with the milk-based formula.
- He still isn’t saying too many words. He does say “Mama” but it is very rare. He has started to try and say “please” and “thanks” but the only part that comes out is the "sss" sound on the end. But he holds it out for a long time, thinking he is saying the whole word. It is very cute.

- He loves to the play the drums. When we are upstairs playing, he will make his way into the spare bedroom where the drums are, and pick up a drum stick and start banging on the cymbals.
- He is getting more and more interested in books lately. He will sit with a book for several minutes just flipping the pages and looking at the pictures. He still doesn’t want to read through a book, which takes too long. But he loves turning the pages as I try to get out as many words as I can from that page.

- He is down to one long nap a day. He usually naps from 1:00 – 3:30 pm and then goes to bed at 7:30.
- It is hard to keep him entertained at work now. He used to be happy sitting and playing in the pack 'n play, but now he wants to be out, running around. We are trying to work around that issue.

- This has been the best year of our lives, and there are no words to express how extremely happy he has made us.

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Michael, you are the best thing that has ever happened to your Daddy and Me, and we will forever be grateful that God chose us, to be your parents

 

11 Months Old

Michael is 11 months old. I can't believe it. Only one month till he is 1 year old! How did this happen so fast? Here is what Michael is up to at 11 months:

- He now has 8 teeth.

- He is no longer taking a bottle at all. He gets all of his formula in a sippy cup.

- We have started transitioning him from soy formula to milk formula, but have had a little set back. We got to 90% milk based and 10% soy, and he started have some issues, so we are having to go back a little. We are really hoping that he will outgrow his milk allergy.

- He started Walking!!! He took his first steps father's day weekend and since then, he has gotten more and more brave. He still prefers to crawl, or walk if he has something to hold onto.

- He is started to eat a little more table food, but still prefers the purred stuff. Just a few of the foods he has tried are: turkey lunch meat, bacon, tomato, hamburger, french fries, corn bread, and corn.

- He weighs about 23 pounds and is 31 inches tall.

- He is still in size 3 diapers (they last a long time) and wearing size 12-18 month clothes. He has gotten taller, but his weight hasn't changed much, so clothes are just fitting him differently now.

- He still doesn't say "Ma-Ma"  on a regular basis. He has said it a few times, but I think it was an accident. He has started saying the "Na" sound and also the "Ba" sound.  

- He took his first trip to the zoo this month. He didn't seem to really notice the animals, but he had a good time being pushed around in his stroller.

  

- He went on a trip to Charleston with all his buddies, and had a great time.

- He also spent a week in Orlando, FL at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge.

- He celebrated his Daddy's first Father's Day. He got Andrew a new pair of tennis shoes and a card.
- He has started sleeping really well at night again. He is also taking at least one good nap a day.
- We love him more and more everyday, and are so thankful for what a healthy happy baby he is.

10 Months Old

Today, Michael is 10 months old! I know I say this every month, but I can't believe he is already 10 months old. I feel like just last week he was a tiny newborn, and now he is a 22 pound, crawling, little boy.

Here is what Michael is up to at 10 Months old:
- He weighs about 22 pounds and is 30 inches tall
- He is still in size 3 diapers (they last a long time) and wearing size 12-18 month clothes.
- He is crawling everywhere! I can't take my eyes off him for a second.



- We have started saying "NO" a lot around our house. Between Michael wanting to play with the dog food bowls, and open and close the glass doors, we are trying to figure out the best way to discipline our very persistent little boy.


- He pulls himself up on everything, and would really rather walk everywhere than crawl. He even pulls himself up using just the wall, and then walks along it. It won't be long till he is walking.

- He went swimming for the first time. At first he wasn't too sure about it, but he did eventually warm up to it. I have been putting him in the baby pool and he seems to really enjoy that.

- We celebrated my first mother's day, and Michael and Daddy got me a beautiful flower arrangement and a necklace. My boys are good to me! - He loves to laugh, and finds joy in the simplest things.

- Michael's baby dedication was also on Mother's Day. It was such a blessing standing up in front of our church family dedicating Michael to the Lord.

- He still doesn't say "Ma-Ma" and if you tell him to say "Ma-Ma" he says "Da-Da" and smiles. I think he knows what he is doing! He is also saying "dog" and "all done." But mostly he just babbles a lot and it all sounds like "Da-Da."

- He loves to eat! We have tried giving him some table food, but he really doesn't like it. He did eat some hamburger, potatoes, and carrots one night. He is happy to eat his baby food, cheerios, puffs, and veggie straws. I started giving him graham crackers, and he really likes those too.

- His naps are kind of all over the place. One day he will take a 2 hour nap in the morning and a 1.5 hour nap in the after noon. The next day, he will only take one nap, but it will be 2.5 hours. Then one day he will take a 45 minute nap in the morning and then a 1.5 hour nap in the afternoon. As long as he is getting at least one nap a day, I'm happy.

- He now has 5 teeth and the 6th one will be through any day now.

- Because of the teething, he isn't sleeping too well at night. He goes down around 7:30 and then wakes up usually around 12:30 for more Tylenol, but since he is up, he thinks he needs to eat. We have tried rocking him to go back to sleep, letting him cry, giving him water, but usually the only thing that will get him back to sleep is a bottle. Then he is up again around 5:30 for more Tylenol, and a bottle. Hopefully we will get a break from teething, but it seems just as we are getting back to a normal routine, he starts teething all over again. I know it has to be painful for him, so I do what I can to help his little mouth.

- We just love him so much, and he fills our life with so much joy!

Michael is 9 Months Old!

Taking pictures of a very active 9 month old, in his typical poses, was next to impossible. I know it is only going to get harder from here on out. So, you will see a few of those pictures mixed in.

Here is what Michael is up to at nine months old:

- This has been a big month for Michael, with a lot of firsts!

- He has started talking! Mostly just "Da-Da" but we are working to get him to say "Ma-Ma." It also sounds like he says "hey" but that could just be a coincidence.

- He has started crawling! It started on Friday, April 29th with just a few "steps", but by Monday, he was cruising along.

- He has also mastered pulling himself up. I think that was his main motivation to start crawling. He will crawl over to something, just so he can stand up. I think he will be walking in no time.

- We had to lower his mattress this month. He thinks it is great that he can stand up in his crib now. Every morning when we go in to get him, he is standing up and you can tell he is so proud of himself.

- He has learned how to hold his bottle. It just happened one morning while Andrew was feeding him, and ever since, I just give him the bottle, and he feeds himself. He only gets his formula in a bottle in the morning and at night, every other time, he drinks it from a sippy cup.

- He got his fourth tooth! Hopefully that will be it for a while, and we can all get a break from teething.

- He is still in size 9-12 moths clothes, and in size 3 diapers.

- He hasn't grown much this month, and he is still about 21 pounds and 29.5 inches tall.

- We went on a little vacation to Charleston, SC to see "Auntie" Fer and "Uncle" Doug. It is in Charleston where Michael first crawled. While we were there, we went to the beach one afternoon, and put Michael's toes in the ocean and he seemed to really like it. We also went to an Air Show in Beaufort, SC to see the Blue Angels. Michael loved the airplanes, and couldn't take his eyes off of them.

- His appetite has grown a little bit, and we have increased the amount of solids he eats. One jar just doesn't seem to be enough at meal time. Katie has been making all of this baby food, so we know what he is eating is healthy and not processed.

- He gets more and more fun all the time, and we just love his little personality.

8 Months Old

How is it that Michael is closer to being a 1 year old, than being a newborn? The months have just flown by! Here is what Michael is up to at 8 months old:

- He is getting so big. He is now in size 9-12 month clothes, but still in size 3 diapers.

- He is about 21 lbs and 29.5 inches tall.

- He doesn't say any words yet, just a lot of babbling. Andrew is convinced that he says "Da-da" but really it is just baby talk.

- He hasn't crawled yet, but he is getting really close. He is able to get up on his hands and knees, but then he isn't sure what to do from there, and just lays down on his belly.

- He loves to stand up and hold on to things, like the ottoman, the window ledge, the side of the pack and play. He hasn't pulled up yet, but he tries all the time.

- He is mastering the "pincher grasp" with his thumb and pointer finger. He loves puffs, and is getting really good at getting them in his mouth. We usually have to hand them to him though.

- He loves food! He eats three meals of solids a day, and 3-4 bottles. The only thing he doesn't like are peas. But when mixed with other veggies, he east them. Pretty soon we will be starting him on table food.

- He still does great with his sippy cup. But he refuses to hold his bottle. I guess he knows that Mama will hold it for him.

- He is starting to get more hair, but it still is very sparse. I'm still not sure what his hair is going to end up like.

- He has three teeth now, and the fourth one will be breaking though any day now.

- He loves to laugh, and is super ticklish.

- He has learned how to give "high-five" and to wave.

- He loves going for walks and being outside. And now that the weather has warmed up and will hopefully stay warm, we will be spending a lot more time outside on a daily basis.

- He takes a 45 minute nap in the morning and then a 2-2.5 hour nap in the afternoon.

- He goes to bed at 7:30 every night and wakes up at about 6:00. I give him a bottle, and then he goes back to sleep for another 2 hours. He is a great sleeper, except for when he is teething, then he is up 1 or 2 times a night.

- He has the best personality. Laid back and very "go-with-the-flow.

- He is our joy and delight and I thank God everyday for this little boy!

7 Months!

I know I say this every month, but I can't believe Michael is already 7 months old! Where has the time gone?
Here is what Michael is up to at seven months old:
- This month we have focused on getting Michael used to eating solids. He has tried all of the different fruit and vegetable baby food, and now he gets to move up to stage 2 foods.
- Daddy moved to third shift this month, and it has been an adjustment for everyone. The one good thing about the new schedule is that he gets to spend some time with Michael in the mornings getting him dressed and feeding him breakfast.
- He is doing great rolling over, and has finally rolled from his back to his belly, although he doesn't do it too often.
- He hasn't showed any signs of crawling or scooting yet. He is quite content to just sit on the floor and play with his toys. He does reach for toys, but usually ends up falling over before he can reach it.
- He has started teething again, but we can't see where any new teeth are ready to pop through, so it may be a while before another tooth shows up.
- He continues to love his jumper. He is content to stay in it for a long time. If he's not jumping, then he just hangs there twirling himself in circles.
- He does great playing independently. We sit him on the floor surrounded with toys, and he can keep himself entertained for long stretches of time. This is very helpful when it comes time to make and eat dinner.
- We celebrated another holiday this month: Valentine's Day! We didn't do anything exciting, but it was nice to have our little valentine with us this year.
- He went to the doctor on February 16th. He weighs 19 lbs and is 27 inches tall. He is doing great and is very healthy.
- He is still in size 3 diapers and size 6-9 month clothes.
- Aunt Sarah came over to take his 6-month pictures. They turned out so good, and can't wait to get them.
- We have started taking walks everyday, since the weather is starting to warm up. Michael loves the stroller and usually falls asleep half way through.
- Michael loves to give hugs and kisses and we love to receive them.

- I can't stress this enough. I feel so blessed to be Michael's mother and continually thank God for blessing us with this little boy!