Brody's 12th Month

Brody is 1 Year Old!  
We can’t believe it has already been a year since our precious little baby joined our family!  What a year!  He has been such a fun addition and brought so much joy and happiness to our home.  He is Mommy’s heart, Daddy’s pride and joy, and Big Brother’s best pal.  In the last month, he has really gone from being a “baby” to being a “toddler.”  He isn’t quite walking on his own yet, but he is pulling up on everything, crawling everywhere, taking steps with his walker or the furniture, and getting into EVERYTHING!  We swear he has the longest arms and nothing is out of his reach.  
Size: Brody weighed 22 lbs. 4 oz. (50 %ile) and was 31 inches long (75 %ile).  He has stayed pretty consistently in the 50 to 75 %ile at every check up so we are very proud of our healthy boy.  He is built so solid and much thicker than his lanky brother.  He still wears a size 3 diaper, but we should probably move him up to size 4.  He has about outgrown his 12 month clothes…his jeans are getting pretty tight on his tummy.  He can wear 18 month pants, but we have been putting some of big brother's 24 month shorts on him, and they actually fit pretty well.  Yes, big brother can still wear them too…he’s so skinny!  Brody is built tough, and I was just noticing how broad-shouldered he is.  Although Brody looks more like Mommy, he is definitely built like Daddy.  Evan always looked like Daddy but is built more like Mommy.    Developmental Accomplishments:  In just a couple of weeks after mastering crawling, he decided he was ready to start pulling himself up.  It seems that crawling really boosted his confidence!  He is so fast and so curious and just gets into everything.  He loves being in the bathroom with Mommy while she is getting ready in the morning, and although she gives him toys to play with, he usually finds something inappropriate to play with.  He is already getting pretty good at ignoring the word “No!”  He discovered how to flush the toilet, how to operate the toilet paper roll, and how to pull stuff out of the trashcan just this week!  He is definitely testing all of our baby proofing now.  What about teeth?  Oh, he’s got plenty.  Mommy counted 16 to be exact…yes, that means he has gotten his first molars and some of his canines already.  His doctor was pretty shocked too!  He is ready for some steak!  Of course, he settled for his first Chick-fil-a kids meal last week; they have the grilled chicken nuggets now with the Buddy fruit pouches, and he can eat all four of his chicken nuggets cut up in small pieces for him and all his fruit.  He also mastered waving “hello” and just looks so cute mimicking us and waving his little hand.  Then, he usually claps for himself because he is so proud.  Little stinker!  He is still very loving although he does seem to give Dada more love than Mama!  All I hear is Dadadadada!  (Sigh)  That’s what I get for giving my boys such a fun and loving Daddy, I guess.  When he does give Mama love, it is the best in the world, but he is pretty busy these days.  He mimics a lot of sounds we make, but we haven’t really caught any real words yet except "Mama" and "Dada" and maybe "Baba."   
Brody's Favs:  Brody's favorite toys are cars and anything with wheels.  He is so cute crawling and pushing his favorite cars around.  Sometimes the wheels will go too fast for him, and he will "face plant" (that's a quote from Dada) on the floor.  He's so funny!  Another of his favorite things is water.  He loves it and has to touch it.  He loves brushing his teeth on the sink and tries to get into the sink.  He loves putting his hands under the faucet and even tries to do it when the water is turned off…I guess he thinks the water will magically start flowing.  He can get pretty mad if you take him away from the water too.  He still loves bath time with big brother and just loves to splash in the water.   He does still really love his “silky” blankets too.
Sleeping:  Brody definitely knows how to appreciate a good night’s sleep, and we are so thankful.  However, bedtime can be a little crazy sometimes.  Apparently his nighttime bath actually rejuvenates him because he is just a ball of energy afterwards.  He refuses to lay down except while he drinks his bottle and just wants to crawl all over the place.  It usually takes some rocking and soothing to get him to finally settle down although he will fight you pretty hard at first.  His favorite lullabies are "ABC's" and "Twinkle Twinkle" pretty much sung to the same tune.  He still loves sleeping in his crib all night and wakes up as happy as can be and gives the person who rescues him from his crib the biggest baby grins.  He is usually sitting up or standing in his crib when we get him.

Eating: Yep, he still loves to eat, and with all those teeth, it is no surprise that he can eat more substantial meals!  He is still loving stage 3 baby foods and crunchy baby puffs and yogurt bites, but he has eaten a few more table foods this month.  He had his first chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, and some meatball from our pizza.  Mommy even let him try some of her shrimp this weekend -- got to test that allergy at some point.  He was fine so no worries there.  He eats three good meals a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and also loves a snack too.  He is drinking less organic whole milk and often leaves a substantial amount in his bottle.  I really don't want to totally cut out bottles yet because I am afraid he would give up on drinking milk completely.  I know he doesn't need as much since he eats so good, and he gets calcium from other sources like his morning yogurt.  I am not planning on cutting out the bottle for a few more months although we have started some sippy cup training too.  He has not had any juice yet and only drinks milk and a little water.


Meet my cowboy!



He's the law in this town!



Peek a boo!



Where's Brody?



Yeeee-haw!



Howdy, ladies!



Here he comes.  He kicks it into overdrive when he sees something he wants!



Pretty baby.



"Hehehehe!"  Love those lashes!






What a character!



Just pretty as a picture!



Peek-a-boo is one of his favorite games.



Loving his teddy bear.



It can't get any sweeter than this!



Waving hello is a new favorite trick!



Still got to have that silky!



My cute kid.



Wearing one of big brother's favorite outfits. 



Clapping because he is sooooo happy!



He was acting silly.



He thinks he is going somewhere.



Proud that he can stand up and reach stuff on his shelf.



Playing with his picture. 



Looking so big on his first birthday!









Sweetness!



"My doctor's office is so cool...they have dinosaurs!"



"And sticks, too!"



"Ahhhhhhh"



"Who's cute?  Oh yeah, me!"


________________________________
Dear Brody,
We love you more and more each day!  I didn’t think it was possible I could love another child so much, and I didn’t think I could love you more than the day I first held you in my arms.  But every day, my love just grows stronger!  You are just such a sweet, beautiful, and loving baby.  You are my heart, my sunshine on a cloudy day, and my bundle of joy!  I have cherished all my time with you this year and will carry my memories of my Baby Brody in my heart forever.  You will always be my Baby Brody no matter how big you are.  We look forward to many more fun adventures with you in the days and years ahead. 
Love always and forever,
Your Mommy
________________________________


Dear Father in Heaven,


Please continue to bless this little one with good health, strength, and a heart for You.  Guide and direct his feet as they learn to walk so that he will follow the path that leads to You.  Thank you so much for blessing us with him.  I know that he is really Yours and that I am just his earthly parent, and I am honored that I was chosen.  


Thankfully yours,
Sherry