12 month updates!

We took Jacob to his 12 month appointment with Dr. Kinsella today! Dan took the day off work so we could get Jacob's 12 month pics taken this am and go to his appt together this afternoon. Jake weighed in at 20lbs 4.5oz and measured 31 inches long (90th percentile still! :) We can offer almost all foods now (except for peanut butter which we will introduce at age 2). I let Dan do the dirty work this time and hold Jake during his shots, and then, after some tears and cuddling, we were off to the Grayslake Farmer's Market. It was a great day!

Jacob has been developing by leaps and bounds! He is much more vocal, speaking in his own 'baby language'. It is so much fun to hear him babble! He especially loves to read to Daddy during storytime (that is, after pulls each book off the shelf one by one! haha) He is 'signing' often to commnicate with us, which I love! He signs 'more', 'food', 'all done', 'yay', 'so big', 'hair', and puts his head down when we say 'pillow'! :)

Jacob's new thing is turning lights on and off. Before he was content watching someone else turn the light on/off, but now he has to be the one flipping the lightswitch - haha. We could spend all day doing that. And that is his favorite thing to do in the car too, so someone better be sitting with him back there otherwise we have an unhappy baby who wants the light ON! :)

Jacob is much more solid on his feet now. He is walking steadily while holding our hands, which is an improvement from before when he had no interest (he knew he could get somewhere much quicker crawling :) He loves to walk across the living room with his mail cart & lawn mower! Then he stops to clap for himself :)  It is fun to watch. He is not walking on his own yet, but I believe it will happen in the near future!

Jacob is a big boy now and lets us brush his teeth with his little blue toothbrush :) Well, most of the time. Sometimes he purses his lips and wants nothing to do with it. But he is getting used to getting his teeth brushed.

Jacob LOVES doggies! We have 2 dogs on our street and Jacob cannot get enough of them! One is a tiny white fluffy dog and the other is a tiny brown dog named Bella. When he sees them, he points at them and yells 'Da!' He is absolutely amazed by these furry little beings, and he actually cries when they are removed from his sight. I don't like it when he cries of course, but I have to say, it is pretty funny that he is so attached to these dogs.

We are working through the weaning process. I originally planned to be done nursing by one year, but Jacob wasn't too fond of whole milk, so our transition is moving a little slowly. I've been able to successfully cut all daytime nursings out except for first thing in the am and last thing before bed, which works well for us right now because I enjoy these two feedings and the bonding time that it offers both Jacob & me.

So... again I say, "Really?! One year? How is that possible?!" But our little man is indeed one year old. He is a beautiful, amazing little human. As his mama, not only do I find him to be the most beautiful baby I have ever laid eyes on – with his bright blue eyes, little light brown curls, and glowing skin – but he is hilarious! He does things that make me laugh every day. I love watching him play and learn and although he is already showing tendencies of being a strong-willed little one, I love every bit of him! Here are some pics from his 12 month photo session. Enjoy!