12 Months Old

Dear Justin,

It's HERE!!! Your birthday is here! You are 1 year old today! And what a big day it was for you! You suddenly are full on walking. Just as I predicted, you just decided you were ready to walk and voila- you're doing it! You started taking a few little shuffle steps about a week ago. You've been walking with someone holding your hand for several weeks now, but you've gotten really stable in the past couple of weeks. Then all of a sudden, today you started walking several feet at a time and not even necessarily to anyone, just walking from point A to point B because you want to. We're so proud of you.

We had a very fun "Bug" themed birthday party for you this past weekend. You were very popular- around 35 people showed up, including Maimie and Papa from Walnut Creek, to wish you a Happy Birthday including 12 little friends that were all 4 and under. It was quite the birthday bash! You had a lot of fun eating your cake. You went straight for the fondant bugs and stuffed them into your mouth until you could hardly even chew. Then you went face first into the "dirt mound" (chocolate cake w/ chocolate frosting and oreo crumbs). It was perfect. You had a lot of help from your friends opening your presents. I think they enjoyed that part more than you did! Your friend Jackson (age 4) was excited to play with some of them next time he comes over. We opened a couple more gifts from Mom and Dad at home and you knew just what to do with that wrapping paper...rip it off!

Right now, you love plungers, the broom, and the vacuum and/or dust buster for some reason. You continue to be fearless and will close yourself into a dark room without hesitation. You LOVE to be chased and teased and are really into stuffed animals. You give them loves and lay with them on the floor. Speaking of laying...you are quite the lounger sometimes; it's really funny. The other day you were even spotted lounging on the couch with the remote in hand! (that's another one of your favorite toys!) You're quick to figure out how toys work and remember for the next time you pick them up. You search through your books for specific ones and thoughtfully look through their pages all on your own. You can clap your hands and have started doing "so BIG" again. Just today you started picking up the phone and saying in a high little squeak "iiieee." You pick up hats and attempt to put them on your head, but as soon as I put them on you, you take them off again. The same with glasses. You like to jump in your bed like a little monkey and sometimes entertain yourself in there for a good 20 minutes after you wake up.

Your family has all thought about us being in the hospital a year ago today and what an amazing experience it was bringing you into the world. We were so blessed and watched over from on High. Even though you are 1, you are definitely still our precious baby. You are cuddly, clever, sweet, squishy, bouncy, smiley, and perpetually happy. Your stats at 1-year are:

Height - 29 3/4" - 48%

Weight - 23 1/4 lbs. - 56%

Head Circumference - 17 3/4" - 15%

*I was worried about his head being so small, but the Dr. said it was fine- it's not an indication of his intelligence, and his head has been growing steadily since birth. It's just always been small.