Max at 1 Year

Today, on his birthday!

Our sweet little Maxie is one today!  I can't believe it.  He seems so much smaller and younger to me than Andy did on his first birthday.  And with Andy, I was so excited it was his birthday! But for some reason, I just feel kinda sad this time around.  I'm not typically the one who thinks the first year is passing too quickly.  (If I could give birth to a one-year-old, I would!) But this must be what people feel when they tell their babies to stop growing up.  (Stop growing up, Max!)

Some things to remember about Max:

• He is the best baby.  So chill.  So accommodating.  Skips naps like it's no big deal.  Content to just crawl around and explore.  He doesn't need much.  
• He is into everything.  His favorite thing in the world is our drawer with all the measuring cups.  And the tupperware cabinet too.  He pulls everything out of them 10x a day.  (But it's starting to feel like 1,000x a day.) I don't mind too much because he's so good at entertaining himself.  He also enjoys splashing around in the toilet when Andy forgets to close the bathroom door.  
• He started crawling at the end of July, when he was just about 9 months old.  He stands and pulls himself up on things and is starting to use things to walk around, but I think we're still a ways from walking.  He doesn't stand independently yet.  He mastered climbing the stairs a few weeks ago and almost gave me a heart attack when I looked over and saw him halfway up our long, steep staircase. 
• He loves to be sung to.  On the very rare occasion that he needs consoling, if I sing to him, he's happy.  He loves Itsy Bitsy Spider and Pat-a-Cake, especially.  
• This boy is a serious eater.  He loves food! He's calm and mild until food is involved.  If you're not feeding him fast enough, he lets you know with an ear piercing squawk.  He's past pureed food now, and eats anything that we do.  (Despite not having a single tooth still! I'm not sure how he manages everything without teeth, but he gets along somehow.)  He loves "real food" and isn't impressed by "kid food."  For example, I made him mac 'n cheese the other day, and he wouldn't have it.  But the next night, he devoured our pretty spicy chicken curry.  Andy could survive on cheese, bread, crackers, unsweetened yogurt, etc. but Max thinks that's all pretty boring.  It's hard to even name his favorite foods because he really loves everything.  He usually has some dry cereal and a banana for breakfast.  Lunch is a PB&J with a pear or something.  Dinner is whatever we're all having.  The only thing he seems to not like is milk.  I've just started introducing it this week, and we're not successful so far.  
• He has to be THE messiest eater in the universe.  I really loathe cleaning up after him every meal.  There is food everywhere:  all over him, the floor, the highchair.  He needs a new set of clothes after every meal, and I have to mop every time he eats, too (which happens to be my least favorite chore ever).  
• He still nurses twice a day, to my great surprise.  I thought for sure we wouldn't make it to a year!  I thought around 9 or 10 months he'd wean himself for sure.  He just never seemed to want to nurse.  I dropped down to only three feedings a day around 10 months, and that helped me not feel like I was trying to convince him to nurse all day.  I dropped the mid-day feeding a couple weeks ago, and we just do morning and night now.  He doesn't eat much and only nurses for a minute or two--it's more of a comfort thing.  I'll probably keep one or both of those feedings for a while, at least until Cameron and I go on a trip or something and I'm forced to wean.  
• Sleeping!  We're in a pretty good place.  He goes to bed at 7 and usually wakes up once in the early morning to nurse, around 5 or 6, and then will go back to bed til 7:30 or so.  (We usually have to wake him up.)   On the rare occasion, he'll wake up twice a night.  He usually reserves this for the nights before I have a long run or race.  Little stinker. I've come to peace with the fact that I just don't make babies that sleep through the night until they stop nursing.  I guess there are worse things, right?  He's a fantastic napper.  He naps from 9-10:30 or 11 and then again from 1:30-3 or 3:30.  No problems there.  
• He has the sweetest giggle! He has this playful side of him that's started developing--he's such a tease!  He thinks it's so funny to pull my hair.  Or to clobber my face with his hand.  Also, he thinks it's the funniest thing in the world when I sneeze (real or pretend).  He loses it.  
• His most common sounds are "Dadadada," "Babababa," and an occasional "Mamama." His favorite thing to say is, "Uh oh!"  I'm going to go ahead and count it as his first word, because he says it when he drops things.  He's starting to mimic more and more sounds.  
• He still doesn't wave or clap.  Weird? 
• My favorite three moments of the day are the three times I put Max down to sleep.  I rock him with his head on my shoulder, and he nuzzles in and cuddles for a minute or two.  Oh my goodness, it's the best thing in the world.  It lasts for a minute or two until he wants to put his hand in my mouth.  (He has an undying interest in mouths.) 
• He has this annoying rash around his mouth that's been there for about a month.  I put aquaphor on it a few times a day.  It helps, but it's STILL there.  So annoying.  Go away rash!  I want to see my baby's pretty skin again! Not sure what the culprit is--dry skin?  Teething?  His unending runny nose?  
• Loves the baby swing.  And loves going down slides on his back.  
• I'm not sure on his measurements.  His well child visit is next week. I'm guessing he's about 24 pounds.  He's a chubby looking guy!  Still got lots of delicious baby fat on him. 

First bath together!  I think this was at the end of July.

This one's from early August. On my birthday, actually!

Cute, messy eater. He loved peaches from Cameron's parents.

11 Months

One of the first times he pulled himself up! Mid-September.

"What a genius idea to feed me boiled egg, mom.  Now it's everywhere in my eye."

Sunday best in September.  Max's first time wearing shoes. (!)

Choo-choo train down the slide. 

Andy snapped this one!

Earlier this month. Can you even handle it? I can't.