Austin...the toddler.

And so it begins...

Bubs- you're ONE! I remember you waking me up on your birthday and we went out to the living room and watched Sprout. All day long, whenever The Birthday Song came on, I got crazy excited and started jumping up and down and singing it to you. You looked positively freaked the first time I did it, but after that- you thought it was pretty hilarious. I'm surprised I didn't cry at all during the two weeks we celebrated your birthday [seattle party/actual birthday/seattle party] and I still haven't cried. I think it's just easier to accept that you'll always be my baby no matter how big or old you get and that way I can kind of hold onto you a bit more.

You absolutely have rocked my world the last year [and few weeks since I'm late on this post]. When I found out I was pregnant, I was in the bathroom...your dad had passed out long before. I'd taken a test earlier in the day and thought for SURE my eyes were playing tricks on me so i made your dad come with me to get a digital test. So there I was, at midnight [I thought it was later[, peeing on a stick and waiting anxiously for that stupid dial thing to stop blinking so I could get my yes or no. And when it clearly showed PREGNANT. I pretty much died right there of happiness. I prayed for you. I wanted you the moment I knew your dad was the one.

The pregnancy was pretty easy, so I've heard. And when I compare it to your little sister's pregnancy...cheaaaaa thank you for making the transition easy on me...for the most part. And then came labor and delivery [again. THANKS for the help there bud.] and you were here. Omgah I couldn't get enough of you. You were the smallest little old man I'd ever seen. I'm talking Benjamin Button status, for sure. And you loved to cuddle. I remember having "talks" with you at night while I was in the bathtub [because that was the only place I felt truly comfortable] and asking you to just take it easy on us because we'd never been parents before and were scared to death. And you totally listened. I never truly felt sleep deprived because you inherited my "love to sleep" gene. You nursed like a champ and for a second, we thought you would break a ton of records for development and whatnot. But alas...we realized, you do things in your own time...never according to anyone else's schedule or agenda.

Current One Year Stats:

Height:

not sure yet, i have to measure. eep!

Weight:

22.6 lbs. a FAAAAR cry from the little five-pounder i pushed out

Head Circ:

not sure yet....

Diet Stuff:

you're officially off the purees and eating real food. whether it's prepacked toddler-type food or something we've cooked up, you're eating like a big boy. you can finally feed yourself finger type foods and have even picked up a fork/spoon every now and then. but for the most part we feed you still. and no more formula-HOORAY. i'm so glad you love milk and will guzzle it down. you also love water and will only drink it from a regular cup like mommy/daddy do..so that's fun. you're not too fond of juice which is going to be awesome when it comes to your teeth. you've got a crazy healthy appetite and love to eat pretty much always.

Sleep Stuff:

so in an effort to snuggle more since i know bella is on the way, i've brought you into our bed. and truthfully, it makes bedtime so much easier around here. lately, we give you a bath and get you ready for bed then lay down with a sippy of milk and just relax. there's no pressure and typically within twenty minutes, you're out. mommy can even use the computer right next to you and you don't even notice. you sleep for at least ten hours a night unless we have to wake you up for something. we're trying to get you to go to bed earlier, but with our schedules sometimes it just doesn't work. as far as naps- you're back to one a day. i try to get you down for another one when i can, but it rarely happens. you're pretty good about napping at the babysitters too..hopefully you'll keep it up when your sister gets here.

Teeth:

so on your birthday, you had your third tooth cut through. that was fun! and since then, you've had another one starting to poke through. currently, all of these teeth are on the bottom. so you look kind of like a reptile of sorts with no top teeth. lol. i did notice your top two teeth making slits in your gums today. teething officially sucks major kiddo. like really. i just wish you would go back to being the clingy, cuddly, sleepy teether. because this whiny one drives us nutso!

Other Stuff:

you walk! all the time! you hardly ever crawl unless you're trying to get somewhere incredibly fast, and even then you're likely to try this funny walk/run style. it's cute.
you are the cutest little chub dancer i've ever seen. if we want to see you smile, we turn on the music and watch you go nuts!
whenever you recognize the beginnings to a commercial, you stop. freeze. and pay attention.
you don't say any real defining words. although i'm coming to learn that "da!" said after mommy says no means you don't care what i just said.
you're still wary of strangers and will stare at them. you're starting to wave though.
my favorite pasttime is making you laugh when you're upset. either by saying "ew", "shh!" or doing some crazy faces with peekaboo, you crack. up. like. no. tomorrow.
bathtimes are insanity. we've resorted to leaving a towel on the floor because you through the toys out of the tub. and you usually have some tub or cup of water that you throw too....FULL OF WATER. so there's a little mini flood after bathtime.
your hair is still growing. it's like 4 inches in the longer spots and finally the thinner spots have defined curls. everyone is bugging me to cut your hair and i say leave me alone!! although i'll probably have some big hair cutting ceremony around the time your sister gets here.
you're officially a daddy's boy right now. mommy is only good when a)daddy isn't here and b)when you're truly upset and even sometimes daddy is best for those times.
you like to eat your shoes. i'll never understand it.
at night, you flop all around the bed and end up kicking daddy out of the bed most nights. i feel bad for him but in a few weeks we're moving your crib in our room so you're still close but there's room for us and your lil sis.
you still have no concept that you're a big brother and think "kiss the baby" means pull on my belly button ring.

Honestly son...I'm so blessed. Even on the horrible days...I'm so incredibly blessed to be your mom. I say it all the time, but you are the coolest kid ever. You do the most amazing, awe-inspiring things. And just when I feel like I can't take any more of your shenanigans, you cuddle up or give me umprompted kisses and I just melt right there on the spot. I love to smell your hair and kiss your face when your sleeping or in a cuddly mood. Talk about heart explosions.

I can't thank God, your dad, or you enough for everything that you have given and taught me over the last year. I never imagined that mommyhood would be THIS much fun and this natural. You are truly my kid in every sense of the word. And I love being your mom. More than anything, being your mom has taught me that I am good at this. Even when I suck everywhere else in the world, I'm great at being YOUR mom. And I'll never take that for granted. EVER.

I love you chub. Let's kick some toddler booty, shall we?!