The Adventures of Jack-Jack: June 2012

12 months

Nickname:

We seem to be saying 'Bug' less and less. 'Mister' is making a reappearance.

Weight:

23 lbs 7.5 oz ~ 80th%

{9 months ~ 21 lbs 5.5 oz ~ 80th%}

Length:

31 1/2 inches ~ 98th%

{9 months ~ 29 1/2 inches ~ 90th%}

Head circumference:

46.3 cm ~ 50-75th%

{9 months ~ 45 1/2 cm ~ 70th%}

Eating:

A week before your first birthday I decided to skip your morning bottle and feed you breakfast instead. From that point on you weaned yourself to two (milk, no more formula!) bottles a day. So now you are a breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner eater! Your favorite foods are blueberries, watermelon, blueberries, sweet potatoes, blueberries... For a moment it seemed like watermelon might be taking first place but then we did a taste test. And blueberries won! You are a great eater and always impress those who witness it for the first time. You have had 7 teeth (4 on top, 3 on the bottom) for what seems like forever. But just yesterday I noticed that your molars are coming in on the top and bottom on your left side.

Sleep:

You continue to be a great sleeper. Usually around 11 hours at night and then one long nap during the day (2-3 hours). But the last month you have shifted those sleeping hours from around 9:30pm (or even 10pm) to around 9 or 9:30am. Your mama thinks the morning sleep in is great but may actually prefer to have her evenings back. So we are going to work on shifting our bedtime a bit earlier. And pretty much the same bed time routine... a bottle while rocking you, sometimes all the way to sleep and sometimes just until you are drowsy.

Personality:

I just read what I wrote for you at 9 months and your personality really hasn't changed at all. You are still curious, daring and physical. Still happy, outgoing and playful. You still haven't entered the 'stranger danger' phase and basically like everybody from the start. And your separation anxiety has been more for your papa than for your mama. You will cry and fuss whenever papa leaves or goes into the bathroom and closes the door. And you get so excited when papa comes home from work and will cry and fuss if he doesn't pick you up soon enough or hold you for long enough. I like to think that you are just imitating Sunny! And you still love those things that are off limits to you, such as Sunny's dog bed. But we have now learned the importance of what to make a game vs what is off limits. We are definitely working on the meaning of 'no' now that you are capable of exploring more. You can really scream when you are in your high chair and are either done or want more food. Or when you don't want your diaper changed which is becoming more often.

Development:

You started to take your first steps just before you turned 10 months old. And quickly became a full fledged walker. Your latest achievement has been climbing on the couch by yourself. And thankfully you quickly learned how to get off by getting on your belly and sliding your feet off first. You are really talking but it's still your own language. You say 'mama' and 'dada' but not sure if you really mean us or not. You say 'a-ga' for again, we think you have said 'book'. Whenever you see a bird you try and do the sign by wiggling your fingers. And you spot and point to every airplane in the sky. You have started to shake your head 'no' when you know something is off limits to you.

Head to Toe:

You have a mop of big blonde curls, big blue eyes and the sweetest grin with a tiny freckle under your bottom lip on the right side. You still look like a cherub.

Favorite Things:

Playing peek-a-boo

Bringing us books to read to you

Playing with your magnets on the fridge

Giving kisses

Laying on the floor and waiting to be tickled
Music and dancing

Playing outside, especially if it involves rocks and sticks

Still having us chase you to Sunny's bed

Crawling through Sunny's dog door

Eating blueberries

Dislikes:

Having your diaper changed

Wearing a bib while you eat

Having your face wiped after your eat

I miss:
I can't really think of anything. You grow more amazing day by day.

What I look Forward to:

Your first true words

You are one today! And we celebrated at Magnuson Park on a beautiful sunny afternoon with our family and friends. You played on the beach, in the grass and was surrounded by love the entire day. And I can't begin to describe the feelings I had. Except that I was one proud mama. I had no idea how much joy I would get by simply baking your birthday cake. And I thought my heart was going to burst while we all sang you happy birthday. And the fun it was to watch you eat your cake. You first slowly picked off the blueberries and strawberries and then realized there was chocolate cake under there. You devoured most of it and had so much fun doing it! Jackson, I love you beyond words and am so happy you are in our lives.

Happy birthday!