Everyday holds the possibility of a miracle...: 13 Months Old

Dear Nathaniel,

13 month old big boy!

Today, you are 13 months old. It just doesn't seem possible that it has already been a month since your first birthday. The month of April just flew by for our little family.

"April is over already?"

In April, you got the awesome opportunity to take a five night cruise with Mommy's music students to Bermuda. Daddy and Grandma came too. You had a great time on the cruise ship, and you made friends with everyone you saw! Everyone commented to us that you were such a happy, cheerful, friendly little boy. You even got to play on the beach for a few minutes (the weather wasn't great, so we didn't last very long out there!) Before we left for our cruise, you also got to visit with Uncle Emil and check out the robotics competition that he was judging. It was really cool to watch robots throw frisbees!

Just before eating some sand...

Wearing your goggles around the robots!

You are definitely a growing boy! Some of your 6-12 month clothes still fit, while others are too tight. You mostly wear 12 month clothing, but there are a few 18 month outfits creeping their way into the rotation. Mommy just put away another few bins of your old clothing. You are nursing when you wake up, when Mommy gets home from work, and at bedtime, but Mommy definitely isn't pumping anymore. You started to drink cow's milk instead of your bottle when Mommy is at work, but you don't seem to be a huge fan of it yet. We may give you coconut milk instead soon to see if you like that better. You do drink water out of your sippy cup like a champ, though! Lately, you haven't been enjoying chicken like you once were, but we're hoping that's just a phase. If you could live on bread, cheese, fruit, and pasta, you'd be a happy camper.

You like to pretend to "cook" in your kitchen

You've been sleeping very well lately, save for waking up a bit early. You like to wake up around 5:30 some mornings, and once you see Mommy, you want to nurse right away. If Daddy picks you up, you will go back to sleep (usually on him). Some mornings, Daddy will just cuddle you back to sleep (and will nap with you), so we all get just a little more sleep. Your middle of the night wakings are few and pretty far between. You even slept well on the cruise! Thank you for that, buddy!

Oooh! The face of a well-rested little guy!

You are practically running all over the place now. You barely ever crawl, preferring to walk to get around. You can climb up the entire flight of stairs in the house. Now, we need to teach you how to go down the stairs. You are always on the go, and it is exhausting keeping up with you!

How we seem to view you frequently - taking off away from us!

The weather has been getting nicer and nicer so we have been spending a lot more time outside. You got a lot of great outdoor toys for your birthday, so we have been making good use of those!

Playing with bubbles!

Grillmaster Nate!

You have six teeth, and we are fairly certain that you are working on molars. You are constantly chewing on your fingers and drooling. We haven't been able to feel them yet, but you aren't letting us poke around there much. (I don't blame you!) You had your one year checkup at the pediatrician and you weighed in at 22 lbs 12.5 oz, you are 30 inches tall, and you have a head circumference of 18.4 inches. This put you right around the fiftieth percentile across the board. You are growing well and we are so pleased about this!

Look at those adorable, chubby thighs!

You are chatting up a storm, but we just don't know what you are saying yet! You say a lot of "Mamamama" and "Dadadada". You have a ton of syllables that you use, but I wouldn't say that you are really "talking" yet. Mommy is so anxious to hear you start putting meaning to words - you seem to have so much to say and I can't wait to hear what is going on in that little mind of yours. You have started blowing kisses and giving high fives. Grandma got your first blown kiss the night before she left to go back to Ohio after the cruise.

What's going on in that mind of yours?

Nate, you are the light of our lives. I just can't say that enough. You are the center of our world and Mommy and Daddy love you so much. Keep smiling, kiddo - you make us smile every day!