GC: 12 months

oh my heck...my baby is one. HE'S ONE!!! well..not til tomorrow, but still. a year ago right now, i was sent home from the hospital after i thought maybe it was "time" (since i was already dilated to a 3 i didn't want to take any chances by waiting at home too long), we went to the tail end of dinner with some friends, and then played some rummy at my grandpa's with my mom and dad....
the waiting game....
waiting for those "hard contractions" i had heard so much about but hadn't felt, yet.  
waiting to meet my little boy who was continuously elbowing me in the left side.
waiting....
it was TORTURE!! 
{grant's full birth story here}

his twelve month update {and last sheep carpet update and pics because he is too big and has better things to do than lay on a carpet for a picture}:

sleep: we had three BEAUTIFUL nights starting with daylights savings day where he slept through the night completely!! it was a miracle. three in a row!! we thought it was too good to be true...well...turns out it was. he went right back to his normal routine after those three days of teasing us. then he cut a tooth and sleeps EXTRA awful when that goes down. so....that's where we are at. 

eating: this has been tricky for me lately. i have been trying to get him to eat more solid food that isn't puree and it hasn't been going SUPER well. he just doesn't seem interested. in any of it...besides nursing. i feel like he knows that weaning is coming...and so he's soaking up every last bit...literally. i still can't believe i made it to a year!!! those first few weeks i never thought that would happen. so crazy to think about. but anyway...i have asked before but any tips on what to start feeding babies transitioning to toddlers with no molars...let me know!

milestones: his 12 month appointment with the doctor isn't til after his birthday, so i don't know all his official stats but as of right now he weigh's 21 ish lbs and is around 28 inches tall and as of yesterday has 6 teeth! finally. those top two sides were tough for him. he officially crawls more on all four's now. he only army crawls if he's on a hard surface cause he can slide faster. he stands a lot by himself now without holding onto anything and we have gotten him to take a step a couple times, but he's still too chicken to do it because he wants to. but he's definitely got his balance down good!
he doesn't say much more than "mama" and "uh-oh" these days...but he slips in a "dad" sometimes and i have gotten him to say "blue".
he does like to mimic sounds though. just not words haha.
he loves to dance. any time music is on or sometimes i sing-talk {if you know what i mean...i don't know how to explain it...it's a musical over here all the time} and he always dances to it.
i do random beats with my hands sometimes...like slapping my thighs then clapping, etc. etc. and he has caught on and does it with me now. it's the cutest thing ever. i have a little future stomper on my hands. :)

some things to remember: 
you officially know how to fold your arms for prayer. and basically picked it up in like a day. now i don't even say "fold your arms"..all i have to say is "lets say prayers" and you'll fold your arms. its adorable.
you do this funny blinking thing now. you'll look at us with your mouth open a little, head tilted up and give us a long slow blink and you think it's hilarious.
you fake laugh and then it turns into real laughs and i love it so much.



so, as i nursed my baby tonight before bed ... he fell asleep in my arms and stayed. he snuggled up to me and we rocked. {pretty rare....normally if he falls asleep while nursing, he quickly wakes up and wiggles around wanting to be laid in his crib so he can get comfy and go to sleep}. so we sat and snuggled and i just couldn't help but pray.
i thanked my Heavenly Father for the privilege it has been to be his mom this last year and for years to come.
how blessed i feel to have such a precious spirit in my home daily.
he has truly been the best gift i have ever received.
he gives me such purpose.
such happiness.
it's so cheesy and cliche but so true and so overwhelming.

i sat and admired every part of his little almost-one-year-old body. i grabbed his little hand and thought about how it's the first thing i ever saw of him. {he came out with his hand up by his face...so when i peaked to see him during labor...that's what i saw :) } i thought about how much he had changed in the last year...how hard those first few weeks were...how much he has changed me. i cannot express how much i love him and i thank my Father in Heaven daily for him. what a joy it is to be a mother. thanks for making me one, grant. happy birthday.