12 Months Old

Dear Miles, 

Here I am writing your 12 Month letter, and you're already 14 months - oops!!!! I guess it should have a different title...Time has been flying lately. Faster than usual. Not long after your 1st Birthday, your daddy was offered a job in Auburn, AL. We decided to take the job and move our family back "home." I'm so excited you will now get to grow up living near both sets of your grandparens! Since then, everything has been crazy. We did VBS for a week, sold our home, packed our home, said goodbye to friends, and we've been living at Nana and Papa J's house for a little less than a month now. I am just now feeling settled enough to start blogging again. Soon, we will be moving to our new home here in Opelika, and I will be too busy to blog again :) I wanted to write your last letter before I forget everything.

Let me first say that you are an absolute precious baby boy (yes, you're still my baby)! You are PACKED FULL of life! You try to keep up with all of us in all that we do, and you do a pretty good job! You especially have to keep up with Carter - it's tiring being your referee but the two of you are adorable playing and romping around together! Some of my favorite moments are when you cuddle up to me and lay your head on my shoulder (after you wake up & when you meet stranger). It doesn't happen often, but it warms my heart every time.

Here's you at your 1st Birthday: 

Here's a picture of you and your brother (2 years 10 months):

On a regular basis, Carter will say "Come on Miles, let's doe play." I also hear "No, Miles, Noooooooooooo" on a regular basis :) You guys stick together. At all times - good, bad, or ugly.

Here are some of the things we did the past few months: 

• You got a water table for your 1st Birthday. We have enjoyed playing with it. We will miss this backyard! 

• We went to Bamie's college graduation in Dayton, TN. 

• We went on a hike on Mother's Day and enjoyed time as a family. You couldn't stay awake on the hike back to the car! 

• We had a playdate at Big Spring Park and fed the ducks/geese/fish...you fed yourself.

• We attended our Sunday School class going away party in Huntsville. You and your friend Tyler loved sitting in the pink jeep. I don't think either of you cared a bit that it was pink :)

• You and your brother LOVE riding around in the John Deere Gator at grandmama and granddaddy's house. You are always the passenger, but I have a feeling you'll be driving soon!

• We celebrated the 4th of July, and you even got to hold your first sparkler - with LOTS of help!

Here are some things you are doing now: 

• At 1 year, you weigh 22 lbs. 12 oz. (50th) and you were 30 1/2 in. long (75th).
• You weaned very well. You went down to 2 feedings a day, and then daddy took me on a weekend getaway for my 30th birthday. You stayed with grandmama and were totally weaned to whole milk when we got home! You still take a bottle with warmed whole milk about 2-3 times a day. I'm not going to take that away from you at this point since our lives have had a lot of changes recently.
• You do not eat any babyfood anymore. You eat everything we eat. 
• At 13 months, you decided you were going to use a spoon and fork, and you're not too bad at it! You pretty much won't let us feed you anymore, but you get frustrated that you can't feed yourself :) 
• At 14 months, you decided you didn't want to sit at a high chair. You now sit in a booster seat like a big boy. 
• You're drinking from a big boy sippy cup now (at 14 months).
• You have 8 teeth (4 on top, 4 on bottom).
• You sleep about 12-13 hours every night.
• You take two naps a day. You are not even close to dropping a morning nap!
• You took your first connected steps on the day of your first birthday party (May 4th)! You started getting pretty good at connected steps just before we moved to Opelika. You are now (as of the first week in July) an all out walker! You try your hardest to keep up with Carter.
• You like your bouncy zebra toy you got for your first birthday. 
• You love to slide! 

• You are a climber. You climb up onto chairs, couches, tables, benches, beds, and you try to jump off. Luckily, I have been there to catch you most of the big jumps. I don't think you fear anything.
• You can shake your head "no" now (@ 14 mos)
• You can say mama, but you REFUSE to do it! Now (@14 mos.) you shake your head no when I ask you to say mama. You will say dada and run to the door. You love your daddy. You give him more snuggles than anyone else (Grandmama is next on that list). You say Nana, and Nana is pretty proud of that :) 
• You like to pretend to shoot guns. Yes, you live in a majority-boy household. You make  the funniest little high-pitched lip sound when you are "shooting." Your brother and daddy taught you this. 
• Your favorite toy is ANYTHING your brother is still playing with! 

Here is your typical schedule...

8:00am - Wake up / Breakfast & Milk / Play

10:00 - 11:30am - Naptime (you drink the rest of your breakfast milk before going down)

11:30am - Play

12:30pm - Lunch & Milk 

1:30 pm - Naptime (you drink the rest of your lunch milk before going down)

3:30 - 4:00pm - Wake and Play / Snack

6:00pm - Dinner & Milk

7:30-8pm - Bathtime (on bath nights) / Milk / Bed

REPEAT...

I can't believe I've written you an entire year of letters already. Like I tell you on a regular basis, "God made you so special, and he has a special plan for your life." Always remember that. I cannot wait for you to start talking more and more and get to see how your language and life develops over the next year. I will update the blog as I can. We are going to have a lot going on this Fall! I'm pretty excited :)

I Love You,

Mommy

PS. This is what your brother did when he was 1 year  old.