HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEO!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEO!

(He plays at this window all day...he loves to drive his cars on the ledge. Too cute!)

In so many ways I can not believe my baby is one...it seems like such a big milestone! Yet at the same time I hardly remember life without him in tow. Either way, we are super happy to have Leo in our family! He is a super special little guy that we love to death. Here are some facts about him at 1 year old:

I weighed him on the scale this morning and it said 24.4 pounds...which seems kind of light to me...and is the same he weighed a month ago at Christmas. However he definitely seems a lot taller and leaner to me though- hello, he is walking, nay, running now! We'll get an official weight when we go in for his well-check next week.

(Leo with a birthday gift- a train play tent!)

Leo is so fun to play with now; he is really able to respond and it is so cute. He learns so fast- we show him something once and then that is how he is doing it too. He loves cars and trains and anything with a wheel...and it just melts my heart to watch him push the car along and make noises for it! He is seriously so smart! :) *I'm a proud mom, can't you tell?*

(Leo at McDonald's for his birthday dinner!)

He talks all the time, babbling as he makes laps around our apartment nonstop all day. Although it sounds like he says a lot of things because he imitates our intonation so well, his most recent real word is "cookie". Perhaps that is telling on me as a mother- I love my cookies and so does he!

Eating is still pretty good at our house...and when we go out we have to order him a whole kid's meal for himself or we don't get hardly any of the food we were going to "share".

(He couldn't stop watching the window washer!)

He has started eating the banana whole, instead of in slices, and can take bites off bread and such. He knows the word "bite" for sure! Veggies are still always a hit with him- green beans, peas, carrots, corn, etc. He drinks milk and water sometimes but always prefers apple juice- duh!

As I mentioned, Leo is a full-fledged walker now and is even starting to kind of run a bit. He usually gets going too fast for himself and loves to run to daddy when he gets home. I usually put on Leo's shoes when Nick calls to say he is on his way home and we go get the mail and wait outside...Leo loves to explore outside and play with the wheels on the real cars (and get his hands black in the process...I try to tell myself it isn't worth fighting but I hate it), but his favorite is when Nick comes rolling in. He now says "dada" over and over when we put on his shoes too- it is cute.

Leo is a good sleeper- knock on wood please but he usually sleeps around 7-7! His naps always vary, but as long as he sleeps that well at night I don't mind that much. He loves to play in his crib and has recently gotten in the habit (with our assistance) to throw his nuk down into his bed before he can get out...we are trying to not be that family with the walking, talking toddler that always has a binky. (Although I a not judging...we have those days where his nuk is in his mouth more than it is out for sure!)

(Bad picture I know, he is never still and my phone camera isn't great, but he loves the vacuum!)

For Christmas Leo got some MegaBloks (like giant legos) and he can put them together and take them apart now- perfect timing since he is getting more for his birthday! Another cute thing he does now is lay on the ground, belly down, to play with things...mostly push his cars around. He always kicks his right leg up too when he is in that position. He loves to read too and will turn pages all day if you let him- especially real pages, not board book pages.

Leo claps and waves and gives high-5 on command now- almost always. He is a sucker for peek-a-boo and plays it all the time with anything he can find! He holds his blankets and clothes in front of his face, he ducks behind the table and then springs up, etc. It is too darling...he loves the question "where is Leo?"

Leo has 6 teeth- 2 on bottom and 4 on top- and boy are they sharp! We've made the switch to size 4 diapers...and also switched from Pampers to Huggies- I love Pampers however the Huggies have elastic in the back that keeps it closer to the body. While this doesn't necessarily make much of a difference in keeping things in, it at least prevents him from looking like a plumber when he squats...which is all the time!

(I love him at this window ledge.)

He tries to jump, which is funny and cute, and dances constantly. To be honest I couldn't be more proud of anything than when he hears music and instantly starts waving his arms and rocking back and forth and bending his knees...I feel that same need to respond to music which is why I dance.

(He loves my smoothies...even with spinach in them!)

Unfortunately for me, he can get into almost any cupboard, child lock or not. He is obsessed with the one my makeup and jewelry is in which is always a fun battle. He has figured out to sit down when he doesn't want to be picked up and also to raise his arms straight up so I can pick him up under his arms like normal...that always makes it so much more difficult to pick him up which is definitely his point as he only does it when we are making him stop playing with cars outside and eat my earrings and such...you know, real mean things parents do.

(first chocolate chips!)

For his birthday celebration today Nick and I took him to McDonalds...what kid doesn't love that? But mostly we did it because after I delivered him and was starving (no food all day since he was born at 8:40pm) I requested a Big Mac even though I am pretty sure I had never had one before. It just sounded like the biggest thing I could think of and I knew I was really hungry. Thus we indulged in a BigMac tonight in honor of his actual birth day...such a sweet memory that I would do again in a heartbeat! He is having a little "train" party- family only- on Saturday...pictures of that to come I am sure! *Sidenote: I told Nick later to remind me that I never really want to eat a BigMac again unless I have been in labor. It was definitely not as good as a year ago!*

It is funny because when Leo was born I remember thinking that I couldn't love him any more than I did at that moment...but here I am now, definitely loving him on a whole other level! Brad Paisley says it best I guess..."and I thought I loved you then."

Happy Birthday little man!