Carson's Baby Journal -- Almost 13 Months

I haven't been able to find Carson's Baby Journal since we moved. It has to be out in some random box in our storage, and I plan on tackling that sometime soon. I just need to write down some of things that Carson is doing right now... before I forget.

He went to his 12 month check-up and weighed 24 lbs. 2 oz. and was 31 1/2 inches tall. He got 3 shots -- MMR, Chicken Pox, and Hep A. I opted out of the flu shot because I just felt like it was too many at once. I hope and pray he doesn't get the flu or RSV this year. He was pretty sad after the shots, but got over it quickly and has been back to his normal self for the past week. It took Travis and I a long time to decide if we wanted to get him vaccinated or not. All of the things people are saying about vaccinations is scary. We pondered and prayed about it a lot and decided to do it.

He loves his shoes. He knows that means he gets to go outside. He absolutely loves to be outside. He just looks around and walks all over exploring. He loves the playgrounds and just today he realized there are a bunch of steps leading to our apartment. He got about halfway up. He doesn't understand getting down from things yet. He just tries to lean forward and if we weren't watching that would be a big face plant. Unless he is super tired and ready for bed, he cries when we bring him back inside. The other things that he knows mean outside are the word "Bye", me putting the diaper bag over my shoulder, picking up the car keys or us putting our shoes on. When we do these things he either walks right up to us and wants us to pick him up or he walks over to the door and pulls the handle down to try to go outside. Either way, he does not want to be left.

He just learned to open up all of the cupboards in our kitchen this morning. I made the mistake of opening one in front of him and he walked right over and did it too. The cupboards don't have handles or any kind of lip and they are very close together, so I was hoping he just wouldn't figure out how to open them. He did and his favorite toys are, of course, all of the things in those cupboards. He also just likes the noise that it makes when he slams the doors.

He imitates all of the things we do. He started standing in one spot and running (it looks just like he is running in place). We think it is from watching his daddy do the P90X workout in the living room. When we laugh, he laughs. When we talk, he attempts to talk. When we run into another room, he comes running and laughing. When we shake our head, he closes his eyes and shakes his head back. If we clap or just say "Yay" he claps his hands. And he is quickly learning if your happy and you know it. He knows the "clap your hands" part and we are teaching him the "stomp your feet" part.

Although he can't talk (the doctor said he is behind because he should be saying "Mommy", "Daddy" and another word), he knows what things are. The other day I sat down in his room with him and was just hanging out and playing. He came and sat in my lap and I asked him if he wanted to read a book. I asked him to bring me one and he got up, went and picked out a book and came back and sat in my lap. After we read the book, I continued to ask him to bring me things. He would scan the room looking for that thing and go get it. Some of the specific things that he knows are: Book, (He knows a couple of titles -- Good Night Moon, Mr. Brown Can Moo, I Love You Through and Through, The Shape of Me and Other Stuff), Soccer Ball, Jesus, Monkey, Cow, Milk, Eat, Sleep, Nap, Bed, Cubby Bear, Animal Train (For that one, you have to sing the song that goes with his animal train toy and he will go press the button for you so it starts singing), Pacifier, Santa, and Phone (He won't get his toy phone, he looks for the real phone that we use). I am trying to teach him giraffe, piano and his body parts (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hands, feet). While trying to teach him these things, he likes me to sing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" and "My Hands". He doesn't participate in the motions he just stares at me and smiles.

He is still a sleeper. His bedtime is now 6 and he loves it. He still sleeps until the same time in the morning, usually 7:30 or 8. And now he takes one nap a day. If we put him down right at 10:30 give or take 10 minutes he will sleep for at least 3 hours. But if we put him down at any other time, he will only sleep for about 2 hours and sometimes less.

He is almost always happy. If he is cranky or crying you know that he is hungry, tired or sick or maybe hurt from falling--he is still a little wobbly. He likes to play with other little kids, especially at church. A few weeks ago, he gave a friend a hug and I almost cried.

He loves to run up and down the hall, laughing and watching his shadow on the wall. He likes the Family Feud music and the Final Jeopardy music.

Sometimes I try to lay on the floor in his room while he is playing. So that way if I happen to fall asleep he will be right there and I will hear if something is going on. Well, as soon as I lay down on the floor he takes that as an invitation to use me as a jungle gym. He climbs over my legs, back and forth and slides and falls on his face, gets up and continues climbing. He doesn't understand that it hurts when his tooth hits my head or when his fingernails, that need to be cut, scrape me all up. But I don't care, this is his form of cuddling and I'll take it. If I am sitting up he comes around and puts all his weight and pushes my back because he wants me to pick him up and yell. He laughs and laughs when I do it. But that is one of the few things that he will do with only me, not his dad. Which is funny, because his dad is so much more playful.

He transitioned from the bottle so quickly and easily, loves his sippy cup and loves milk. His favorite foods are chicken, quesadillas, pizza, applesauce and cheerios. Every day of feeding him is a whole different ordeal. For breakfast he seems to be able to eat anything and everything. Somedays he will eat vegetables and string cheese and then some days before you even try to get it close to him he will close his eyes, turn his head and get mad... especially if you keep trying. Yesterday I thought he just didn't feel like eating vegetables (I was hiding them in his chicken, but he kept finding them and spitting out the veggies) so I just put them all on his high chair and he ate them all up. Peas, green beans, carrots and broccoli. He is just full of surprises.