Well, we made it! Nolan is 12 months old... ONE WHOLE YEAR! I can't believe the day is actually here and that one year ago, I met my little love for the first time. He has accomplished SO much in the past 12 months, but this last month, little man has been on the move and has learned so many new things. He continues to run around everywhere and is constantly exploring the house, and whether he's ventured there before or not, he always acts like it's the first time he's seen a new room or place in the house! He is obsessed with the pantry and the laundry room, and we've since learned to keep these doors closed since it is a constant reminder that the dog treats and bags of rice aren't toys, and the laundry doesn't have to be done every ten minutes (i.e.: pressing the buttons on both machines)! He has learned to climb the stairs and mastered it very quickly, and is now one of his favorite things to do under close supervision. He has learned to fully support his weight when picking himself up from sitting position and can pull himself up without assistance of furniture or others. He has learned to do a forward roll with assistance and claps like a madman halfway through, showing his excitement! He's a thrower and is getting stronger by the day- whether it be throwing his toys (which we are working on teaching, No) or his absolute favorite (and our least favorite): throwing food off his high chair.
Nolan can put two and two together with many things now. He knows to go to the kitchen, either his high chair or the fridge, when asked "Do you want to eat?" or "Are you hungry?" He also knows to wait at the baby gate to climb the stairs when told, "It's time for a nap!" He has learned to follow commands extremely well, such as "Follow Mommy!" or "Show me your tongue, where are your eyes", etc. He has started the beginning of imaginative play, and enjoys talking on the phone (putting the phone up to his ear and babbling), taking temperatures with the thermometer (both his own and ours), playing peek-a-boo on his terms (he covers his face with blanket or towel) dancing out of nowhere, and giving big hugs and slobbery, open mouth kisses on his own terms. He will also select books he prefers and bring them to you, and fall into your lap as your cue to read to him. It's pretty cute!
Nolan continues to develop into the toddler stage by forming his own opinions and making them heard. He continues to be stubborn just like his parents (probably more so, which is scary!) and likes to do things his way and on his terms. This is something we are going to start working on soon so we don't raise a crazy child! His head banging doesn't occur as often and he now moves on to the screaming tantrums and big sobs when he doesn't get his way. We started our Mommy and Me classes again this month, and Nolan's anxiety has worsened since our last session. We signed up for Gymboree, just like last session, as well as a tumbling Gymcats class. He enjoys going and has a blast during free play, but once we sit in circle time, sing songs, clap hands, or do our rotational stations of gymnastics, he freaks! Huge screams and sobs make us "that kid" in our class... but we are willing to work through this and hopefully improve his anxiety by adjusting him to his new surroundings. Month by month we continue to learn how to deal with these tantrums... he gives us a run for our money with them but each time is another learning experience for how to handle the next!
He has learned a few more words since last month, and has since dropped a couple words he was previously saying. He no longer says bird, book, or bear, which is normal when learning new activities or other words. Hopefully they will come back, one day! Now, he constantly says, "that", while pointing to everything and anything. This is his way of communicating "What's that" and we repeat everything back to him that he points to. During Christmas, he learned that Santa Claus says, "Ho Ho Ho!" and could tell you when asked, "What does Santa say?" He has also learned "Caca" (for yucky) and when changing a smelly diaper or being told not to touch the trash can, he will repeat "Caca" before I can even say it. His favorite word is still dog-dog as he is constantly playing with and chasing Harley around. He has picked up another sign, and can signal "All Done" when he's finished eating. This is also another sign that he picked up on quickly, because I never really taught him this, other than doing the sign here and there but never consistently. He babbles a ton and makes a lot of new noises with his mouth, all exploratory for him to learn more words in the next few months, I'm sure!
Here's what else this crazy toddler has been up to!
Height, Weight, and Sizes:
Nolan's well-check came back all normal for his 12 months! He weighed in at 21 pounds even (46th percentile) 30 inches long (58th percentile), and 18 inches head circumference (38th percentile). He has been slow to gain weight due to his constant activity! Yet, he's still in the normal range for all of his stats and no concerns. He gained another tooth in the last month, and although we thought his next tooth would be his bottom incisor to finish his front teeth, we were wrong! He popped tooth #8, his top left molar, on January 12th. He definitely had more teething symptoms with this molar than any of his other teeth, so we aren't super excited about cutting the next three... we will see how it goes!
Nolan's well-check came back all normal for his 12 months! He weighed in at 21 pounds even (46th percentile) 30 inches long (58th percentile), and 18 inches head circumference (38th percentile). He has been slow to gain weight due to his constant activity! Yet, he's still in the normal range for all of his stats and no concerns. He gained another tooth in the last month, and although we thought his next tooth would be his bottom incisor to finish his front teeth, we were wrong! He popped tooth #8, his top left molar, on January 12th. He definitely had more teething symptoms with this molar than any of his other teeth, so we aren't super excited about cutting the next three... we will see how it goes!
Nolan continues to wear 18 month clothing for the most part. He has some 24 month shirts that he fits into, but most others as well as all of his pajamas are 18 months. He is still in 12-18 month size bottoms with his tiny waist and continues with size 4 diapers.
Feeding:
Nolan has moved from eating a mixture of solids and purees to eating pretty much every meal of what Jason and I eat. He rarely eats purees and if he does, it's usually for breakfast when he's being fussy and I can't get him to eat much else. He continues to like all foods and definitely takes after his Daddy since Mommy is so picky! Nolan has tried spicier things and has tested his limits with larger, chewier, and chunkier pieces of finger foods that are age appropriate. He tried peanut butter for the first time, and had no allergic reactions and really enjoyed it, so I'm sure we will be eating lots of that in the future! He had his first taste of real sweets this past month, with the holidays and his birthday, I couldn't resist! He likes cakes, cupcakes and chocolate, but isn't a sweet tooth like his Mommy. He would choose veggies over sweets at any time... and I'll take that! He still loves anything dairy (cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt), waffles, pastas, snacks (like puffs, cheerios, and rice puffs- like pirates booty) and has become a fan of meats (chicken, pork, beef) if cut up small enough. This kid will seriously eat anything though... so yay!
We successfully made the switch to whole milk and just recently finished our stash of frozen breastmilk! Nolan was fed breastmilk for his whole first year and I was happy and fortunate to be able to provide this for him like I desired. Although it was never fully in the plan- I started with the mentality of pumping for 3 weeks, then 3 months, then 6 months... etc.- I am so proud that we made it one whole year of him receiving breastmilk! The transition was simple and he took to the whole milk fine. We started with 80/20 of BM to whole milk, then moved to 50/50, and finally 80/20 and 90/10 of whole milk to BM. He continues to receive 4 bottles of milk a day, and I will continue this until we make the switch from bottle to sippy cup, which will start in the next few weeks once he is solid on whole milk for a while. After that switch, we will work on cutting down the amount of times a day he receives the milk, from 4 to 3.
Sleeping:
Nolan continues to sleep with the same schedule he has had for the past few months, and definitely still needs his two naps a day for about an hour - hour and a half each. He usually wakes around 7:00AM, with naps around 10:00AM and 3:00PM. Bedtime is usually between 8:00PM - 8:15PM, pushing it a little later now that he's a bit older. He is starting to become familiar with when he gets tired, and a few times, has asked for a nap by standing by the gate right around the time we go upstairs. At nighttime, once we are finished with milk and books, we say our goodnights, he asks for his pacifier and he will snuggle in, knowing it is time to sleep. Hopefully he will continue to love his sleep as he always has as we enter the toddler years!
Firsts & Milestones:
-First haircut (12.15.14)
-Climbs stairs unassisted
-Can show tongue when asked, blinks eyes when asked where are your eyes?
-First Christmas!
-Makes connections ("Are you Hungry?" walks to kitchen or fridge)
-First New Year's Eve celebration
-First molar (8th tooth)
-FIRST BIRTHDAY!
-Can say That, CaCa, Ho Ho Ho (during Christmas)
-Picks himself up from sitting to standing
-Hands Up for "Up" and down for "Down"
-Signs "All Done"
-Learned forward roll with assistance
-Asks "That" and points to everything
Likes:
-Balloons
-Washer & dryer and pressing the buttons on both
-Raiding the pantry
-Rocking musical giraffe
-Exploring
-Giving hugs and kisses on his own terms
-Putting things under the couch
-Climbing the stairs
-Asking "That"
-Snack cups (with cheerios and puffs)
-Sippy cups and water bottles
-Reading books, especially picking his own and bringing them to you to read
-Playing chase and running away
-Dancing to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
-Playing in the fridge and freezer
-Lemon juice
Dislikes:
-Gymboree and Gymcats classes (sitting in circle time)
-Gymboree and Gymcats classes (sitting in circle time)
-Getting frustrated when trying to stand and going to fast
-Teething with molars
-Being told No
-Wiping hands and face after eating
-Being wrapped in his towel after a bath
-Throwing his pacis out of his crib, then not being able to get them
happy first birthday, little man!
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