He's gone from being a tiny newborn
to being a cute baby
to being a world traveler
to being a comedy performer
to turning one year old
What a journey it's been. This year has been the most difficult year of my life. I have slowly grown into my role as a mother to a young human, and I really love the little dude.
HIGHLIGHTS:
He can communicate now. It's limited, but Bradley can use his words and sign language to communicate with us. His favorite word is mom and bye bye. He also can say baby, duh (dad), duh (all done), bbbbbbbbbbbb (boob/nurse), yay, ba (banana), ha (hello, hi) and occasionally papa. His signs have slowed, but he can sign all done, bye/hi, book and he can point at EVERYTHING, especially things he wants. He has come up with his own sign for no, and it is my favorite thing in the world. He has a pointed finger and he waves it around, almost like a sassy woman saying "Oh no you didn't" It's hilarious.
He loves books. He will actually say no when he doesn't want to read a certain book. His favorite used to be Brown Bear Brown Bear, but lately, he's refusing that one. He loves Pat the Bunny, Hippos Go Berserk (my favorite), Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Colors. He likes to flip the pages, and he will read a book by himself. He loves his bath books, too.
He is still a champion sleeper. He was going to bed at 6:30 and sleeping until 7am, but now he's going to bed around 7:30pm and waking around 6:30am. I'll take it! He falls asleep easily in my arms, and if he doesn't, I can put him in his crib and after about 30 seconds of protesting, he will quiet and fall asleep. It's beautiful.
He is still nursing twice a day: in the morning and after work. He is very, very adamant about it. If Bryan gets him in the morning (rare for my sleepyhead husband), Bradley will refuse to be happy until he's got me and until he's nursing. He will literally throw a tantrum after work while I take off my shoes and change before I nurse him. I'm trying to teach him that crying and throwing himself face first on the floor will not speed up my getting ready to nurse him, but as of yet, there is no progress. Since I have no real reason to quit, I will continue to nurse him until he weans. At this point, I do not see an end in sight. Twice a day is manageable.
He's been drinking almond milk since he refuses formula and any of my pumped milk (WHICH MAKES ME ANGRY. There goes my whole freezer stash, hours of pumping, cash for the bags and pump). But, it's okay. He likes almond milk and he likes water and watered down juice. This weekend, I will introduce cow's milk with finger's crossed. I have not had cow's milk in more than increments of sips since I was 2 years old. Wish me luck.
We made the switch from onesies to t-shirts. I have a few onesies in the size he's in right now (6-12 month, 12-18 month), but I'm trying to only buy new clothes in t-shirt and short sets. I might also be addicted to buying colorful shorts for him. They're just too cute! He can often wear the same outfit all day which is impressive considering a year ago, he would be in three to four a day.
He has seven teeth and uses them to crunch on Cheerios, puffs, crackers and anything else crunchy. I think crunchy is his favorite texture. He loves fruit like bananas, blueberries, watermelon, cantaloupe and grapes. He is obsessed with broccoli. If he sees it, he wants it. All other veggies are hit or miss, depending on his mood, how they're prepared and if he's cranky. He still eats baby yogurt like it's ice cream. Speaking of, I let him try my weight watchers ice cream bars, and he loves them. He loves ice cream (who doesn't?). His favorite other foods are rice, cheese, spaghetti, applesauce, chili, and toast. We're going to work on feeding him more meals. His typical dinner is an appetizer of Cheerios while I cook the food. Then he gets blueberries, cheese, crackers and whatever veggie we're eating. He has refused purées. He wants what were eating...unless he waves his hand around.
His favorite things to do include playing Peekaboo Barn on my cell phone, playing peekaboo with me around couches or walls, playing hide-n-seek (with me hiding), flipping light switches or dimmers, going swimming, splashing in the faucet, splashing in the bath, going for walks, chasing the Roomba, stealing remotes, pushing any and all buttons on any and all electronic devices.
He loves lights. The light in the car when you open the door. The living room light. Lamps. Lights from phones. Lights from alarm clocks. I mean, light is pretty amazing. Awe of technology.
The sweetest thing he does is hug. He will climb into my lap and rest his head on me and says Awwwww. It is the cutest thing. Of course, I saw awwww back and he must think hugs are called awww. I love this! He's still learning kisses, those come rarely, but they are sweet when he does give kisses.
He's crawling on his hands and knees. He is too cautious to walk. He must have hands or couches or tables or something to hold or he will plop to the ground and crawl. We got him a popcorn popper for his birthday. He loved it and then got too scared to use it. He's fearful and does not care to try to walk.
He's really becoming a little person. He isn't a morning person. He's adorable and sweet and quite curious. And he has no idea what kind of awesome party he's in for tomorrow!
Happy birthday, Bradley!
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