I felt like the first six months took what felt like six months to pass. This last month has FLOWN by.
Bradley is so much more fun now! He's
eating trying to eat. He's laughing. He's playing sophisticated games like Peek-a-boo, Where's Mom? and Tug of War. He reacts to his name. He gives guys a judgemental look and flirts with ladies.
I think this is my favorite age. Maybe tied with newborn. (I loved him when he was tiny. And from what I've seen, he isn't getting tinier.)
He's trying lots of food. He has trouble understanding the whole swallowing food concept. He likes to suck on things and gnaw on things, but the swallowing, well, it's not really his thing right now. He's eaten purees of carrots (meh), peaches (alright), prunes (likes); pieces of green peppers (alright), tomatoes (meh), pickles (FAVORITE), baby carrots raw (likes), pork (FAVORITE), crust of pizza (whoops! likes), green beans (likes), mashed potatoes (alright), oatmeal (likes), risotto (meh), fingers (likes).
Because he now understands what food is - and that he should be wanting it - we have significantly changed
what we eat and
how we eat. We now have family dinners with Bradley in his high chair. We hold him while we cook, he gets to sample when we sample or he holds a spoon so he feels involved. We set the table and put him in his high chair, normally with raw carrots or green peppers (we always have a giant bag of baby carrots and/or at least two green peppers). We eat our dinner, and when he starts getting interested in what we're eating, we give him a tiny spoonful or plop some on his tray.
He loves to try to use a spoon. And I think he prefers an empty spoon to a spoon with food on it. If he throws or drops his spoon, there is no picking it up. He has to use his hands. I'm not sure if he's old enough or smart enough to understand the logic behind that, but I want to be one step ahead of him, so that the day he learns the throwing/dropping game, it's already over before it's even started.
We've had to pack up his bouncer and his kick'n coaster. Anything where he lays down is no longer fun. He's bored. He wants to be sitting, standing or scooting. He's semi-mobile now. He likes to sit and play with toys. If he's bored with sitting, he'll get on his stomach and backwards scoot around the carpet. No much, because please, he's a fat baby and he's pretty stationary because of his roundness and will be stationary because of his roundness. He loves it when we hold his hands so he can stand. He also loves to flip himself over if you leave him on his back. He can only play on the floor or in his crib; I can't leave him on the couch or the changing table anymore for fear of falling.
Bradley is growing into his personality. He is still a very serious baby. It takes a lot to make him smile. Guaranteed smiles: Patty-cake, me coming home at lunch or end of the day, foxy squirrel. It's a short list. He's a pretty content baby, just not all smiles with strangers or even with us all the time. He's a good kid: takes naps anywhere, travels well, loves to be out of the house, and is pretty good with other people holding him (although he prefers women over men).
He's in all twelve month clothes. It's crazy. It's hard to find onesies in 12 months, but I'm still not ready for the shirt/pants thing. I like the onesies. And I'm the mom, so I can keep dressing him how I like. I love his wardrobe.
Bradley has now visited four states: Oklahoma (duh), Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina. He has taken 14 flights and attended three parties. He's been in one comedy show and seen more than I can count. He's quite the chill baby. And like Colette said in NC, he is exactly my dream baby, the one I imagined when I was pregnant. I'm not sure how much is genetics/personality and how much is learned, as in this is all he knows.
Bradley has a passport and a visa to visit China as a tourist. We leave in a week and two days for his first international trip. It's pretty crazy. But at the same time, it's pretty normal for our family. I think we knew our kid would have a crazy life, a busy life, a life of travel. We didn't exactly stop to think how we would change our plans to fit a baby; we just made Bradley fit into our lives.
He's sleeping through the night now which is AWESOME. (EDIT: I've waited too long to finish updating, and he's now waking at 4am to eat...must be a growth spurt) When I put him down, he doesn't cry and goes right to sleep. It's awesome. He goes to bed sometime between 6:30 and 8pm depending on the night.
I'm truly happy, and I'm really starting to grow into my role as a mother. I love the guy. I think about him more, and I am really enjoying getting to know his personality. He is still serious, but he finds me and Bryan hilarious. I love his laugh! I really enjoy learning what he likes, doesn't like and what he could care less about. This is the fun part.
