Louis: TWELVE Months Old

So, a week and a half late, but there's been a lot going on.

We finally had Lou's twelve month well baby visit Friday and he is weighing in at one ounce shy of 20 lbs, which puts him in something ridiculous like the 10th percentile for weight. He is either 30 or 30.5 inches (it was really hard to keep him still), which is between the 50 and 75th percentile for height. His head is on the same curve and so I totally didn't pay attention to the numbers. He's a string bean.

He's really close to independent walking which will, without a doubt, do me in. He is the fastest crawler I have ever seen and climbs with the agility of a mountain goat. He is a lean, mean, motoring machine. Norah calls him her "cute little monster." I can't really disagree with her. He opens cabinets, pulls things off shelves, crawls under beds, and gets himself into as many perilous situations that are possible in one day. You can't turn your back on him for a second or you will find him in a dresser drawer or licking the shower drain. He's doing a lot of independent standing and has taken a few steps, but I do think we are still weeks away from actual walking.

He's done with bottles with the exception of one bottle of formula before bed (as soon as the can is gone, he's totally done), and has transitioned well to whole milk. His eating has really taken off, with his favorites being any kind of meat and any kind of carb. He especially loves salmon and french toast. He's hit or miss on fruits and vegetables and I have resorted to pureeing veggies and hiding them in meatballs or pasta sauce or otherwise sneaking them in to something he finds more appealing. He will self-feed from those squeezeable pouches of baby food, so he gets some veggies in that way as well. He's actually surprisingly good with a fork and spoon and I can get him to eat stuff like yogurt if he feeds himself. Mealtime has become a bit challenging because he is a flinger. As in, flings food. Flings utensils. Flings his milk cup. I mop the floor. A lot.

His favorite activities include: destroying the train table, hiding small toys in bigger toys, splashing in the bathtub, tackling stuffed animals, and climbing anything he isn't supposed to be climbing. His favorite toys are: his ride on car, and and all balls, his drum, the ball popper, and a wooden puzzle with colorful animals. He currently hates: having his diaper changed, being told no, and being banished from Norah's room.

He is still taking two solid naps a day, sometimes for up to two hours each. This past week he's been waking up at 4:00 am wanting to party, which is about to do us in. I really, really, really hope it's just a phase. He's getting better at entertaining himself for a bit in his crib before demanding to be rescued. Although, I am not sure how I feel about that. The other day I went to get him up from a nap and he was holding his night light. The stinker apparently reached out, got it out of the outlet, and proceeded to hold it up triumphantly as soon as I walked in to get him. Ugh.

He's a big talker and says, mama, dada, , go, got it, ball ("ba"), and cat ("ca") in the correct context. He loves his sister and has started wrestling her. We are having a bit of an issue with him head butting everyone (I thought he cracked my skull the other day), and when he gets really excited he will flail his arms and take out anyone in his path. He thinks his cousins (especially the big ones) are the bees knees.

We are so lucky to have him and can't wait to see what the next several months bring (I hope not more headbutting).