Baby Bear at 1

I know it’s cliché because I read this from every mother but I truly am amazed that my BABY is already 1.  In some ways it seems that there is no way the time passed so quickly and in others I can’t even remember what life was like without our tiny man.  Baron is such a precious little dude.  He’s sweet and snuggly like Jackson but their similarities end there.  He is very reserved and quiet.  Very cautious and calm.  Baron loves to watch other kids and especially loves to watch Jackson.  He’s not nearly as happy when Jackson is at mother’s day out.  When I tell him it’s time to go get Jack his entire face lights up. 

Baron basically solely nursed for 12 months.  He only started eating solid foods after his (7 DAY)  stomach bug last month.  And once he started eating. . .there was no stopping him.  He eats almost anything much to my delight.  He’s a very good eater.  I am also VERY happy to say that he started sleeping through the night a few weeks ago.  And when I say started I actually mean I let him cry it out in the middle of the night and just quit going in to nurse him.

Baron is very silly and loves to laugh and cuddle.  If I lay on my back Baron immediately crawls over to me and falls on top to snuggle.  He always lays his head on my chest and pats me on the back.  We have been so blessed to have two precious boys and I truly thank God for them every day.  Little Bear has also recently become very attached to Jay.  It’s so funny because if Jay is leaving for work and Bear reaches out to him he’ll usually come back inside and spend a few minutes just cuddling him.  A few times he’s been late to work as a result of soaking up some baby love.  Of course Jay never sees Baron in the evenings so that few minutes in the morning is really special for both of them.

Jackson adores Baron and is such a fantastic big brother.  He’s always wanting to share his food with Baron and buckle and unbuckle him in the car.  Jack was “reading” to Baron the other night before bed and he said, “Baron it’s most important that you eat healthy, nurse, and love your mom and dad.  And Jesus, and even bad guys.  And that you someday poop in the potty.” 

Baron says mama, dada and uh-oh yet only uh-oh is said appropriately.  He’s taking 2 and 3 steps at a time now but still doesn’t have much interest in walking.  He signs help, more and all done.  He’s a pretty laid back kid and I just love that I get to be his mommy!  Bear-I love you so much and can’t wait to watch you grow into the man that God created you to be!

Baron's 12 month check up

I took Baron for his 12 month check up today. All went well (other than the misbehavior of my oldest son) and he's doing great. She said it's not unusal that he's not walking yet. And she somehow determined Baron to be very cautious in our 45 minute conversation. It's so strange how different my two children are in most every way!
But now for the fun part, Baron's statistics. I don't know why but that is my favorite part of every appointment. Baron is 24 pounds and 5 ounces putting him in the 73%. He is officially our first child to ever get a C at the doctor:) He's 31 1/2 inches (93%) and his head circumference is 18.75 inches (84%). And just for fun I looked back at Jackson's 12 month stats, he was 25 pounds 8 ounces (82%) and was 33 inches tall (97%). Jack was also in the 97% for head circumference.
I spoke with the doctor about Bear's diet and the fact that he sometimes goes days wihtout eating at all and then eats everything in sight for several days. She said that was fine. She also said it was not uncommon for him to only have 3 words. He says mama, dada and uh-oh. Uh oh is the only thing he says appropriately. Mama and dada can be said to person, place or thing so they do not actually mean mama or dada. She did say that by 15 months he should have 15 words. I'm not really going to bank on that though.
And lastly she said his diet seemed great and she was very happy about our green smoothes and juice plus and recommended that I nurse as long as possible. She said it was the best way to keep him healthy. Lately I have been checking the calendar and thinking about when we would quit (I'm a planner:) but I guess I'll just chill out and let Baron set the schedule!

More Cousin Pictures

The Francis family ended up staying longer than expected due to some ice and snow in Texas and we were more than happy to keep them company!

One afternoon we went to the park and the kids had a blast playing together.

Trying to get all 3 kids to look at the camera and smile. . .not an easy task!

Later that night Jack and Mia played dress up.  Yes, Mia at 8 1/2 fits easily into all of Jackson’s clothes.

I love this crazy girl so much!

One day Dad, Jenna, Shelby and I took Lennon and Jackson on a tour of a fire station.  It was AWESOME.  The firemen were so incredible great with the boys and the boys were in total heaven.  It was really cool for all of the adults involved as well.  I actually learned a few things

Here the guys were checking out the awesome uniforms.  And yes, as you can see Jackson was super excited to wear his fireman costume to the station.

Both boys got to hold the hose.

And sitting in the fire truck was a big hit!

Jackson was completely awestruck each time the fireman would speak.

Checking out the weight room.

After the fire station tour we met up with Jaclyn, Emma and Mia and had dinner at Chili’s. 

This is me remembering why I don’t eat out with my children. . .

Luckily Jaclyn was able to hang out with us several times while Jenna was in town.

Here we attempted to get a shot of all 4 cousins.  Of course we didn’t get that one perfect shot but here are a few cute ones.

Later that day I watched the big boys and they of course played fire fighters.  I love Jack’s expression in this one.

The boys were being so sweet to each other and got along perfectly all morning.

Here they were running into the garage screaming about the fire and who/what they were saving.  At one point they were running into the house shouting, “I’ve just saved 1,000 puppies!” or “there were 7 mommies and I’m carrying all of them!”  Lennon at one point screamed, “oh no!  I dropped the daddy and he burned and died!”

I just wished Lennon lived closer!  We miss all 4 of the Francis family so much!

Uncle Shelby is awesome with babies and volunteered to play with Baron quite a bit.  Baron LOVED every minute of it!

Here are several pictures from one night at Nana and Papa’s.  As you can see the kids had a blast over there.

Lennon was watching a movie in Nana and Papa’s bed.

He invited Jackson to watch with him.

Later that night wrestle mania took place.

Aunt Sissy is so much fun!

Proof that Nana and Papa were there as well.

Mia calls Freckles “Aunt Freckles.”

One night that Jenna was here Cari and Rylie came over for a nacho dinner.

Rylie and Mia have been great pals since birth.

That night Mia spent the night with us and Jackson was ecstatic.  It was a last minute decision and so she didn’t have any jammies.  She was so excited when I offered her a sweatshirt from Jenna’s high school.  Then of course Jackson wanted to wear one of my shirts.  They had so much fun together, I wish she could sleep over more often!

Silly faces.

I can’t believe my tiny precious niece is almost 9 years old!

We all had such a great time with the Francis family. . .please come back soon!