12 Month Baby Update

12 Months.

I can't quite believe we have already reached the 1 year mark with our little guy! It seems like not long ago, he was just a squirmy, brand new, sweet smelling little baby! As crazy as it is to say, I almost forgot how little he was until I went back to look at pictures! I've so enjoyed this past year of his life and am loving each new milestone and watching him grow! If you've missed a previous update, you can check them out under the Pregnancy/Baby tab.

So, what's been going on in our sweet boy's life over the past month? Let's take a look!

Although he's still not walking, he sure can get around wherever he feels the need to go! He is a crawling machine and loves to move move move. He hardly ever sits still (much to my dismay as I still love to hold him)!

Brayden pulls up on everything he can get to and he loves to stand like a big boy! One of his new favorites is a toy he's been playing with since Christmas (a Baby Einstein play table) that now has the legs attached! He loves to stand at the table and make music! Light up toys and musical toys are his absolute favorite.  Although he's not walking yet, I know it won't be long. I've seen him let go of whatever item he's holding on to and stand for a few seconds before holding back onto the item. No official steps yet, though!

Clothing: 9-12 months and 12 months; sleepers are 12 months; I finally packed away the last of his 9 month clothing about 2 weeks ago.
Diapers: Size 4 for both day and night time diapers
Weight: 24.6 pounds (estimated)
Height: 29 1/4 inches (estimated)

Over the course of the past month, Brayden celebrated a couple of holidays....

His first St. Patrick's Day...

...and his first birthday! He had a Mickey Mouse themed party, of course!

Another huge milestone (well, for us anyway) is the fact that he learned how to use a sippy cup! YAY!

We've attempted the whole sippy cup thing for months now and he finally got it! He kind of shocked us with the straw - When we go out to eat for dinner, I like to use a straw to pipe water into his mouth and I've done that for a while now. One day, we put a straw up to his mouth and he knew just what to do...we were all in shock!

Oh yes, and who can forget about Opening Day? It was a VERY special time for us last year as Brayden was born during that week!

Veering off Brayden for a second, I have a crazy story to share. So, on April 5, 2016, Brayden was born at 5 p.m. and the Astros won their game that day 5-3. On April 5, 2017, a couple of times throughout the day, I told my husband and my brother that the Astros could win that night with a 5-3 score once again. They both doubted me. Well, fast forward to game time and the top of the 10th inning - the Astros were tied 2-2 and my brother text me to inform me that my hopes for a 5-3 score were lost. At the top of the 13th inning, the Mariners scored a run, making the score of the game 3-2. During the bottom of the 13th inning, the Astros had 2 runners on base and a prime hitter was up to bat. Do you see where I'm going with this? Well, guess what? He hit a HOME RUN, making the official score 5-3 and the Astros won AGAIN. Yes, it definitely happened and no, I couldn't make that stuff up, even if I wanted to. What are the odds?! Craziness, huh? We've determined that Brayden's magic number is going to be 5. :)

Ok, back to his update....

Brayden still loves food and has started eating a breakfast of baby oatmeal every morning - he loves it and gobbles it down! He's also eating three solid meals per day with a snack in between as well as his formula. He also LOVES water! There's not really anything lately that we've fed him that he won't eat!

His nap schedule hasn't really changed much lately either - he still takes two naps per day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. His nap times vary between 1 and 3 hours. He's very consistent about sleeping throughout the night too, which I'm super grateful for.

On the day of his birthday party, another tooth made it's appearance on the top right...making his official count at 8 teeth!

This weekend, we will celebrate Brayden's first Easter! It's funny how the Easter holiday fell last year (the weekend before he was born) and now this year, it's two weekends after his birthday!

He LOVES to clap and anytime you say "YAY BRAYDEN", the face below is what you get....

Teehee!

We are trying to teach him how to blow kisses and wave bye bye. He almost has the blowing kisses part down! 

Just one year ago (on April 3), the above photo was taken...then again on April 3 of 2017. My sweet little baby has changed SO much over the past year and is growing up so super fast!

Throughout the ups and downs of having a newborn, learning their routine, and watching them grow and develop, I've learned SO much and have really enjoyed my time as a mom. I wasn't sure it would ever happen for me, but I'm so grateful for this precious gift God has chosen to bless us with. He's such a precious, happy, loving, and sweet little guy...I am excited to watch as his personality continues to grow and develop!

Happy 1 year, Brayden! We love you to the moon and back!

I want to thank you all for following along on our journey over the past year of Brayden's life! You guys are so special to us and we appreciate each of you!!