One Year Old!

I cant imagine the first year of Max's life going any better. I can still close my eyes and remember seeing him for the first time, with him laying on my chest blinking his eyes and just staring up at me. What an amazing feeling that was! I have loved seeing his first smile, watching him learn to roll over, sit up, crawl, walk, and babble. When I dreamed of what life would be like with Max, I never imagined it to be so amazing, so rewarding. Don't get me wrong, the nights were rough, I haven't enjoyed more than a handful of long relaxing showers, and I haven't really gotten the chance to actually sit and enjoy a meal for an entire year. I got this today in a weekly email I subsribe to, its about the first year, “In the past year you've changed at least 3,000 diapers, lost about 350 hours of sleep, wondered whether to call the doc 9 times, wondered how you lived without your baby almost every day and wished you had five minutes to yourself almost as often.” But I wouldn't change it for anything! Max is such a joy, with an amazing spirit and personality. He is so happy all the time, and always lights up a room. I am so proud that he is mine!!

Ok now on to all the fun of the past month...Max is extremely mobile now. Not only can he walk pretty much anywhere he wants, hes also able to climb most anything. He can climb our pool ladder all the way to the top, he can climb Layne and Chase's bunk bed ladder to get himself up to the top bunk, and can easily navigate up and down stairs, and on and off couches. It scares me so much, but so far he has done it all with no tumbles..

Basketball is still his favorite thing in the world. Every morning we walk across the street to the courts, throwing the ball and chasing it around. He says “ball” allllll the time. He can say it like a statement, a question, or a demand, I didn't know that was possible! Haha.

Max is now talking more, he says “ohhh” if something drops or is out of place, he says “more” when he is eating and wants more of the food, he says “ma” and “dada” and said “Abby” yesterday when Jeremy was goofing around and animatedly said my name. Lets hope that doesn't stick! He starting to try to say more, and will say “dah” when the dogs bark. Hes trying to copy sounds more and said “appa” when I was calling Grandpa on the phone a few days ago.

Dancing is also one of Max's favorites. I usually turn on music on the tv during the day and we dance all around. He swings his arms, rocks from side to side and waves his hands like he is saying hello/goodbye.

One thing I just cannot get down yet, are foods to feed Max. Hes like me and could eat carbs for every meal if I let him. He loves pancakes, noodles, and potatoes the most. He is very picky, and spits out a lot of food, and a lot of food gets wasted. Its very frustrating for me! Soon, it will get easier and be another blip in my mind when looking back on these days.

On an extremely positive note, Max is now sleeping through the night!! Thank God! He does cry in the night, but doesn't move. I'm not sure if that is what night terrors are or not. The first night he did it, I thought my video monitor was broken, because he was crying and sometimes screaming, but not moving. Thankfully, it isn't every night, though.

This first year has been amazing. I have enjoyed each day a little more than the last, which I never thought was possible. I cannot wait to see what lies ahead for this little guy, or possibly how many NBA championships are in his future ;)