One.

My baby is ONE.

Oh my. This year has absolutely flown by. I remember with the girls that year seemed to take so long, I would anxiously anticipate each milestone and couldn't wait for them to grow up and do new things. This time around I really wish I could slow time down.  He's not walking yet, fine by me! He's still nursing at a year, also fine by me!  Trust me there are some weeks, nights, moments that I'd skip over, like the every 2 hour feedings for months straight, the run in with allergies and eczema, chronic ear infections, or the croup ER visit...but overall this year has been amazing. There is something about knowing for certain that he is our last baby that has me a bit emotional.  Surprise surprise Erika being emotional, right? :) I'm not sure I can quite explain the bond I feel with this boy. He's quite literally an extension of me.  From the first moment Brian said "that's a boy!!" or the first time I held him and couldn't stop feeling his perfectly soft hair, I knew I was in love. I'm not discounting the love I have for my girls, but I will say that if it's solely the nursing that has led to this bond, I highly recommend it.  I also feel extremely thankful that I've been able to experience it.

At ONE Henry is not quite walking but surely pulling himself up and cruising.  He loves to use the push toy and zoom around the room. Although that goes faster than his legs can and he usually ends up flat on his face:)  Crawling very fast and if really excited, in circles is still his preferred mode of transportation.  He's started to "dance" and it's the cutest thing I've ever seen. One leg keeps the beat and one arm swings for effect. He is also finally clapping. Anytime you say "yaaaay" he will stop what he's doing to clap and smile.

He's eating 3 meals a day and likes to snack too.  We nurse 3-4 times a day also, and if he's up at night he convinces me that he needs to nurse then too. Yes, weaning should be quite the trip huh?  It's funny when we first started on that journey I wondered "how will I keep this going for a year?" Now I ask myself, "how will we stop?" It's a good problem to have I guess. Anyway, he's a great eater and will still try most foods. When he's had enough, food gets dropped off the side of the tray for Ollie.  His favorites are mac n cheese, peas, mandarin oranges (in moderation), apples, green beans, and really any kind of cheese.  We definitely lucked out that he ended up not being allergic to dairy. Last night he ate an entire slice of cheese pizza!

He's not really saying any words, but makes lots of noises, sounds, and grunts and yells!  There are a few that sound like words, like baby, baba, no no (shakes his head till he gets dizzy!), and mama, but I don't think they are connected to the actual object yet.  Although daycare says when he wants milk he'll say baba-mama! That makes me smile:) We try to read lots of books but I have noticed that unlike the girls he has no time for them. I can get him to look at the pages for a few seconds then he's off to get back to knocking something over. As much as he is "all boy" he still likes to cuddle, rock and lay his head on my shoulder.  I love this and will soak it up as long as he'll let me!

The girls love Henry.  They also love getting one inch in front of his face, STILL! We're working on it.  As he gets older I know they will teach him all kinds of tricks and shenanigans. He loves to watch them run and jump around and if you ask him "where are the girls?" he will look all around and get excited.  I think our house is loud and rowdy now, but I'm quite sure I haven't seen anything yet.  There have been some growing pains as the girls have had their world rocked a little. Overall, I think overall they've adjusted well, are forgiving of their tired mama, and love their baby brother so much!

God has blessed us with this little man and we are so grateful.