Check Ups: 12 Months!

Every month seems to go by faster than the month before. Time just keeps flying by and Niko seems to be growing at lightening speed. Each day that passes, I am more amazed by the little [and big] things that he is starting to learn and pick up on. 

This past month has been especially emotional and bittersweet, as Niko has turned ONE. For awhile, I have been trying to mentally and emotionally prepare myself for his huge milestone, but as his first birthday approached, I could hardly contain myself. As I looked back on this past year, I was overwhelmed by a flood of emotions. We have come such a long way since our first days together. Our first day together was rocky, as were many of our first days and nights. We were still getting to know each other and I was still finding out who this little person was. But, as time went on, we became rockstars and started to get the hang of things. We were [and still are] inseparable; he has become my best friend. 

The twelfth month has been quite a whirlwind. Check Up with what Niko has been up to! 

Loves: Niko loves to wave, clap, sit in the corner of the couch all snuggled up next to me or Justin, watch trucks drive by in the car, play independently, giggle with us over silly things [or nothing!], listen to music, walk, climb on and off the couch, swing on his swing, go for walks in his wagon or stroller, be outside, play with water and splash around, play in Brooks' food and water bowls [my least favorite thing that he likes to do], roam from room to room exploring, dance, and get into everything that he is not supposed to.

Hates: A few things on Niko's 'hate' list are not being allowed to play with scissors, eat my makeup or climb on unsafe furniture [I know, worst mama ever!]. Niko still hates getting into his carseat, but I just think that is a battle that I will never win. Naps are still pretty high up on the 'hate' list as well, but we are getting there. 

Favorite Song: The Ants Go Marching In

Doing: Every day we see Niko learning something new. He is very inquisitive and persistent; he never gives up until he figures something out. Since his 11 Month Check Up, Niko has been walking and 'running' around the house and started pulling himself up without holding onto anything. He gives hugs, holds up his finger when you say 1, 'brushes' his teeth, and tries to eat with a fork on his own. However, one of the biggest, most amazing, things that I noticed was that when Niko hears cheering or clapping, he starts clapping. Watching Niko making the connection of the sound and what the motion is to mimic that sound is so amazing. He is also starting to make all sorts of connections. For instance, he puts his shoes to his feet, Q-Tips to his ears, wipes to his nose, he hands me my towel, and is starting to understand what certain phrases and words mean. 

Eating: We have been trying to feed Niko as many different foods and textures as possible, as I am a picky eater by nature and have a thing for textures. We want him to be exposed to everything! We have even gone back to feeding him foods that he did not particularly care for in the beginning. Niko still loves his fruits [pears, bananas, blueberries, raspberries, and oranges], yogurt [I started making frozen yogurt bites for snacks and he has been gobbling those little guys up!], and Cheerios. He also really loves PB&J, mashed potatoes, chicken pot pie [as we found out this past weekend at Gigi's], hot dogs, cheeseburgers, animal crackers, cheese, baked potatoes, and pretty much everything and anything we put in front of him. I am still working on eggs though, but he just does not seem to want anything to do with them! 

Saying: Niko still hasn't quite started talking yet, but there have been a few times where I could have sworn we are having a full-on conversation. Last week, I told him not to climb on his mamaroo to get on top of the desk and I swear he said "I got this." When I said no again, he said yes in a very reassuring manner. It was a very crazy encounter. Other words he says [or we think he says] are that, what, tickle tickle tickle, and hi. 

Sleeping: Up until now, sleeping has been one of our biggest obstacles to overcome. At five months, Niko stopped sleeping through the night and was up at least 1-3 times a night to nurse. We thought it was because of a number of things like vacations, teething, growth spurts, you name it. At around 10 months, it started to get slightly better, but putting him to bed at night was a whole new obstacle. It was not until Niko was fully weaned that he began going down without a fight and sleeping from 7 pm to 7 am. Oh, what a difference that has made in our lives! Naps are still a whole other beast, but at least we got the nighttime sleeping schedule down pat!

T-shirt // ILY Couture