1 year has come and gone.

1 year old!

One whole year has come and gone (and now another month). It is still hard to believe. I have heard about the magical year point where things seem to get a little easier. He is able to play some on his own now, which helps.  He is also able to crawl around anywhere and I sometimes find myself calling him like a little dog to get him to follow me somewhere. 
There does seem to be some truth in how quickly time elapses.  Too bad you can't go on maternity leave for 6-8 weeks each year for their birthday. I feel like it has become a daily struggle, with the desire to be part-time and appealing to the guilt I have to be home with Jackson more vs. the financial need to work full time.We'll see.

Because I have been so tardy on finishing this I find it more difficult to remember all of his year milestones. Between month 11 and 12 he started clapping! He would crawl a couple feet then stop and sit so that he could reward his efforts by clapping!

Hooray! Clapping :)

By this point he was also entirely on solid food. He will still eat the baby food pouches, just because they make a handy snack and he will suck on them instead of needing a spoon. The love for vegetables is not very strong, but if I can hide them in applesauce or ketchup then I might have a fighting chance. He loves fruit however. Apples, bananas, blueberries, grapes, nectarines and strawberries and raspberries. I tried avocado with him, but he takes after his mom and wasn't a huge fan. One of his favorite meals so far seems to be peanut butter and jelly on the Wegmans honey apple oat bread.

I made Jackson's birthday cake for his party.

We did have a small birthday party for Jackson.  It took him awhile to warm up to all the people but once he did, he seemed to have fun. He got a lot of fun toys to help keep him busy.  He also got a seat for my bicycle. It was fun trying to find him a helmet.  Poor guy is just so small. He seemed to enjoy it but will probably like it more when he is big enough to rest his head better.

For his actual birthday we had brownies :)

Birthday cake is pretty o.k.!

Opening gifts

His new bike helmet!

Between 12 and 13 months Chris was gone for 2 and a half weeks for work, giving me a taste of single parenting. It's tough, but was made more doable by the help of my family. Jackson and I would go visit my mom on Sundays and play in her pool. Jackson seemed to love it. Chris does leave again after the holiday. It will be for longer this time, but at the end of it I get to meet up with him in Jamaica! I will be leaving Jackson with my mom and Judi- the first time I will be leaving him. Definitely leaves me with mixed feelings, but it will be nice to have a quick get-a-way.

We are also completely weaned off me- happened around month 11 and now before month 13 he is off a bottle! Weaning him was amazing! I felt like I had myself back.  He has found the cupboards in the kitchen and I tried to rearrange things so that there are plastic containers for him to play with.

He is so bad ass that he has already learned how to drink two at once!

One step closer to learning to play pots and pans

Lastly, he is not walking on his own yet but we will walk laps around the house with him holding on to our fingers. He can walk while just holding on to one hand but he usually protests that. He is practicing more trying to speak. Here is Dad's take on it:

Chris Floro My son is 1 year and 1 month today. Here's what I can gather about his vocabulary: Kijjjjj = Kitty. Daw = Dog. Yyeddguh = Edgar. Dah = All living things. Deh = All inanimate objects.

Month 11- bythetimeipostthishewillbeayear

So, the picture with bear is getting to be more difficult...

the carnage

Month 11 has brought so much personality.  He has figured out how to really crawl and with that has brought speed. Speed he uses to try to tear apart the DVD case and bookcase before anyone can stop him. Then he moves on to the kitchen where he charges for the garbage can and Edgar's water bowl in a race to see who can get there first, Mom or Dad or Jackson.

Definitely favors red lately. The red ball is a fav.

He loves the outdoors.  He seems to really enjoy our almost daily walks in the stroller and they are even more amazing when they stop at the swing set by the local school. Apparently, he wouldn't leave the swing for an hour and half the other day at daycare. Even if he can't go outside, he will settle for playing with windows instead.

High Five with Mom

"Weeee!!!"

Cruising, picking up chicks.

He has also finally cut two teeth!  I didn't think anything would pop through until he reached a year.

Look! He has teeth!

 He has mastered the "high five" and "E.T. finger".

"Point"

 He loves being read to and will pick out his books, with a strong preference for Eres Mi Mama?

he brought me the book

Jackson also loves food. More specifically, he loves what Mom is eating.  He has become my new diet plan and I am not able to finish any of my own food lately. Pizza, Peanut Butter and Jelly and Grilled Cheese are all on the top of lists. He actually ate an entire half a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich!

He has also refound his tongue. He loves to stick his tongue out, especially while eating.  If the food is particularly good, or he is really hungry, he usually vocalizes "omm" with each bite.  Everything is also either a shriek or "adahdahdah"

And now for his adorable shots:

"I would like the camera, Mom"

Mickey ears

My blue hoodie has become his security blanket

10 months of love

And we've hit the double digits. My little man is now 10 months old. He is an eating machine! If his current eating habits are any clue to his teenage years, I am going to have to take out a loan just to feed him. While apples are still the favorite, yogurt is also wonderful.  Cheerios and pieces of toast are also a hit. I will usually try to offer him some of what we are eating for dinner, but apparently it's better when the lady at daycare offers it.  Like eggs; her eggs are better than mine.

These apple pieces are ok, but I prefer it from the actual apple.

Thanks, Mom.

He is very good at pulling himself up to stand... so good at it that it resulted in an "emergency" lowering of the crib.

"Good morning, Mom!"

While he still "army crawls" he is very effective at it.  The kitchen has become a fun place to hang out and the dog's water bowl, garbage can and computer cord are amazing!

It's getting a little easier to get things done.  While he still doesn't like it when Mom leaves him, he is learning to accept it (sorta.) And when days get rough, I just put him in a back carry with the Ergo and he usually falls asleep.

Playtime has become more interactive and self sufficient at the same time. It's great to watch him play and figure things out, but I also really enjoy our cuddle time and story time.  He has his favorite books: Egg in the Hole, Eres Mi Mama?, The Very Hungry Catepillar, and Owls. He will search out which book he wants me to read him (over and over).

Lastly, he has now graduated up to the big boy tub as he has outgrown the sink.  He still loves bath time.  The octopus is his favorite toy in the tub. I'm not sure if it is security blanket or not, but he will not let it go!

The octopus is lovingly called "Richard"

I can't believe how much he has already changed. Each new month brings its own rewards and challenges. I love his hugs and it is an amazing feeling to feel so needed. He is loved so much by both his mommy and daddy. His laughs and squeals can brighten any day. I look forward to story time and when we just sit and rock to let the world take a rest.

Army crawling through month 9

I think I might speak for most people when I say we are ready for Spring to come. I am tired of all the layers required to leave the house- both for me and for Jackson. I was a bad mom and never bought him a full on snowsuit, so we have yet to really play with the snow.  However, we do try to take advantage of the warmer days and at least get out for walks.

Month 9 has brought with it crawling (well, army-style at least) and learning to sit up on his own (even if it is done more accidental out of rage because Mom left the room). 

This month has been enlightening. It's hard to think of a 9 month old having their own opinions, wants and desires... and the know-how to get those. I have been still in baby-mode and trying to do most things with baby still on my hip. So now I am trying to put him down more, much to his dismay. I will give him a toy or measuring cups or whatever I thought could have been entertaining, but it usually ends in him crawling towards me crying and pulling on my pant legs.  Then there are days when nothing will console him- then I put him in the baby carrier and we go from there:

He is trying new foods. I can get him to eat his veggies if they are saturated in apple sauce. Dinner time is also when he likes to practice new sounds. Currently, if you try to sound like a snare drum it is the most hilarious thing yet.

this is him practicing... something... that apparently annoys the cat.

On his 9 month birthday he had a visit from a friend, Charlie. Charlie's mom is a good friend of mine who taught me how to make roses for Chris' cake.  However, it did give the boys a chance to practice sharing.

They are each chewing on the other one's toy.

His 9 month picture went a little bit better than the 8 month, but he is still very much mommy-centric.

and so is Edgar.

Happy 9 months little guy! He just did not want to hold still.

 He does love his daddy though. And we have a pretty good night time routine- I feed him, he falls asleep and then Dad puts him in his crib.  Creates adorable dad-son moments.

So, in closing, he is learning some awesome things. Getting better with picking things up and moving around. Month 10 has already shown a glimpse into more solid food for baby and the desire to be standing, a lot. But lets not get ahead of ourselves. I will leave with these.

ToolatetoforcreativetitleMonth8

It is getting more and more difficult to be able to steal away time to write. My little boy seems to be demanding more and more of my attention lately. We will have play time on the floor, but I always have to be within an arm's reach (his reach).  This past month was kind of a rough one for this Floro household. Both Jackson and I had a cold that held on for about 3 weeks with an awful cough and the hubby wasn't able to get away with not getting sick either.  Throw in the holidays as my family celebrated Christmas in January this year and it made for a very busy time frame. Now, as though the long persistent cold wasn't enough, we've had revenge of the teeth rear its ugly head yet again. Still no sign but he certainly is miserable. I once read about a doctor that didn't believe that teething made kids miserable.  I would like to meet this man so that I might slap him in the face with a fish. Why a fish you might ask? Why not! There was also a study conducted to see if certain signs that mothers describe are actually related to teething versus something else that shouldn't be brushed off (like high fevers). However, they only listed the window of teething as being a couple days before and after the tooth erupted. Are these scientists also parents? Because I think most parents can tell you that is not a true representation of the duration of teething.

This is the last weekend of Chris' play, of which I am thankful for. I love that he has the opportunity to do what he loves, especially having the opportunity to perform in Les Mis, but I am also thankful for when I can have him home. I know once I start my long runs and really training for the Marathon the table will be turned.  We just have to keep reminding ourselves that this is temporary. The show will be over and the race will be run.

Despite not feeling up to par Jackson did seem to enjoy Christmas. He started to understand what to do with the wrapping paper, but, like most things, it just went in the mouth. He got lots of "great" toys (i.e. demon book and demon dog) and some fun blocks that he also seems to enjoy along with other helpful things like clothes and diapers.

This thing has the most tinny sound to it, it's awful. Also it's impersonation of the lamb and cat  would give most adults nightmares. However, Jackson LOVES this thing!!!

"It's fun to hear you laugh and sing" as I try very hard to ignore you- but again, you will make Jackson stop crying.

Despite me having to work late on both Christmas Eve and New Years Eve, Chris did a great job at getting Jackson to bed. He certainly makes a great dad.

Jackson was a great help with unwrapping presents.

Onsie gift from Mia. Shirt says "I'll have the house white"

"Keep Calm and Bost On"

I don't know if this needs a caption.

Sailor outfit from Uncle Brian

Back of sailor outfit

Jackson wants to crawl with almost every inch of his being. He just hasn't quite figured out the full forward motion yet. There is that struggle of possibly not being able to watch him crawl for the first time being that he goes to daycare, however, chances are he's doing it in his sleep because he usually winds up at the opposite end of his crib.  If that's the case than I have already missed it but it will still be just as exciting for me when he first does it in front of me.

I love it when he sleeps...

This is usually the point where he winds up rolling over instead of moving forward

It is also getting more challenging to get his monthly photo the more mobile he gets.  Unfortunately Month 8 really just ended up in a tantrum:

Fortunately, we did get one almost decent picture.