Friday, February 4, 2011

Thirteen Months In...

Dear Hayden,

For some people, thirteen is viewed as an unlucky number. Well, not in this family! Your Grandma Texas was born on September 13th and your cousin Nathan was born on April 13th. This month, you are thirteen months old and just so. much. fun! Each and every day is filled with wonder and your Dada and I feel so incredibly fortunate that God chose us to be your parents. We love you more than you can ever know. One day, when you become a Dada, you will understand the depth of our love for you.
  • This month, we have stayed home a lot and enjoyed TONS of quality family time.
  • Dada and I went on a date to the Pitt basketball game with our work. Our sweet friends, Nick & Emily, watched you. It's hard to say who had more fun - you or them! You fell asleep and cuddled at their house. You are such a sweet, loving little guy. It makes my heart happy to see other people love on you and adore you as much as we do.
  • You now have EIGHT teeth! Your eighth one came in on your 13 month birthday. You are less of a vampire baby now. HA! We are cutting back on your nursing to once during the night and after I pick you up from school. You are down to two bottle a day and are now on 100% whole milk.
  • You LOVE to play! Your laugh and smile just lights up your whole face. Your belly laugh is especially fun! The other day, when we were on Skype with Grandma & Grandpa Frohling, you were playing with your light up ball from Grandma & Grandpa Texas. Addison chased it when you threw it and you just belly laughed so loudly. It was about the cutest thing EVER!
  • You have added "hi," "bye," "nana" (banana) and "ni-ni" (night night = bedtime) to your vocabulary. You are always waving hi & bye. You love to clap (you especially love clapping for the TERRIBLE singers on American Idol - possibly because Momma is in that category in regards to being able to carry a tune) and are starting to blow kisses. You talk a lot in your own language. It makes me laugh and we have lots of important conversations!
  • You love to crawl over to me and pull up on my legs. When I pick you up, you give me a hug. Needless to say, I always pick you up! You also love to crawl all over your jungle gym (i.e., Dada) and cuddle with him.
  • Izzie is your new best friend. You love to pet her, kiss her and hug her. She is very gentle with you and enjoys giving you kisses. This is especially helpful after you eat. HA! You enjoy giving them their treats when we put them in their kennels in the morning. Also, as soon as we get home, you point up the stairs and start signing for "dog" and saying "Iz."
  • Your favorite show is Sesame Street. If you are feeling a bit fussy, we can put it on and you will start dancing to the music, pull up on the TV stand and talk to your "friends" on the TV.
  • We put the web cam above the TV and connected the laptop to it. Needless to say, the grandparents love this because now they can watch you play while we Skype.
  • You are a wonderful eater. You REALLY love bananas. When I (or your teachers at school) ask if you want one, you will crawl over to your highchair. You are getting better at using a (toddler) spoon and fork. I have to say, I am very proud of what a good eater you are and the fact that you have healthy eating habits.
  • Boy, oh boy, do you love the bath. I love giving you a bath and singing to you the songs that Grandma Texas and Grandma Water (my Grandma) sang to me. We sing "I'm Going to Wash that Girl (changed from Man) Right out of my Hair, "Singin' in the Rain," "Splish Splash I was Takin' a Bath," "The Rubber Ducky Song (from Sesame Street)," and "At the Carwash (when we dry you off)."
  • You like to pull up, scoot around and push anything with a button or that makes noise. You are getting so tall and strong that we are constantly having to move things to safe zones.
  • You are very curious about EVERYTHING! It amazes me how much you remember and know. Just this past weekend, we were at the mall and you started drinking from a straw like you had been doing it all along. YEA!
  • At school, you like to push the buzzer that lets us in the door. You love to give your teachers hugs and they really love you! You are starting to transition to the toddler room. I know you are ready, but it's a little hard on me. You sit and eat lunch with your friends at a TABLE with CHAIRS! You are growing up so fast!!
  • You still wear a size 4.5M shoe, size 4 diapers and 12-18 month one piece outfits and shirts. You are starting to get tall enough for 12-18 month pants.
  • You have another ear infection in your left ear. Luckily, your tubes are working and it's draining so you are not in pain. Another ten day does of amoxicillin (which you take so well) and ear drops.
  • You still love the color orange and have this little frog bath toy that you love.
  • You are very vocal about what you want or DON'T want. You love for us to read to you and are constantly bringing us books to read. It makes my heart VERY happy since I love to read.
  • Every single day is an adventure and we could not be more blessed.

Love,

Momma