say cheese

I have been taking more and more pictures of other people these days (engagement, children and families) and while I am loving that, I would have to say that Hendrix is still my favorite person to photograph.  

I think that is okay.  

He doesn't really seem to mind either.

My fall work schedule has quite a few changes which include having Monday and Friday mornings off work.  I have really enjoyed spending that extra one-on-one time with my little guy, especially since I take him to the baby-sitter on Tuesday and Thursday mornings now.  

This seems like a fair trade-off.

This past Monday was super gorgeous weather for this time of year, and I decided to take the opportunity to test out the morning lighting for a location where I will be shooting some family photos this weekend.  Hendrix was a big fan of the water (surprise, surprise)....

and I am actually kind of ashamed to say that I didn't even see this coming.  

I mean, sure, he kicked his little leg out over the railing which seemed really cute and adventurous, and sure, he was wearing slip-on shoes that don't stay on all that well....

but I was still surprised when he lost it. 

So was he.  

I love him looking down at it like "what just happened, mom?"

Don't worry, I saved the day (which did require me to buckle him into his stroller so I didn't have to worry about him diving headfirst into the lake while I precariously climbed over the railing across loose and wobbly rocks and sand, with cobwebs hanging in my face, to snag his little croc).  

There was an older couple sitting on the lawn watching the whole ordeal and smiling away.  I thought about asking them to watch him while I snagged the shoe, but I honestly wasn't sure they could contain him.  

Sometimes I can't. 

It was fun to watch him explore.

He fell down a couple of times, but always climbed right back up.

I love that determination.

that energy.

that enthusiasm for life.

If only I could get just a little bit better at keeping up with him.....

  

12 months = one year

Now that my little peanut had his birthday I suppose it is time for a little 12 month update.  How long do I still refer to his age in months before it just becomes 'blank years old'? Another thing about toddlerhood that makes me a lil' bit sad...

Hendrix is getting better and better with his walking and balance and recently mastered getting himself to a standing position from the middle of the room without pulling up to anything. It has now been a few days since i have seen him crawl and I think those days may be over.

He weighed in at 21 pounds and 5 ounces at his one-year-well-baby visit and was super brave about his shots (all 6 of them....whew!) though he was really getting grumpy with us by the time we got to the finger prick for the hemoglobin test. Who likes to have their finger poked and then squeezed???
His doctor was really impressed with his achievement of developmental milestones, and said a couple times, "I think this kid forgot that he was born early!"  That was super encouraging.  He is only in the 25th percentile for height while in the 50th percentile for weight, so he might be short like his momma.  poor kid.

He is doing awesome at being apart from his mommy as he is going to the babysitter two mornings a week.  We have successfully finished our second week of that routine now and he barely cried when I dropped him off this morning. My good friend, who has a daughter very similar in age, is the one watching him and that sure has made it easier for me to leave him.  It's been a month of changes for all of us, that's for sure!

He is doing alot more talking. In addition to his earliest vocabulary of mama, dada, kitty, dog and ball; he has added hot (he learned that at his birthday party while being warned not to touch the fire), go and uh-oh. 
In addition he has started babbling something that sounds like 'ah ee ah ee' over and over again while he is playing...not sure the meaning of that yet.

He still loves his signing movies.

He is busy. While visits to the library used to be relaxing, now I have to watch him like a hawk or he just disappears. He is so quick.

Another favorite activity right now is drumming. He likes to pound kitchen utensils on bowls and pans to make racket.  Since that has been so much fun he has also found other items in his toy box to experiment sounds with. His newest instruments have been his wooden puzzle pieces - he loves banging them like cymbals.   

He also likes to sing opera when daddy occasionally plays it for him. He really gets into it and is hilarious!

 What a little musician we have! Lol

Oh and we finally had a breakthrough with sleep habits! He is sleeping all through the night in his own bed! Hooray! We did have to use the crying it out method of sleep training, and it was painful (especially for mom and dad) for a couple nights but our perseverence and consistency paid off and now he is soothing himself to sleep which seems to be better sleep for him and obviously for us too.  It was so worth it!

He has discovered drinking fountains and now we can't walk by one without stopping to take a drink and do some splish-splashing.

He has recently started 'panting' when he gets really excited. It sometimes sounds like he is hyperventilating. very silly.

He loves stairs.

He loves slides.

He loves playgrounds.

He got his first haircut the day after his birthday.  If I had let my hubby pick it would have been months ago so he would never again be mistaken for a girl, but I had a hard time parting with those little curls that were finally starting to form in the back.

I did it myself, and no, he didn't sit very still.  

That is why it isn't very straight. ;)  

It is nice to see his eyes a little better, and I know that it will grow back. 

Won't it?!?!

Oh and is finally getting some top teeth - four of them all at once. Wowzers!

He may be a toddler now, but he will always be my sweet, baby boy. ;)

 

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