Happy 1st Birthday, Colton!!!

What a difference a year makes!

August 14, 2008























August 14, 2009























I know I sound like a broken record, but I really cannot believe my baby is already a year old. How is that possible?? It seems like just yesterday that he was born. During this time last year, I was being prepped for my C-section and getting really nervous about the surgery. I would get to meet Colton for the first time only half an hour later. When I finally got to hold him in recovery, I thought he was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I know everybody says that about their child, but I didn't expect to feel like I was looking at the most amazing and precious being God ever made. I couldn't believe that Gregg and I had created such a beautiful little boy together.

I'm getting misty eyed thinking about the fact that he's no longer a baby anymore, but now a toddler. The tears start welling up also when I think about how proud I am of how much he's grown and developed in these past 365 days. This morning I made him his own omelet with cheddar cheese and he had whole milk in his sippy like a big boy! He is almost 100% on cow's milk at this point, and I'm about to get rid of the only bottle he has during the day. He had no problems with the transition from formula to the moo juice and I am so glad we can stop paying for expensive formula now!!

In addition to whole milk, Colton's also tried toast, blueberries, yogurt, whole wheat crackers, scrambled eggs, and yes even peanut butter this month. He hasn't had any adverse reactions to the PB, and he seems to really enjoy it. It's hard to believe that only a few short months ago, he was eating pureed baby food and now he is eating meals at the table with us.

Besides crawling really fast, Colton started to pull himself up to kneel and stand holding onto furniture. He's also taken a few steps, but he's not ready to try walking on his own yet! He learned how to get back down once he's standing and can reach for and grab a toy that's on the floor with one hand while he holds onto the couch with the other. Colton loves to crawl from room to room looking for me and enjoys being chased. He shrieks excitedly when he knows I'm coming after him!

I am amazed how much he's transformed in just the last few weeks with his physical and intellectual development. He's definitely got a mind of his own and he's starting to test limits. He understands the word "no", even if he doesn't always obey. Usually after I tell him no, he will stop just short of the object he's not supposed to have and stare at it and goes to touch it, then stops himself like he's trying to have self-control. You can almost see the internal dialogue he's having with himself: "I really want to play with/chew on/bang this object, but mom said not to and I really want to please her, but it's just too tempting!" There are many times when he looks to see if we're watching him, and when he knows he doesn't have our full attention he will go for whatever we've told him he couldn't have. Then he wails when we take it away or remove him from something.

Diaper changes have turned into a full-on battle. Colton has much more important things to do now than be changed, like throw all of his toys & books all over the floor, chew on dog toys, explore the contents of our closet, etc. He also fights me hard when I'm trying to get him dressed in the mornings. He always attempts to turn over on the changing table and crawl away, or sit up and start playing with the diaper rash cream, his nail clippers, and the bottle of vitamin drops. It is so frustrating that sometimes I want to say, "Fine, stay in your stinky diaper!!"

It is a full time job just to keep up with him and chase him around the house. I've found him in the bathroom going through the garbage, trying to stick his hands in the toilet, and throwing magazines around. In the kitchen, he loves to go for Tess's food & water bowls and play with the garbage and recycling cans. I kinda miss the days when he was NOT crawling.

Colton is putting a lot of syllables together to try and form words. It's still just a bunch of gibberish right now, but it's so cute. Sometimes it sounds like he's talking in Swedish! He did say "doggie" a few times, where he actually said it straight to the dog so I consider that his first official word. It's so much more rewarding to read him stories now because he recognizes pictures and gets excited when I turn the flaps in his Peek-a-boo books. He loves when I make different animal sounds to go with the book, and makes the cutest sound when he sees a dog, cat, or baby on a page.

I'm really excited about his birthday party this Sunday. After all the hemming and hawing, we decided to just have it here at our place. It'll be pretty low key, mostly just family. I'm going to make a few dishes and put them in aluminum pans so people can serve themselves. We'll also have some snacks, and of course cake! Then Colton goes for his 12 month doctor's visit on Monday night, and I'm curious to see how much taller and bigger he's gotten. He definitely feels heavier than he did at his last appointment, but I know now is when his growth supposedly slows way down.

I am so blessed to have had this little boy in my life over this past year, to have witnessed all his milestones, put him to bed every night, rocked him to sleep, given him big kisses on his soft pudgy cheeks, hear him laugh, and watch him grow from a tiny baby into a toddler. It feels like he has always been with us, and I just can't imagine my life without him. I love him a thousand times more than the day he was born, if that's even possible. I'm looking forward to what's to come in his second year. Time to change that ticker...