A Blue Sky Kind of Life: Beckett's 12-month update

Beckett, you're one year old today!

(Well, on the 12th, but Mommy's been very busy.)

We cannot believe we've already had a whole year of your company, and despite the sometimes long nights, occasional fussiness, and more messes than we can count, we love you more and more each day. You're wonderful, and we cannot thank the Lord enough for blessing us with you.

A few days after your birthday, we took you for your one-year check-up with Dr. Plax. You're still growing well, both up and out, and Dr. Plax was very pleased with your progress. You weighed in at 22 lb., 6 oz. (though we don't think that was very accurate and you're actually a bit bigger) and 29 in. long, with a 46 cm head circumference.

Unfortunately, you also had to get a finger prick (to check your iron levels and for lead poisoning, since we live in an older house) and three shots, and since the appointment fell during nap time, let's just say this part didn't go well. Still, you were a trooper and had a nice long "recovery" nap on the way home.

You're still sleeping well, with two good naps during the day and about 12 hours at night (roughly 7:30-7:30). You're also still a great eater. You usually prefer finger foods, but you're happy to eat from a spoon, too, especially if it has yogurt or oatmeal, two of your favorites. You also love quesadillas, bananas, grapes, and eggs, among other things.

After your appointment, we decided to try quickly transitioning you from a bottle and formula to a sippy cup and cow's milk, and you took to both like a champ, almost immediately. You were a little iffy about the whole milk at first, so we tried skim for about a week (because you loved drinking water before), and after getting you used to the taste, we switched back to whole milk, and you've done great. You're also getting really good at feeding yourself with a spoon (when we hand it to you or set it on your tray).

You're not walking yet, but you're getting closer and closer. You're a super fast crawler, and you're now willing to walk while holding just one of our hands (before, you would immediately sit down if we tried to take one hand away). You're also getting bolder about cruising while holding on very little to the wall, table, etc., and a few times, you've let go (probably without realizing it).

This month, you had a great visit from Nana and Papa, who are just over the moon in love with you. You had a fun time showing them all of your tricks and toys, and they gave you an early birthday celebration and your first taste of cake (you weren't very impressed).

You also helped your friends Natalie and Jeff celebrate their birthdays, which, for Jeff at least, mostly meant playing in the leaves at his outdoor BBQ. (We also celebrated your birthday, of course, but we'll talk about that in another post.)

And you had a great brunch with Jeff, Susanne, and Tali.

One of the biggest changes for you in the past few months has been getting your nanny, Natalie. You absolutely adore her and get so excited when she arrives in the morning. For the third month in a row, Mommy had been remiss in getting a picture of you two together, but I'll try to get one soon.

You still love to go on walks and to swing in your swing in the front yard, though cooler temperatures mean those don't happen as often.

Indoors, you love to "read" your books, and Brown Bear, Brown Bear is your favorite (as evidenced by the pages falling out and the significant amount of packing tape being used to hold it together).

You still love bath time, too, of course.

You now have six teeth (four on the top and two on the bottom), which you love to use to chew things and show off with your big, silly grin.

You're a very silly guy, and you're always making us laugh with your chuckles, smiles, and tricks. We've taught you to make a pig noise with your nose and hand, and it's so funny to see you do it on demand. You've also learned to say "mama" (sometimes), "dada" (all the time), and "yeah."

This month, you also celebrated your first Halloween, first with a costume party at your friends Ben and Ava's house, and then with the big night at home. We didn't go trick-or-treating, but you got all dressed up to greet the neighbors (and because you look so darn cute).