Sawyer at One Year

Today I have a one-year-old (and a party to host)! And this is also the last of the nostalgic baby posts.

I remember the time leading up to Sawyer's birth a lot more clearly than the day after it, which is probably normal. I thought the whole thing was a lot easier than I imagined, including the recovery- either I was lucky or I just had really low expectations. Nonetheless, I was left with a tiny, squirming, helpless baby. 

Fast-forward a year. He's even more squirmy, but not exactly tiny and not quite as helpless. Some of our more recent milestones and things of note:

Teeth

This kid knows how to grow chompers- he has eight! Two on the bottom, four in the front on top, and he's been cutting his two top molars this week. These ones are obviously bothering him the most, since he's constantly chewing on his hands (and Sophie).

Mobility

Sawyer does things when Sawyer sees fit. He's accomplished the mobility milestones on the later end of normal so far and I think we're going to hold steady with that pattern for walking. He has started pulling himself up, though, but only when it's worth his while. Why bother? Crawling is so much faster (and he refuses to get up off his elbows- if he did that he wouldn't be able to carry around his balls and Little People).

Food

He pretty much eats whatever now, which is whole new territory. He adores cheese, loves chicken nuggets, and is incredibly enthusiastic about oranges. He's warming up to refried beans, tolerates some vegetables, and has become a pro at the sippy cup. He detests scrambled eggs and has learned to toss stuff to the dogs.

Sleep

Oh, sleep. He's in his own bedroom, and has been for about two months, so that's a huge victory. He is in the Pack-n-Play, rather than his crib, but I'm going to file that under "Things I Don't Give a Shit About." We tried the crib and he hated it, so I'm not pushing it again for while. Right now he sleeps from about 8:15 to anywhere from 4-5. Since I have to get up at 5 to get ready to work I usually just bring him back to bed to sleep with us for a bit so I can get a few more minutes of rest. If he wakes up before 4 I attempt (sometimes successfully) to get him back to sleep. He also seems to be weaning himself off his (shameful) bedtime feeding, so that's encouraging as well.

Hobbies and Interests

Sawyer enjoys singing, dancing, tormenting the dogs, playing with balls, swinging at the park, cruising the neighborhood in his wagon, playing the guitar with his dad, opening drawers he's not supposed to, and pushing around his Little People Bus. Obviously quite the Renaissance Man.

Communication

He's starting to mimic us, which is hilarious... and frightening. He says "mama, "dada" and has made sounds that resemble "dog" and "ball." He chatters constantly and sings when there is music (or when there isn't music and he feels like dancing). He points at things now and I can tell he's starting to get frustrated that he can't actually talk. He'll pause and you can almost see his little brain desperately trying to convey what he wants. My mom said that I was pretty verbal by the time I was about a year and a half, so we'll see what the next few months bring. 

He's pretty cool.