Baby Matthew: 12 Months Old and Our Baby Favorites

My baby is officially a toddler.  I feel like almost crying writing this because I'm pretty sure I was just writing this post to you all five minutes ago.   The first year of a child's life brings so many crazy changes and experiencing it the second time around was just as exciting (and many times easier) than the first.  
Every little milestone he hits is so bittersweet.  He's waving and clapping and pulling up and toddling after his brother.  I love all of it and it all makes me so sad.  Even though he still loves for me to hold him and snuggle him and feed him his bottle.  I know he will soon be running away from me chasing his brother on the playground.  It's also hard because Matthew might be my last baby.  I don't know if we'll have a third, or if I could honestly handle a third,  so I try to remind myself to savior all these little baby moments in case this is it for me.

Weight: 20lbs 12oz (25%)

Height: 31in (90%) 

Head circumference: 47 centimeters (75%) 

Pretty much the exact same stats as Miller at one!  My babies are long and lean.  Matthew only weighs 4lbs less than Miller right now but Miller has at least 8in on him :) 

Diet:  You still drink 3 or 4 8oz bottles a day of formula. We have trying to get you onto regular milk but you are fighting us tooth and nail. For some reason you hate it.  Which I don't understand because formula smells so gross.  My newest trick is to do a 7oz formula bottle with a "splash" of milk.  You are nothing like your brother and while you enjoy real people food you don't love it as much as he did.  At this point Miller ate 3 solid meals a day and two snacks.  You always eat breakfast and dinner but could take or leave lunch.  I try to give you at least 2 snacks a day in addition to your meals and again you could take it or leave it.  The doctor said not to stress yet and to just keep offering it to you as often as possible.   

Favorite foods:  blueberry waffles, shredded cheese, chicken, ravioli, baked ziti,  cheese/chicken quesadilla, sweet potatoes, toast with butter, peanut butter sandwiches, and apple sauce.  You also eat an assortment of baby pouches with fruits and veggies.     

Clothes:  You are wearing mostly 18 month clothes and Mommy is kicking herself because she bought you a few Christmas outfits in 12 months not thinking!  I'm currently trying to find ways to make it work :)  The good side of that is since your brother was so tiny you are wearing most of his clothes from last winter! Yay! You wear size 4 diapers and we are big Huggies fans around here.  You are currently in size 4 shoes. 

Health:  Fingers crossed your health has been great lately!! We got flu shots so I'm hoping we can avoid most of the nasty germs this winter.  

Mood:  You are still the happiest, most laid back baby!  You are so easy to take everywhere and rarely get angry or upset with us.   When you do get upset though you are very upset and much harder to calm down.  You are sensitive and your feelings seem to get hurt more than Miller's ever did at this age.  You also always need mommy to snuggle you after any and all boo-boos.  

Likes: books especially pop up books,  dogs, pushing trucks around,  playing with your brother, going on walks, playing outside, drinking out of sippy cups like a big boy, and hanging out with daddy

Dislikes: bananas, your car seat, being strapped into anything, getting your diaper changed, not going outside, being told no 

Sleep:  You are the best sleeper and after Miller (who still sucks at sleeping) I thank God every day for blessing me with a good sleeper.  You take 1-2 naps a day.  If you take a morning and afternoon then you usually sleep 9:30-11 and 1:30-3:30.  If you only take one nap you'll go down around 11:30-12 and sleep until 2:30-3pm.  I still don't think you're ready to move to one nap but you're flexible if we get stuck doing something for Miller which I love.  You go down for bed around 7pm and sleep until 7-7:30am.  It is glorious.   

Milestones:  Over the past 8 weeks you have completely transformed from little baby to little toddler.  You are about 95% walking.  Any day now I'm just expecting to put you down and you just keep on walking.  Right now you can take about 8-10 steps on your own before you sit down but I know it's coming.  I'm so excited and terrified for this phase again since I just did this with Miller.   Lots of baby gates will be going back up.  
- started waving whenever we leave a house, store, or say bye bye 
- clap along whenever anyone claps or get excited  
- you can say mama, dada, baba, and shake your head no.  You mostly call for mama when you can't find me in the room, get hurt, or need a snuggle.  It's my favorite thing to hear.   Miller was a late talker and is really just talking in sentences now at almost 2.5 so I will be interested to see how talking goes for you.  You already seem clearer with the few words you can say.  
- you have 6 teeth and have had 6 for about 3 months now.  Miller got most of his teeth between 12 and 15 months so I will be interested to see if it's the same for you.  

Here are some of this month's favorites: 

1. Halo sleepsack in fleece-  we love these sleepsacks for the cooler weather!  I was worried they would be too hot but we've been putting Matthew in his regular (not fleece) pajamas with no socks and zipping him up and he stays warm but not too hot.  He also seems to love them too and appears to be sleeping more comfortably.  

2. Munchkin no bite sippy cups- these are our new favorite sippy cups! Matthew loves to chew the spout/nipple on the sippy cups and these have been working out so well. He can chew these without loosening the lid or causing his water to spill.  I also think these will come in handy when we eventually make the switch from bottle to sippy cup for milk.  

3. Tommee Tippee Straw cups-  I got one of these for each of the boys for when we're out running errands and so far I love them!  We usually only put water in straw cups and these are so good at keeping the water cold and not spilling. Since both of them love to throw their cups around the back of the car I love being able to not panic that the water is leaking all over the car.  Highly suggest these.  

4. Pop up peekaboo books-  Matthew loves books but he especially loves pop up books!  These are hands down our favorites since the pictures are big, the colors are bright, and the pop up parts are  big enough for little hands to grab and participate.   We currently have the one shown but I just ordered the Christmas one for the boys from Amazon.  

5. Freshly Picked Moccasins-  I've talked about these many times before but these are my favorite moccasins for early walkers!  Since they're really supposed to be barefoot to learn how to walk but that isn't really an option now that it's getting cold I'm so happy I have these for Matt.  He just grew out of his hand me down pair from Miller so he's getting a new pair this week.  Plus they'll be adorable for the holidays :) While they are pricey they really do last forever! 

6. Sesame Street ABC Count on Me Ride on toy-  Matt got these a few weeks ago for his birthday and has loved it ever since.  It's easy for him to climb on and scoot all over the family room.  It has a bunch of buttons and bright lights that he loves.  It also sings the ABCs which Miller is a big fan of.  

7. Mini Boden Reversible Cotton Pants-  I've been a Mini Boden fan for years but I try to wait until their stuff is on sale because it can be pricey.  I was able to get a pair of these for Matthew when they had a sale a few weeks ago and we love them.  The fact that they're reversible means they're a little bit thicker which is perfect for winter and the cotton is so so soft.  Since we're in and out of the car a lot I try to keep Matt in warm comfy clothes and these fit the bill. 

8. Melissa & Doug First Shapes Jumbo Puzzle- We have this puzzle from Miller and Matt loves it.  He prefers ripping them all out and throwing them around the room but since it's big and has the knobs on them he can easily get them back in the right places and is always so proud of himself :) 

9. Munchkin Stay Put Suction Cup Bowls- These are a new purchase of mine and so far they are working out well!  I don't know if the suction will keep working forever but for right now they are great and he hasn't been able to get them off the high chair and fling them which is a win.   

10. Carter's Fleece One Piece Pajamas- Carter's is always a great go to for pj's and the fleece ones are our favorites in the winter.  They're so soft and stay soft even after a lot of washes.  Plus the Carter's prices can't be beat!  

What are some of your favorites for 1 year olds? 

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