Miles 1 Year

This post is hard for me to write. He has changed and grown up so much.

I don't even know where to start. And this is going to be a complete book, so you read it if you want, if not, its good journaling for me :)

There are so many things he does that are unique to him. He tries to carry around everything in one hand. His favorite things to carry around are shoes, ducks, toys, garbage, milk jugs from the garbage, pens, keys, paper, balls, food, shoes, and mostly shoes.

He carries around our shoes by their laces, he will have 3 or 4 tennis shoes in one hand, all holding by the laces. He will drop one and pick it up with his free hand, and try to gently ease it back into his hand with all the shoelaces crammed in those little fingers, then he will drop another shoe as he gets the previous dropped shoe in, and he will play that game for like EVER. He is so busy. He doesn't stop, so curious, loves staring at people. Notices every little detail, has to check everything out. Loves pushing the chairs, and his highchair around, and gets super MAD when it won't push on the carpet. He has to CLOSE everything. So annoying. I will be in the pantry while he is pushing on the door slicing me in half as he grunts and pushes trying to close the door while I am sandwiched trying to get that can of corn or something of the likes. He has this teasing personality. If he does something and you react to it, he will do it again and again. He also is a little sly dog. Today I was going to the bathroom minding my own business and he peeked around the corner and freaked me out so bad, then he ran in laughing and clenching his fists all excited that he freaked me out and surprised me. 

He can't be stopped.

We try to take him in public but have just resorted to staying home with the crazy.

Just kidding. We still attempt the whole public thing.

He just wants to run ramped. 

He also can throw quite the fit.

I used to care, now I just let him while everyone stares at me. I'm sorry but I am not going to let him pull all the shoes off of the shelf. That's like 200 shoes I would have to rebox and clean up.

So, I try to redirect his attention but he is so STUBBORN (not from me of course) I cannot redirect so instead he throws his fit and we usually end up leaving while I try to talk to him about why he can't do that. I'm such a great parent. 

People that babysit him say he likes to close doors, and drawers, and cupboards, and it drives him crazy if he can't. My friend Carissa was watching him and Miles shut her little boy Koyle in the pantry. He probably waltzed away like he had accomplished something. 

I never have to worry about leaving the fridge door open, he always has my back.

Although, if you leave the doors to outside open, he is gone with the wind.

He loves outside. He loves animals. He follows them, has no fear of them, and is scared of them, but loves them more so his fear is overcome.

He is still long and skinny. And wouldn't hold still for this photoshoot. So I got what I could and accepted it. We have to stay busy and go out and about everyday in order to satisfy this little chump.

We go to the park a lot, its a short walk from our house, and lately Brad has been able to come with us. At the park he plays in the sand, watches and stares at the little kids, goes down the slide by himself, climbs up all the way to the slide by himself, goes through the tunnel train, picks up every piece of trash in sight, tries to get his shoes off the entire time, follows all the dogs that go by, bonks his head several times, plays in the sand, and tries to escape our watch. He seriously has no care in the world for knowing we are nearby. It freaks me out. He is a runner. With no intent on coming back. Don't get me wrong-he loves his parents-he just doesn't need us. I just went through a 2 day all day yoga teacher training, and man I missed him, and when I got home he would hear the garage and be standing at the door waiting for me, then he would run full blast at me wrapping his arms around my neck. And he will lay his head down on my chest for a total of  10 seconds and then he is wiggling out of my arms ready to be put down again, and continue about his business.  Man I just teared up thinking about that. Although he is constantly on the move, constantly pulling everything out of my drawers, and bookshelves, and cupboards, he does love me and man I love him.

Like I said, this photoshoot really struggled. And I didn't care about the lighting so we just went with it, because it was long overdue. He knows when we say no, but sometimes ignores, but sometimes continues and shakes his head no no as we are telling him "Miles no no" from across the room.

He wanted this little boy's binkie, so he took it out from his mouth and I said, "No no, and took it from him and gave it back to the little boy." And Miles smacked the little boy right in the face. I grabbed him and turned his face to me and I said firmly, "No no! We don't hit our friends." He then smacked me so hard in the face. Then I took him to his room and put him in his crib while he screamed bloody murder for ten seconds then I grabbed him and cuddled him and he wouldn't console so I gave him to Brad. Granted this was like 2 hours past his bedtime. So...I'll let that one slide.

But he is just a little fire ball, but also mellow at the same time. Its so a mix of Brad and I. He has fire, and he can really be determined, but yet he is chill and content with whoever and wherever he is. 

He also loves books (so me) and music (so Brad). He will dance to anything, and if he hears something with music whether it be a video, a toy or a phone he zooms over to check it out and do a little side step dance. It cracks us up. He will pull out a book at a time and read it and talk out loud like he is reading it in jibberish, then pull out another 3 or 4, then read those, he will do this for an entire 20 minutes until all 100 board books are scattered across the floor. We let him do that everyday, because they are his, and he can't break them (actually he does find ways) and he reads them to his hearts content. Then I put them back on the shelf only for him to do it again and take up another 20 minutes of his day. He is always listening and contributing to Brad playing the piano and guitar, and if he hears the electric guitar he is right there in minutes. He will reach up while Brad is playing and strum along, while he side step dances. We have to keep him out of the music/study/craft room because he just wants to strum the guitars and he knocks them over on himself and gets bonks and bruises and cuts.

In church he sings so loud, and Brad and I just try to keep singing and not laugh our heads off. He is so serious about it, and we have never seen anything like it. He holds real still and looks straight ahead and just sings not yelling, perfectly in tune-jk- like I would know anyway.

When he hears the tub running he is in there in a jiffy, usually his hands full of something as he runs in. He pulls off his shirt over his head, and pulls off his pants and diaper and puts his leg up over the tub, and would dive in if we would let him. He plays and plays in the tub. I usually sit on my computer or last night I called my mom and talked to her for a half hour while he played in the tub, he reads all his tub books, and dumps water on himself and then all the fun ends because he pooped a big turd and we had to call it quits. 

He throws everything, and then picks it up again and throws it again. Sometimes a ball, but usually just anything. He has started pushing cars and tractors around and plays and plays with them. Then usually throws them. He loves all types of foods, I still have yet to find a food he won't eat. The other day I got a carton of raspberries at the grocery store, he saw me put them in and turned and reached and grunted and whined, so I grabbed them and fed the entire carton to him as we shopped. Unwashed-ya, sometimes those pesticides make you stronger. Jk-bad mom move. But he was hungry, and he is so skinny I will feed the kid anything he will eat. He rarely sits and eats. He will take a bite and run away. I try to put him in his highchair but he will just wisp all of his food on the floor, then eat it off the floor once I get him out. He hates being contained. He will come get a bite, run and play, come get a bite, run and play. Or he will carry food around in his hand while he plays taking a bite every once in awhile. 

He is great at giving kisses and somehow thinks that tongue out is the appropriate way to kiss, he won't look at you, but just stick his tongue out and lean at you giving you a slobber kiss then be on his way again. 

He says:

Ya

Hi

Dada

Mama

and sometimes I think he says other words, but these four are most constantly repeated. 

His favorite books:

Animal Sounds

Brown Bear

Any Touch and Feel book

His favorite foods:

Chicken

Ice cream

applesauce

Here he is proving that he always has goods in his hands, my mascara which he grabbed while I was trying to wet his crazy hair down for these pictures, and teething tablets which he saw on my nightstand and grabbed. (Which after 4 years of marriage, we finally splurged and got nightstands ($20) lol and got rid of the Ikea table, and tv dinner table that were acting as our nightstands-feels more homey)

He did this by himself, probably from all of our dance parties we have (as a family-we aren't clubbin with a 1 year old) but he will run in place, when we say run, and jump, by bending down and coming up fast-not making it off the ground of course, well sometimes he will over correct and fall if that counts as a jump. 

When you sing happy and you know it he will do the clapping and stomping.

He waves bye bye, we still can't get him to blow kisses-not his thing I guess. Sometimes he will do it to my mouth. He still only will watch baby einstein. But for less amount of time now-you think he would watch it for longer, but nope he is a busy man. He will watch it on my phone and be up in the downward dog position, with the phone right under his face.

About a month ago, I started putting his favorite teddy bear in his crib with him. It works as a pillow, a comfort and a play toy when he wakes up too early for me. So we put him in his crib, hand him teddy, whom he grabs with both arms and squeezes around his neck, hand him his binkie, hand him his blankie, which he grabs with one free arm, then rolls over on top of teddy to fall asleep. Sometimes when he is grumpy we get teddy out and he cuddles him and carries him around all day. Sometimes Miles will go in his room and come out with teddy, I guess pulling him through the crib rails. I will hear a few grunts and a plop and I know Miles pulled and pulled and then fell on his butt. Like I said, he is determined.

Church is difficult, because its right smack in nap time. So we always end up outside, walking around the temple, stepping and stepping off and on the curb over and over again.

We have several games we play with cheeky bear:

Hair game: Brad holds him down and I put all my hair over him and shake my head. Then I chase him with my hair, tickling him and he is always trying to get out of the mass of my hair. Probably more fun for us then him.

Dance Parties: We are always dancing, any break we get we are turning on the music and dancing up a storm. Miles has the standard two step, but sometimes he throws in some arms or some spins. 

Head Game: He loves pushing our heads to one side, then pushing them to the other like we are shaking our head no. He thinks its so funny, and we don't know why, maybe because we are his little puppets. He will do it to me the entire time he is nursing.

Jumping: We will jump over him repeatedly and he just will run at us as we jump.

Bowling Game: I bought this Melissa and Doug Bowling Set and despite our many efforts to teach him to throw the ball, he refuses. We will hand him the ball to throw at the pins, and he will keep the ball, put it under his arm, and walk to the pins and knock them over one by one with his hands. Thinking it is the greatest thing ever. So, its hand bowling.

Everything goes in the mouth. Still. Please can that be over soon!

We were at the science spectrum the other day and we were watching the reptile show and he just went up to this older man sitting in the show and laid his head on his knee. Then he reached his arms up to him, and the man picked him up and he stayed in his lap! What the?? So random. Then he would run to him, anytime anyone else tried to give him attention. We were crackin up. This is the same day a little girl with an absent mother was going down this car ramp thing backwards and totally flattened Miles. I freaked out, as I ran towards him trying to prevent the collision. He screamed, that hurt, and some parents just have no idea what their kid is doing and the mom may have even seen her do it and didn't even give a *%#$. I realize accidents happen, but accidents can be prevented if you teach your child how to be safe, and you are actually paying attention to your child, and accidents still happen, I get that, but at least apologize when your kids breaks another kid's skull. (His skull isn't broken FYI)

Don't let me get started.

He still struggles with flashes.

We are growing his hair out. Because its got that natural wave like my hair has, and its blonde and its beautiful, and we want to be hipster.

His eyes are really blue, and with his blonde hair he is just a dream boat.

He is going to think I am so weird when he is like 15.

Brad and I always wonder who he will be most like. But really he is his own specimen. 

He is curious, loving, busy, fireball, mellow, playful, happy, teasing and unique in his own little way.

And he has a toothful smile with 6 teeth and some back ones coming in for like 2 weeks now.

But he struggles with being told what to do. I wouldn't let him leave.

And he wanted the 12.

And that made him sad.

And when he doesn't get what he wants.

He can be quite the vocal little gent.

And he tries to show you how sad he is, hoping that will make you give in.

And because he is an only child, he is spoiled. That will change!

He does love babies, and wants to be right up next to them, and sometimes two hand slams them, because he thinks they can play with him.

One time in the night he woke up screaming, so I went in and all he wants to do is nurse when I go in, so I nursed him and I was completely out of it, but he sat up, and started doing patty cake, marking it then throwing it in the oven. I just laughed, then he went right back to nursing. Sometimes on our video monitor I will see him clapping in his sleep. Or shaking his head back and forth back and forth like he does in his car seat violently while he kicks his legs just for fun. He's a hoot. He keeps us busy. He is always on the go. We love him and although this is going to be my last photo shoot month post. I will always keep you informed of his recent developments. I wonder if I can keep up this pace with my next children....we will see.