If I could sum up this past year in one word - that would be the one. Jesus came so that we could have this ABUNDANT LIFE but it's a choice of daily pursuing God, renewing our mind, and allowing Him to be the source of our FAITH.
While it is hard to believe Jayden turned ONE on Sunday, June 7th - I can look back over this past year and be incredibly thankful that I have enjoyed the day to day moments being his mom and watching him change and grow into a little boy.
Let's just sum up the change from 11 months to a year old :)
- Jayden is so full of life and so expressive (just like Rance). I am so blessed to be Jayden's mom and Rance's wife.
- Jayden is fearless and adventurous! I could show you video after video of him doing things that seem INSANE. Sometimes I have to just close my eyes and pray for protection because I see how hard and awesome it's going to be to parent a CRAZY BOY! He will climb onto anything, can EASILY slide off of the chair or bed (very meticulously without falling), climbs up and down stairs, and the list goes on. He loves to try to figure out how to do something so I constantly must keep my eye on him.
- He literally copies everything we do. We always talk to him and tell him what we are doing but to watch him COPY and repeat later on is absolutely fascinating. For example, when we get home everyday we always water the flowers. One weekend when we were getting home from a weekend of travel - Jayden walks through the garage, picks up the flower watering can and heads out of the garage straight to the flowers and begins watering them. He will copy us brushing our teeth, brushing our hair, and the list goes on. He wants to do whatever we are doing.
- He also wants to HELP do everything. If I am vacuuming, he wants to. He continues to love to vacuum, sweep, mop, etc.
- He loves to HIGH FIVE and say 'wooooo!'
- A couple of weeks before he turned 11 months old - he began taking several steps by himself and it wasn't long after that he began walking all over the place (about 11 1/2 months). We have had many bumps and bruises since :)
- He has basically been sleeping from 8 to 8:30 until 5:45 to 6:15 this last month. I've decided he is like his mom - he's an early riser! He wakes up ready to take on the day; however, within an hour and a half or 2 hours of being up - he still sleeps about an hour in the mornings and then his 2 hour nap from 12 to 2!
- Adding to his fearless/adventurous self - Jayden is VERY determined. While one of my best friends encourages me that this is a WONDERFUL thing - it is also proving to be difficult when it comes to discipline because his determination is so strong he is not a big fan of mama stopping or intervening in his determination! Sometimes I think the pop on his hand is worth it in his mind to continue doing what he really wants to do.
- Speaking of discipline - some days I can feel like he listens so well and other days it is as if he deliberately ignores me. Oh me - I am constantly reminded of the Father's patience with us and that until Jayden is 4 to 5 years old - we will continuously be teaching him about authority - I know that consistency with this is key!
- He drinks water LIKE A BOSS!
- He loves to eat - can't you tell by those cheeks!? He loves all things fruit - watermelon, canteloupe, strawberries but I still think bananas are his favorite. He loves his green beans and corn too. He's a big fan of cheerios, fruit smoothies, cheetos, wheat thins, crackers, raisins and his whole grain blueberry waffles! He is FINALLY enjoying eggs more too - especially when I sprinkle a little cheese on top.
- One of my favorite times of day is first thing in the morning when we sit beside each other either on the couch or outside on the porch and eat our breakfast together.
- Since Jayden loves to climb and stand in anything and everything, I had to make it a priority to make sure he knows that when he is eating he must 'sit down'. It's so funny because he will sit down so quickly when I tell him too but within minutes he is standing back up and we go through it all over again. He knows unless his butt is seated, he will not get food!
- He basically drinks milk 4 times a day still - around 6, 10, 2 to 3 and 8 at night. We are transitioning off breastmilk stricly to WHOLE MILK since he is allowed to have that now (woohoo!).
- He loves tractors, trucks, balls, and ALL animals. Speaking of the tractor, since he cannot reach the peddle - over the last month he has figured out how to make it go by standing on the side of it :) Lord help us!
Here he goes...yes, he is moving in this picture!
- He loves to scoot down the HUGE HILL at our house and then climb back up it and PUSH his bullet up the hill (he is a beast). He also loves to throw things down it and watch them roll to the bottom (like his dump truck). I cannot tell you how many times I've run down the hill to fetch and back up it again. OH MY WORD. If you have not seen the hill I'm talking about then you have no idea the intensity of this climb.
- Rance's mom bought Jayden this little bullet and IT IS BASICALLY one of his favorite things. Remember it was pink and Rance painted it black?!
- He really don't need his paci much anymore but over the last couple of days more teeth must be coming in because he is drooling a lot and has wanted to chew on that paci again.
- He continues to love his orange blanket from Aunt Rachel :)
- HE WILL FINALLY wear shoes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- He takes more baths than I do. Literally almost everyday we have to give him a bath b/c he is SO DIRTY - but we continue to have the philosophy that God made dirt and dirt won't hurt.
- I love that we can talk to him and he understands what we are saying. We have seen that he can literally say almost any word but sometimes he just chooses NOT to. We can think he is regressing and then he'll just wing out all the words again so we know he can say them all. He is a HOOT.
- He loves going for long walks in the stroller!
- No matter if he is fussy, having a bad moment, or whatever the case - you can say 'do you want to go outside?' and his face lights up and he smiles SO big. We are very thankful for this because he's a big fan of outdoor activities like HIKING which you all know Rance and I love!
- He knows what the bear says, ducks says, and dog says - we are expanding to other animals now (which he now knows the cat, owl, and working on the frog)!
- Jayden will pick men/boys over women/girls anyday! I think he knows that generally men are more interesting and take him to do more fun/adventurous things than women. Hello, it's hard being his mom and having to compete with the coolness of Rance (jk - i love it!).
- He loves our neighbors kids! Kelly, in particular, always stops in on his dirt bike or commander and plays with jayden and will even take him for a ride.
I do feel as if I could write so much more...
...because there is so much more!!!
Here are the classic one year old chair pictures! It does so much more than SIT still now :) So that you get the full effect, I am posting a BUNCH from this 2 minute picture session...
More to come on the 1st birthday par-tay!
