Isaac is Twelve Months Old

We officially have a one year old! How can that be? Weren't we just checking into the hospital to get induced?

This was the month that Isaac learned to climb our stairs and has generally decided that he needs to get into everything. He is definitely keeping us on our toes! 

*Photo taken on his actual birthday. Exactly ONE year old!

Whenever we look away, he immediately makes a beeline for the stairs or anywhere else he isn't supposed to be (the pantry or fireplace, etc.). He giggles hysterically and goes as fast as he can when he realizes we are out to stop him.

We have also deemed him Baby Hulk as he is starting to throw tantrums. Being one is hard because he is starting to have desires but doesn't yet have language for communicating. Right now this translates into balling up his fists and screaming. It is so uncharacteristic of him, it is comical.

Isaac loves playing with toys, especially if they belong to his older brother. A Ninja Turtle sword that makes noise is probably his favorite.

Isaac also loves to be outside and explore things. He is moving away from putting everything in his mouth (hello dirt!) so it is easier to let him roam around, supervised of course.

He has been nursing a cold/allergies for the last month and we will be glad when he feels 100% again.

In the coming week we will introduce him to cow's milk and I hope to start weaning him – he still nurses 3-4x a day.

Along with nursing, he has been waking up between 3 and 5am every morning. While these sweet moments with my baby are precious, I will be glad to eventually get a full night's sleep again! Thankfully he goes right back to sleep and will stay asleep until 8 or 9.

This month we celebrated Isaac's first Easter, next year it will be a bigger deal with him being more mobile and joining in more fully on the fun.

We also squeezed in a few hikes – he was a trooper as we hauled him to the bottom of both the Rock Island State Park Gorge and the bottom of Fall Creek Falls. Thank goodness for his easy going personality (as long as he is well fed, you can take him anywhere!).

Isaac has started to thin out somewhat, but he is still our roly poly baby. 

We are looking forward to the coming year(s) to come and all that they hold for us. Daniel and I feel so incredibly blessed by our two wonderful boys.

A few end of month stats

Eating: A typical day of eating is something like this... 

Breakfast: An entire banana and some Cheerios

Lunch: A fruit (normally grapes or strawberries), half a slice of whole wheat bread, a slice of deli meat, a slice of cheese and a handful of puffs.

Dinner: A sampling of whatever we are eating.

Isaac loves food and will eat anything we put in front of him.

 
Talking: Isaac continues to say dada for most things and hasn't really developed words yet.
Nicknames: Some of our favorite things we call Isaac are Little Guy, Buddy, Isaac-ee, and Baby Hulk. 

Hair: Isaac has a ton of hair and it looks like will need to get his first haircut soon, it's getting pretty shaggy over his ears and eyes. Haircuts are bittersweet because it makes them look so grown up.

Teeth: He currently has 8 but we think more are working their way in, if his drooling is any indication.

Waving: Has started waving on a more consistent basis.

*As with Jack, I posted monthly updates of Isaac on a quilt (inherited from my Grandma), next to a yellow Tonka truck (a toy from Daniel's childhood). Isaac at One Month | Isaac at Two Months | Isaac at Three Months | Isaac at Four Months | Isaac at Five Months | Isaac at Six Months | Isaac at Seven Months | Isaac at Eight Months | Isaac at Nine Months | Isaac at Ten Months | Isaac at Eleven Months   
This will conclude my regular monthly updates.   

A Look Back:
Jack at One Month | Jack at Two Months | Jack at Three Months | Jack at Four Months | Jack at Five Months | Jack at Six Months | Jack at Seven Months | Jack at Eight | Jack at Nine Months | Jack at Ten Month | Jack at Eleven Months | Jack at Twelve Months
(We used a quilt from Daniel's family for the Jack photos, along with the Tonka truck from Daniel's childhood).

Isaac is Eleven Months Old

 

I have been feeling kind of emotional lately. My baby will be one in less than a month and it just feels like time is slipping by too quickly. 

 

 

Daniel and I are big proponents of teaching independence (Jack has been getting dressed and coming downstairs by himself in the mornings since he was 3), but it is always a little sad when they stop needing you.

 

 

Maybe it's because Isaac is most likely our last baby, but these moments feel so fleeting right now. 

 

 

Like we will blink and that chubby baby our ours who shouts dada all the time, and grins with his whole face, will suddenly be a boy who doesn't need our hugs or kisses any more.

 

 

I love each stage, it's just hard knowing we are on the brink of saying goodbye to babyhood forever.

As for Isaac, he is doing great. He took his time learning to crawl, but now that he can do it, there is no stopping him. 

 

 

He has discovered that our house has more than one room and he loves to explore. I recently found him checking out our steps, curious about where they go.

Now that he is mobile, he is starting to get into Jack's things and it is driving Jack a little crazy. I think Jack's days of living life like an only child (who doesn't have to share and can do whatever he wants) are pretty much over. 

 

 

Thankfully Jack really loves Isaac right now, but the days and years to come may prove challenging (as they do for all kids who have to adapt to living with younger siblings).

Isaac's communication continues to mostly revolve around using the sound "dada" for everything, but he has quite a bit of inflection to go with it. We think he has been trying to say "Jack" but it comes out as a variation of "da!"

 

 

It constantly sounds like he is asking us questions, or shouting at us, or just telling us things. It is always fascinating to see language develop in a child, but the stage of them learning to communicate in ways besides crying is especially interesting.

 

 

Isaac got 3 new teeth this month (he now has a total of 7). With those new teeth came fevers and a lot of general fussiness. It also meant that his newly acquired skill of sleeping through the night got tossed out the window! 

 

 

It's always hard when your baby backtracks on sleep. Now that his teeth are in, and we are no longer traveling, he has settled back in to sleeping 10-12 hours at night. Praise the Lord!

Speaking of traveling, in the past month Isaac has taken two road trips (it was a busy month!) – one to Arkansas for my Grandma's funeral, and one to Florida to see cousins on their spring break. 

In Florida, both of our boys got to go on their first caving trip. Someday we will take them to wild caves and explain how their mommy and daddy met on a caving trip.

We have been staying busy with lots of outdoor activities: hiking, trips to the park, time spent on our deck. Isaac loves our back deck and seems to be as just as interested in exploring outside as he is inside.

I also introduced Isaac to swings recently and he adores swinging with his big brother at the park. He giggles like nothing else. 

 

 

He has also ridden on the merry-go-round and seems to love the spinning sensation, sitting happily on my lap while Jack pushes us.

 

Isaac has a funny little wave he does when he sees people. Instead of waving his hand, he holds it up (kind of like they say "How" in the movie Dancing with Wolves). It is such a funny little action, but he is definitely trying to communicate that he sees you.

While I am sad that babyhood is coming to a close for us, it is also exciting to know that as Isaac gets older we will be able to do more things with our boys and have more flexibility (and sleep!). 

 

 

I guess this is just the bitter sweet period that all parents go through. I still can't believe that next month he will be ONE!!!

End of month stats

Eating: Isaac loves to eat. I can't think of anything that he has refused to try. When I put him in his high chair the mornings, he starts banging his tray and shouting "ba ba ba ba" over and over again until I give him his banana.

Talking: Dada continues to be Isaac's main sound/word for everything. But he is starting to make other sounds like the "ba" sound and occasionally, when he is really upset, he will make a "muh" sound.

On the Move: Isaac is crawling all over the place. He has figured out that our house has more than one room and he is all about exploring. He is also cruising – holding onto furniture as he walks along.

Teeth: He currently has 7 teeth, with one more trying to pop in. This month he had a rough go with 3 teeth coming in over the course of a week. The week was marked by a fever and lots of general fussiness.

  

*As with Jack, I will be posting monthly updates of Isaac on a quilt (inherited from my Grandma), next to a yellow Tonka truck (a toy from Daniel's childhood). Isaac at One Month | Isaac at Two Months | Isaac at Three Months | Isaac at Four Months | Isaac at Five Months | Isaac at Six Months | Isaac at Seven Months | Isaac at Eight Months | Isaac at Nine Months | Isaac at Ten Months

A Look Back:
Jack at One Month | Jack at Two Months | Jack at Three Months | Jack at Four Months | Jack at Five Months | Jack at Six Months | Jack at Seven Months | Jack at Eight | Jack at Nine Months | Jack at Ten Month | Jack at Eleven Months 
(We used a quilt from Daniel's family for the Jack photos, along with the Tonka truck from Daniel's childhood). 

Isaac is Ten Months Old

Today's effort in futility is brought to you by the number 10. At 10 months old, Isaac has absolutely zero tolerance for his mama's monthly picture taking. Every time I laid him down, it was a race to grab my camera and attempt a photo before he rolled over and sat up, or crawled away.

 

Isaac is our little giggle box who is doing his best to charm the world right now. By and large, I would say he is succeeding. It is hard to go anywhere without someone stopping to talk to him.

He is finally starting to experience a little separation anxiety. I have been waiting for this to happen. When I drop him off (at church, the Y, etc.) he has no problem whatsoever, but as soon as I come back and I am within sight of him, he starts fussing. Like his big brother, at this age, he is a mama's boy for sure.

Isaac is a big guy, but I realized that I am in denial about his actual size. On a whim I recently put him in an 18 month fleece suit and it fit. I pulled out my stored 18 month clothes and the pants are mostly too long (didn't I just pack this stuff up from when Jack was wearing it?!?!), but it looks like we are on the brink of moving up to the next size.

 

Our little guy didn't get so big without a little effort. Isaac loves food. Of any kind. We use this to our advantage to encourage Jack to eat things like onions and cooked bell peppers. Isaac especially loves meat. Example: He shared my burger from Sonic the other night. He will also devour salmon. Let's be honest, he will eat anything we place in front of him.

Isaac used to sleep in our arms during church. I think those days are now over. In recent weeks, he insists on standing in our laps so that he can look around and engage with everyone around us. As one of our friends informed us, "He entertained the three rows behind us throughout service." This milestone is bitter sweet.

When it comes to words, we think he is now actually saying "dada" for Daniel (at least Daniel hopes). Da da da da continues to be his main sound. He has a lot of inflection going on, but not very many different sounds right now (ah and dis being his other main sounds).

When it comes to getting around, Isaac is constantly pulling up, standing, and now cruising! He is mostly interested in walking, but we are trying to still encourage him to crawl.

If we place him in the middle of the room, he is FINALLY starting to make some movement forward. If for no other reason than to get to the couch so that he can pull up and cruise. We finally dropped the crib (we should have done it awhile ago) but he officially stood up in it yesterday.

Isaac really loves to play with toys (especially anything that belongs to his big brother). He has figured out how to bat a ball back and forth to me with his hands. He can also roll a car in this manner. It isn't a really controlled movement, but he definitely gets the concept of back and forth.

Jack and Isaac are developing a sweet relationship. Jack loves to entertain his little brother and Isaac loves to watch Jack and laughs at everything he does. They have a funny version of pillow fighting where Jack stacks all of the couch cushions and pillows around Isaac and then jumps on the pile next to Isaac. They are pretty funny together.

When I try to put Isaac to bed at night, he refuses to nurse if he can hear Jack or Daniel in the other room. He knows he is missing out on something and he really wants to be a part of the fun.

Both of our boys have been incredible blessings to us. I am trying my best to savor the sweet moments with these two.

Some days are harder than others, but I find that if I can just take a moment and be thankful for the good, it immediately erases the harder things. Grace for my family is also grace for me, for the moments I don't get it right.

*As with Jack, I will be posting monthly updates of Isaac on a quilt (inherited from my Grandma), next to a yellow Tonka truck (a toy from Daniel's childhood). Isaac at One Month | Isaac at Two Months | Isaac at Three Months | Isaac at Four Months | Isaac at Five Months | Isaac at Six Months | Isaac at Seven Months | Isaac at Eight Months | Isaac at Nine Months

A Look Back:
Jack at One Month | Jack at Two Months | Jack at Three Months | Jack at Four Months | Jack at Five Months | Jack at Six Months | Jack at Seven Months | Jack at Eight | Jack at Nine Months | Jack at Ten Month
(We used a quilt from Daniel's family for the Jack photos, along with the Tonka truck from Daniel's childhood).