Month 12 in Pictures

We made it! A full 12 months with Jonah. And what fun they were. I am still reeling from this month's fun and and celebration of birthdays and such. Can't believe this sweet, sweet boy is one. 

I had been keeping a list on my phone of all of the fun tricks that Jonah has been learning, but apparently in the Great Phone Switch (I got a new phone. Woohoo!), I lost it. Ugh! So sit back, enjoy some pictures from this month....and let's see what this wasted tired Mama can remember. 

Jonah loves to eat and begs for food all. day. long. He signs more like it is his job and nods "yes" as if to say, "Why yes, I can have more to eat, thankyouverymuch!" All of this eating has helped him gain weight and he is up to nearly 20 pounds. He is around the 10th percentile for both height and weight....with that head still going strong (75th percentile!!) He is wearing 6-12 month clothes comfortably and a size 3 diaper. 

Along with "more", he can (but won't) sign milk. His newest sign is "poop" which I always sign to him while changing his stinky diapers. He can nod his head "yes" and just recently started shaking it "no." He will point to his mouth when I ask him where it is. He also knows where his head is and will play peek-a-boo. He is not a talker...much quieter than the older brothers were at this age. He will and can say "Dada" and "Mama," but that is about it. He mimics sounds and will try to say ball, book, baby, and his favorite, "do" ...which means just about anything he wants it to mean.

Jonah is a Mama's boy for sure and cries when I am not near him. It is pitiful, sweet, and frustrating. He has been working on a couple of new teeth this month, but still holding on at 5. It has been a bit of a cranky month, but as long as he is interacting and out and about, he is usually as happy as a clam.

He is a rockstar sleeper, taking one LOOOOOoong nap (3+ hrs) in the am and another 2 hour nap in the afternoon. Jonah loves his blankie and is thumb at bedtime. I sing our sweet song and he pats my arm while I rub his back. Truly adorable and incredibly affectionate.

The boy loves to be silly and is a dancing fool. He especially enjoys the soundtrack to Frozen. When he is in the mood, he plays with his toys and his brothers really well. Throwing balls is a favorite. 

Recently, he has gotten braver and will push his toys around while walking behind them. He is not patient enough to walk and find his balance. He wants to run. But he can't, so I don't anticipate him walking anytime soon. I say another month...maybe two. He can stand for a little bit, but usually lowers himself gently. He is usually too surprised by standing and doubts his ability. But that is OK, because he is a speed crawler and an excellent climber. This month had him loving the stairs and even climbing up on our benches and the coffee table. We have got to keep an eye on this one. 

As if on cue, the day he turned one he started finding more mischief. Right now, Jonah loves to open drawers and throw every last item of clothing (that he can reach...) onto the floor. And he does it all while smiling and giggling, of course. It is a good thing he is so cute....that dimple!!! 

Jonah is still incredibly shy. He will smile and flirt with those around him but as soon as someone tries to talk to him or moves in to try to hold him, he clams up and makes a beeline for Mama. Mama's arms is where he likes to be.

I was able to leave him with Daddy a few times this month, and he did great! Wahoo!!  I am still nursing him 3-4 times a day and have started whole milk, but he doesn't like it yet. 

He threw his first tantrum when he couldn't have Jude's smoothie. Jude shared with him, but when we took it back, drama ensued. Oh boy. 

He loves being outside and giggles at squirrels, birds, and dogs.

I can tell that he understands so much and will even follow simple directions. So far he is a very good listener...except he can be rough. He hits Mommy and bites at her clothes when frustrated. Yikes!

Jonah,

What a ray of sunshine you have been in our lives this year. We love everything about you! You are quickly becoming a very lovable stinker. Thank you for being so go-with-the-flow this year. 

You are truly a gift. Heaven sent. I will cherish the last of your itty bitty baby parts as you transform into a toddler this year. Stay sweet, little doodle bug. Our little love bug. We love you. So so so so much.

xoxo

Jonah is 1

Valentine's Day will forever be changed in our lives. A day that used to go by barely celebrated and recognized in our house is now a day we will NEVER forget. A day filled with joy and much celebration. The day Jonah Kelly Carson joined our family.  He surprised us by coming a little earlier than expected, and has been surprising and delighting us ever since. 

It didn't seem real as we woke up celebrating his first birthday. We started the day with heart shaped toast for breakfast.

 I want to freeze time and keep this baby forever. He is just so precious.

We had some family and friends over to celebrate our little Love Bug with dinner and cake....just like we did for Eli and Jude's first birthdays. The day was filled with a lot of last minute baking and final touches. Everything turned out perfectly, and we had a wonderful time celebrating Jonah!

I will apologize up front for the amount of pictures of Jonah eating his cake, but it was too much fun and too much cuteness to not share. He started out in his birthday highchair throne waiting oh so patiently. (And yes....he kept those heart deelie boppers on....he forgot they were there!)

I tried to teach him to blow out his candle like Eli did, but all he would do was grab at it like Jude did. He would smile and giggle at it, but he would not blow it out. Oh well. No biggie. 

He started out slowly, sampling the whip cream icing. Yummo.

Daddy helped him out and handed him a chunk. Now that's more like it! The boy was all about Mommy's homemade angel food cake.

Oh my goodness he was so incredibly happy and kept picking at it with his left hand while keeping a death grip on that handful in his right hand. Things never got too crazy or messy, but he worked at it slowly and steadily.

It was all fun and games until Mommy decided he had had enough and took it away. After some tears, and realizing that he still had some in his hand, he got over it, but you can see the tears still in his eyes here. Sweet boy.

We really enjoyed having our family and friends here to celebrate with us. The kids spent much of their time running and playing in the back yard. The big brothers loved having friends over to celebrate and play with.

Why is it always so hard to get a good family picture? Haha! It was the best we could do, and Eli had already changed out of his party clothes and into his ninja gear. Not many a day goes by when he doesn't put this on. Love all my boys!!

After most of the guests headed home, the birthday boy got to open his gifts. He loved the tissue paper the most and could have cared less about anything else. Eli was super sweet and read the cards to him. Moments like these can truly melt a momma's heart. 

What a wonderful day. A special and memorable first birthday for our precious Love Bug! We have loved watching him grow each and every month. I put together this collage for the party and I keep finding myself staring at it. 

Still in disbelief that a year has passed. Poof! So fast. 

Making Valentines

The week before Valentines Day, I had the boys make their valentines. 

Jude had to bring some to his Mom's Morning Out group, so I decided to redo the symmetry hearts that I did with Eli. Super easy for a toddler to do. I cut the hearts, they dab the paint, squish them closed, open them up, and TA-DA!! Always fun and always turn out great!! Jude had a ball.

 

Eli is in a ninja-loving stage, so he picked these out from a bunch of ideas I had found. I printed and help cut them out, but he wrapped the chocolates and taped them all on. He hand-picked a color/word combo for each person in his class. There was a lot of thought put into each one.

And that was it! Nice and easy this year. Whew....cause there were first birthday party plans in the works too. 

A Princess Party for Me

When I told Jude that my birthday was coming up, he got super excited and declared that I should have a "Princess Party!" Who could argue with that? So I passed the word on to Matt and left it in his hands. He did not disappoint! 

The plan was to celebrate with my family during the Super Bowl. My dad and I both have birthdays during the first week of February, so we typically celebrate together. Double birthdays are double the fun! Matt and the boys picked out a crown for me and a hat for Grandpa. We had princess plates, napkins and cups. There was a lot of pink, tasty BBQ, a delicious ice cream cake, and a lot of fun! 

This little guy truly made my day when he woke up from his nap and saw me wearing the crown, he squealed with delight, "You're a princess!!!!" and came running to hug me and jump in my arms. The. Best.

He was clean when I got up from the table, and then I turned around to find this mess! Oh my!!

On my actual birthday, Matt treated me like a princess as well. He took the day off of work and took care of all of the normal day-to-day routines. He got us doughnuts for breakfast, took me out to lunch, and handled dinner! He even let me escape for some alone time and a pedicure. It was heavenly!

I loved spending my day relaxing and enjoying my family. Truly a perfect birthday. 

Snow Day!!

Um. No. Just kidding. More like sleet and frozen rain day. January ended with a crazy cold snap that kept temperatures around freezing all day long.

Schools were closed as a just-in-case measure. Florida is soooo not ready to handle icy roads full of morning traffic and buses of kids. It was a fun day filled with anticipation of snow, but it never came. Thank goodness the ice was just as much fun to my boys. Eli wasn't patient enough to make a good "snow"ball.

Eli and Jude just kept scooping up quick handfuls of ice to eat and feel...and then Mommy started throwing it. Haha! That was all it took. The collected ice disappeared soon after that.

It was neat seeing a little signs of winter around our yard. Ice can be beautiful. 

We know that this was no where near what others have been experiencing this winter, but for us Floridians, it was fun.  The 70 degree days were back by the weekend. Crazy crazy weather!