Happy 1st Birthday, Ian!

If Ian had been born in January (he was due 1-20-10), this Christmas would have been his first, but it's his second Christmas! I've been keenly aware of that as I've noticed all the decorations and ornaments I have on display right now which say "baby's first Christmas" that I received the last two years. I'd love to receive more some day in honor of a third child. We shall see if that's the Lord's will or not.

At 12 months old Ian usually goes to bed around 7:15pm and gets up around 6:15am. Sometimes he wakes up once during the night, but we just let him cry, and he usually doesn't cry very long. PTL! His first nap starts around 8:30am, and his second nap usually starts around 12:30pm. Many days both of his naps are 20-30 minutes long, but a couple of days a week he has one nap that's 60-80 minutes long. It alternates whether it's the first or the second nap that's the long one. I have been putting him to bed awake most of the time lately, and he usually cries for 5-15 minutes before he falls asleep. I'm hoping in time he'll go to sleep without crying like Nadia has for a long time.

He can drink from a sippy cup, but he still prefers a bottle, and since he only has 2 bottom teeth thus far, I've decided to give him a few more weeks before I push the transition to the bottle. His bottles now contain whole milk plus some other baby food (from a jar or baby cereal). He can eat fruits and veggies by spoon, but anything else causes him to immediately throw up. I was proud of him today that he consumed an entire jar of apple delight in one sitting! He usually stays in the same outfit all day these days, but he still douses the carpet a few times a week. I'm still holding off on getting the carpets shampooed.

He loves to stand, cruise, play with balls or wheels, and be held. He splashes VERY vigorously the moment he's put in the bathtub. He knows how to crawl but doesn't do it very much. He loves to jump but isn't interested in climbing. One perk of his delay in climbing is that I've enjoyed a few month reprieve from the gates to keep him away from the stairs. He's more interested in the Christmas tree than Nadia is. He loves music and unfortunately likes to look at the tv when his sister is watching VeggieTales. I try to distract him as I certainly think he's too young to watch tv. Nadia has always loved hugs and kisses, but I actually think Ian is even more of a snuggler than Nadia. He grabs on for dear life when he gives me a hug! Ian doesn't do anything half-heartedly; he attacks life with great gusto! His favorite books are those which have fuzzy things on the pages that he can touch.