beau andrew | 12 month update

Hey y'all! Beau is now halfway through 12 months and I feel like I'm over the emotional part of it and into the 'this is a new fun stage in life' part, so I can write about it now! 

I posted about his party as well as his 1 year pictures, but here are some pictures from his actual birthday.

We made sure to play at home that day and then we went to the mall, had Chick-fil-A, and played in the little toddler play area. Beau got hit in the face by another toddler (who had 1-2 years on him) and I had a MAJOR mama bear moment. I almost cried! He cried for a little bit but then was back at it. That night, we ate at home and then we went and had fro-yo at Monster Yogurt. They have their own play area so Beau played in the empty area for his inaugural play place experience! We came home and he opened the present from us. I picked up this grocery toy at Target on a whim and he has loved it! I really like it too and I think it will grow with him for quite a few years. 

I feel like he's come a LONG way since 11 months, so here's what he's up to now:

-he went from zero teeth at 11 months to having FOUR teeth today! He got his first tooth at 11 months and 1 week and had 2 by his birthday. They were snaggle teeth, one on the bottom left and one on the top right. He had been working on the top left for awhile but it was taking it's sweet time, but I checked last night and not only had it had a growth spurt, but the bottom right had come in too! Oh, the exciting world of baby teeth. :)

-he is working on walking. He takes a step or two here and there but hadn't been interested in his walker until he got this one from my aunt and uncle for his birthday. He went from uninterested to tearing across the room. I took this video the day after we brought out this walker for him. We don't practice walking with him a lot because honestly, I think life is easier with a crawler. ;) I'm thinking he'll pick it up in the next month, though, so watch out! He is a speedy crawler, so right now that's working for him....for now.

-his hair is SO long. And still blonde. I'm itching to get it cut, but at the same time will seriously mourn his curls. It's just a total mop now, though! What to do, mamas??

-he understands SO much now. I have normal conversations with him and honestly I think he picks it all up. He can follow lots of commands. Here's a quick list:

-brush your hair

-take your paci out

-find your paci

-how old are you? (holds up one finger)

-where are your shoes/feet? (touches his shoes/feet)

-take this to daddy

-where's motley/kitty/daddy/etc (points)

-where's the cow/pig/dog (points, touches, or goes and gets his toys)

-where's the ball?

-drink your water

-sit down/stand up/push/open/shut/touch

-I wrote a long post about our breastfeeding journey but since his last monthly update, he has been weaned and is fully on cow's milk now. We had no issues transitioning and bedtime has gotten even better!

-His vocabulary is sort of expanding...like with the walker, I think he is going to suddenly start speaking one day. He understands a TON but only says mama, dada, and nana. He maaaaaybe says dog and I think he has started saying 'night-night' (ny-ny) because I say that every time he takes a nap or goes to bed and he has started to laugh and smile because he is happy about it. I also think he is on the verge of saying ball and cat. We recently took one of our cats back and he is super interested in her. I will say "cat" to him and he will make the end sound, the 't-'. It's pretty cute, anyway. 

-he is a pointing fool lately. We started working with him at 11 months to be able to say "1" with his pointer finger and it was around that time that he started gesturing towards things but with his whole arm and hand rather than just his finger. Right after he turned 1 he figured it out and now he is constantly pointing and grunting to go along with it. 

-he is dancing! Dancing is a new favorite pasttime. He does it in the high chair, in the car seat, at church, in his crib, with his toys, everything. He will go push a button on one of his toys to make the music start and then will continue playing with other toys, all while getting down to the beat. It's adorable.

It was such a great year and we're just getting started! Can't wait to see what year 2 has in store for us!