twelve months (well, technically thirteen).

Well, the countdown is over, Brooks is officially ONE year old (a month ago). Time didn't slow down, as much as I wanted it to. These days are just so precious and I want every bit of baby goodness to last and last and last. But, watching Brooks grow, discover, learn, hit milestones, and come into his own is so gratifying and I just love the bright little boy he is becoming.

Brooks' sponge brain never ceases to amaze me. He knows all animals and animal sounds now. I will ask him if he wants chicken for dinner and he immediately starts saying, "bawk bawk." He signs "more" and "all done."  He is extremely vocal these days too—lots of new babble and words added to his vocabulary. He can say "thank you," "tick tock," "bike," and "moon," to name a few. He can locate and point to individuals in a room and can find the toy that we tell him to go grab.

 He started standing up on his own for longer periods of time on November 22nd, the same day that we went to meet baby Coleman in Opelika. He can now stand up from the sitting or squatting position without holding onto anything.

On November 28th he figured out how to climb down the stairs at Nanie and Pop Pops. He is officially a pro at climbing up and down stairs and getting on and off the couch, ottomans, ...really anything that he can climb on. He is a serious climber. Beware trees, neighbor's cars, and pets.  Brooks is coming for you.

On December the 2nd, B finally started holding the sippy cup and tilting his head back on his own. Thank goodness. I thought that he was never going to be an independent sippy drinker! He is solely on the sippy and whole milk. He gets around 16 ounces throughout the day. If he is extra thirsty we give him water, as our pediatrician strongly advised against juice. He loves water and switched over to whole milk with no problem. Just a little something else that I am thankful for: smooth transitions.

Brooks took his first steps towards John on December 4th. He didn't take another without assistance until December 14th, the evening after his birthday party. We now have a walker on our hands! He is slowly, but surely getting the hang of it, even if he looks like he is stumbling out of a bar at 2:00 a.m. It is so cute and John and I find ourselves laughing at him most of the time.

A walker needs shoes, right? I bought Brooks two pairs of Freshly Picked Moccasins and he wore a pair for the first time on Christmas Eve. We rarely leave the house without them now!

On January 6th, Brooks' top left tooth broke through. It is hardly noticeable. There are days that I look into his mouth and I can't see it and others where I can. This explains the fussiness! It looks like he may have three coming in very soon. But, still only two official teefies. Not having a mouth full of chompers hasn't stopped our human garbage disposal from eating anything and everything. Really, he is a little piggy. He eats SO much; more than I ever have on my plate (probably because he finishes what's on his and still wants more so ends up eating half of mine). He is eating three meals a day along with two snacks. A few favorites this month are cheese, greek yogurt, blueberries, raspberries, bananas, chicken, avocado, banana bread, Mum Mum's, and clementines. Note: no veggies. I am having to still give him pouched veggies to be sure he is getting adequate nutrients. Pouched peas, kale, spinach, green beans? Loves them.

 Some other funny things that I want to remember about our silly boy:

When he poots he starts laughing and makes a "poot" noise. Oh boy. Mature, Brooks! He has also started making himself laugh. And this laugh isn't your typical giggle. It is like a fake cackle. John and I ask ourselves, "where did this laugh come from?!" It is hilarious. He also screams and chases after Coco and Goose, which freaks them out, but makes me smile to see him running around laughing with his arms in the air.

He is still obsessed with tractors and anything else that moves: trucks, trains, his new bike, cars, four-wheelers. If it has wheels, it's the cat's meow.

Brooks is still sleeping throughout the night, from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. (sometimes later). He is taking two naps, one at 9:00 a.m. and one at 1:00 p.m. I think that we are inching towards dropping his morning nap. Some mornings he will nap for 2 hours, some days he just plays in his crib until I get him out. I am sure going to miss that nap once we officially drop it. It's my "mommy time" spent cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast, showering, and gearing up for the day. Guess I will have to do all of those things with an ankle biter shadow!

Brooks still loves his daddy and gets so excited when he comes home in the evenings, but he is rather attached to me. There are some nights where he won't let John give him his sippy cup or put him to bed. It's mama or a serious meltdown. He also prefers for me to be down on the floor interacting with him. He does good at solo play sometimes, but usually ends up next to me fussing to be picked up. It's a good thing I love playing with my little dude!

This year has had its ups and downs, but I would never change our circumstance, ever. Brooks brings us SO much joy and laughter on a daily basis. Life is so much sweeter with him in our lives. Happy ONE YEAR Boo Boo. You make our world go round. Love you to infinity and beyond!