I have a ONE year old!

 What an AWESOME year.

Actually, in most ways - this has been the hardest year we've ever had.  I would not recommend having a baby during your husband's unpaid 9 month-long internship and a long, grueling, job search process.  If we had not had Ryland - I would have been able to continue to support us the way I had been doing the past couple of years - a baby truly changes EVERYTHING!  He has been so good for us - exactly what we needed in our relationship and lives.  And he's just plain awesome.

Now, things are on the up and up and Brent has more than enough work coming to him these days.  But if things get messy again, I'm so glad we have this little guy to help us get through!

 Everyday, we look at him and tell eachother "he is so cute! Did WE really make him??"  

 Mr. Personality is changing so much.  He has strong likes and dislikes - he voices his opinion all the time.  He celebrates his accomplishments for giving himself a round of applause.  He takes some steps, he falls down clapping.  He throws a ball, he claps... He eats his veggies, he claps...

I love that he is learning to be proud of himself!  Even if it is more of an attention-seeking "look at what I did!"...

 Curiosity should have been his middle name.  I am dreading the day I have to call poison control because this guy gets into everything!  I am constantly asking, "where did you find THAT!?" and saying "that is NOT food!"  If he sees a cupboard - it must be opened...

 He is taking steps daily.  Yesterday, when trying to get outside (and away from me!), he took four sturdy steps before getting into a crawling position.  Usually it's just two at a time.  He used to lead with his left foot and drag the right - not they are nice, even, and BIG steps! We're on the brink of full-time walking, here.  Can't believe I have a toddler!

 His talking just cracks me up.  He calls for "mama!" when I leave the room.  He calls for "dada!"  when he plays with his toys.  He points at Shelby and the neighbors' kitty and say "DAH!" (dog).  Any and every desired food item is "mum-mum" and the hungrier he is, the louder and more persistent the "mum-mum" gets.  he knows "mum-mum" lives in the fridge and he'll go to the fridge and yell "mum-mum!" while patting it.  That's how I know he wants a snack.  He is starting to imitate what I say when I tell him to (this is HARD - but it's emerging...) 

 He'll say "JayJay" to his friend Jacob but has yet to do this without my prompting.  JayJay will in turn say "Rylie!"  They are the cutest duo ever.  I love that Ryland has a best buddy.  They give eachother hugs, hold hands, have light saber fights, and chase eachother around the house. 

 Not sure on his exact stats - we'll go to the doctor later this month.  He has three teeth (2 on top and 1 on bottom) and some more coming in on top (this kid's teeth come in the weirdest order!).  He is tiny for his age, I think he's right about 19 pounds (I think that's about a pound more than I was at his age).  He seems long though.  He can wear 18 month clothes, but the waist is a little big. I think he'll be a "string-bean" kid. Have to find some baby-belts!  Most importantly he is HEALTHY :)

 He loves:

climbing, reading books, taking baths, mom's bangle bracelets, pushing trucks around the house, shoulder rides, potstickers, spinach ravioli, any kind of snack food, his buddy JayJay, dogs, chocolate milk, wearing shoes, and being outside.

and he really loves mom and dad!

Happy birthday, sweet boy!