Twelve Months (One YEAR!)

Dear Titus,

At 12 months you...

• You weigh 22 pounds.
• You wear size 4 diapers and 9-12 month clothes (definitely still need shorter pants).
• You sleep from about 8pm to 7am. You take two naps around 10:30 and 2:30.
• You have had 5 ear infections in 4 months, its been really awful. Right now we are on our 5th antibiotic plus Zyrtec in the morning and Benadryl at night to cut down on the drainage that is causing the infections. If this doesn't work you will have to get tubes, so we're hoping this will be the combo to get you healthy!
• You LOVE waving. You love waving so much that when I tried to teach you to clap you just waved at me some more.
• You still dislike your car seat but the iPad helps a lot. We'll probably turn you around soon because you are so unhappy.
• You don't really care much about eating and still like baby food a lot (you don't reject it in favor of table food like a lot of babies your age). I can never really tell if you're full or if you want more food because you just want out of your high chair.
• You don't like sitting in the shopping cart or stroller very much. In general, you hate anything that keeps your from crawling/trying to walk. And straps are like your worst nightmare! Most of the time you stand up in the shopping cart.
• You love bath time so much you will crawl into the bathroom throughout the day and stand at the side of the tub and giggle.
• You still love ceiling fans.
• You like to play in the yard, you could grab sticks and grass and hold them in the air to observe them for like an hour straight. You are so curious and detail oriented, you check everything out with great concern!
• You have started putting sounds together and say a lot of words like "glargle glargle" or "blurb" or "drawler." You have even said your first real word, "dog." You stand at the screen door and watch Bosco and Lucy and say dog (which kind of sounds like "dock").
• You love Yo Gabba Gabba.
• You like watching and chasing the vacuum! 
• For whatever reason you love when I watch you play in your crib, or the "big bed" (mommy and daddy's bed) for that matter.
• You chase the dogs around the house and laugh/scream hysterically because you get so excited. They run away trying not to get caught which only makes you want to chase them more.
• You think it's fun to get your temperature taken with the forehead thermometer and you try to do it yourself.
• You love to dance and it has become my favorite thing that you do!

Oh sweet boy, what a year it has been. Things are so much easier and more entertaining at 12 months! You are such a loving snuggler and you give away smiles and giggles so easily. Everyone always comments on how much they love your laugh- I hope your joy continues to be infectious in years to come. Everyone says to cherish these baby moments because they go by so fast, and I can attest to the fact that time has, indeed, gone by very quickly. We are so lucky to call you our son and could not be more grateful for every minute, day, month, and year that the Lord allows us to shepherd you and fall even more in love with our short, wobbly, adorable, little boy. I can't wait to see what year two will hold and the many adventures we will have as we learn more about each other in the days to come. We love you to the moon and back, precious Titus.

First Birthday Party!

 

Dirty Thirty Party

My sister-in-law, Christen, wanted to throw my brother a surprise party to celebrate his 30th birthday. We settled on the theme "Dirty Thirty," so think camo, deer heads, tank tops, trucker hats, and lots of Little Debbie snacks. Here is what came of it!

He was genuinely surprised!

Cardboard is a staple of hillbilly decor

The "Pisser," aka, the bathroom

Hang a clothesline through the room

 Some "tabacky" (Big League Chew)

 mustaches, tattoos, and candy cigarettes

 Classy decor! Fake flowers in an empty 2 liter bottle

 Drinks chilled in a wheelbarrow

 Don't forget to have some puppy chow and Little Debbie snacks as "or derves"

Don't forget the costumes! Cigarette behind the air, torn jeans, and of course, plenty of American flags!

 Flannel, nascar tshirt, and John Deere hat (I'm not really in costume because I didn't have time to change after decorating!)

 Leopard tanks, shiny/skin tight skirt with neon tights, and of course cut-off shirts. And don't forget to include a gun for some good photo ops!

 You can't leave the house without your hair done. Oh wait, yes you can.

 Mustaches for all!

I made Titus a onesie that says "I like my women just a little on the trashy side" with kisses on the back!

 Happy 30th birthday, bub!

6 Month Update

Dear Titus,
At 6 months...

• Your reflux came back in full force and you wouldn't eat more than 2oz at a time :( so we bumped you up to 30mg of Prevacid.
• 3-6 month clothes fit you perfectly except your pants are still a little long.
• You weigh about 18 pounds.
• You are wearing size 3 diapers.
• Your body is in the 50th percentile and your head is in the 70th, which means you're finally catching up to your head size!
• Everyone says you have my eyes.
• We started you on baby food and you love it! Green beans are your favorite but you hate peas. You eat 30oz of formula a day and two servings of baby food for lunch and dinner.
• You sleep from 7:30pm-6:30am (11 hours).
• You take naps at 8:30, 12:30, and 4:30, but some days you only take 2 long naps (which is awesome!)
• When you get tired you flap your arms like a bird to keep yourself from falling asleep.
• You LOVE flashing lights. Any toys with flashing lights mesmerize you.
• Your new favorite games are:
•  playing airplane with daddy. You love being "flown" in the air!
• peek-a-boo. You love when someone holds you and I pop up from behind the couch!
• You like watching Bosco and Lucy play catch in the backyard. You've even started trying to grab the puppies when they get close to you.
• You are getting pretty good at sitting up as long as someone is spotting you (you can do it for 10 seconds on your own then you start to tip over). 
• You roll over both ways and scoot all around your crib during the night.
• You have a lot of blonde hair growing in and so you don't look like a ginger anymore. Yay!
• You have moved out of your screaming phase and now you are growling. Every month is a new noise with you!
• All the workers in the nursery say that you keep them entertained on Sunday mornings. You have the most personality of all the babies and talk and giggle the whole time!
• As soon as I go to get you out of your crib you start giggling and no matter how early it is, I can't help but laugh at you! 
• You have started coming at me with an open mouth and I think you are trying to give me kisses. My sweet boy :)

You are half a year old, sweet boy. I can't believe I get to wake up to your smiling face everyday. You were dedicate this month and your daddy and I do not take that lightly. We pray for your salvation every day and plan to stick to our promise to raise you up in the light of the Lord. There is a story of a woman in the Old Testament named Hannah who prayed for years to have a baby. When Samuel was born she took him to the temple and dedicated him to the Lord, saying, "For this child I have prayed, and the Lord has granted my request" (1 Sam 1:27). We prayed for you, little man, and the Lord did not disappoint. 

We love you to the moon and back.

5 Month Update

This has been the first month that seemed to have less than 30 days! I can't believe how quickly we got to you being 5 months old...

Dear Titus,
At five months...

• You eat 6oz every 3.5-4 hours (about 25oz a day)

• You weight about 16.5 lbs

• You sleep unswaddled in your crib from around 8:30-7:00 (10-11 hours)

• You still wear size 2 diapers, but wear size 3 diapers at night

• You are ticklish! And sometimes you have a deep belly laugh that sounds like a grown man :)

• You are in a phase where you scream when you get excited. You think it's so funny! But you also scream when you are bored, tired, hungry, mad, happy, talking.... You are just really loud in general (surprise!)

• All daddy has to do is look at you and you start laughing! You think he is the funniest person ever (but mommy still gets the most smiles)

• You LOVE your jumper. You can't reach the ground yet, though, so we have to put a box under your feet.

• You are in the 30th percentile for body and 70th for head size...

• You have started jabbering a lot and practicing new mouth noises

• You are doing a bit of teething so your favorite toy is your Sophie Giraffe from Aunt Katelyn. You chew on that thing (as well as fingers) non-stop!

• You figured out how the mirror works and you laugh at yourself when you look at it. You must think you're pretty funny!

• Your eyes are settling into a deeper blue than mine. You may have even less genetics from me than we previously thought! :) But they are beautiful.

• You are doing these belly crunches when you lay on our laps because you want to sit up on your own. In time, sweet boy!

• You are really great at standing (with help) and you love to do it all the time!

• You finally have a nap schedule for the most part (yaaaay!!). You take 2- hour and a half naps (usually around 9am and 1pm) and then a shorter catnap (30-45min) around 4-5pm. You almost always nap in your swing (you still won't nap in your crib).

• You are closer to wearing 6 month clothes than 3 month, but they're still a little big on you.

• You have really started noticing Bosco and Lucy and love to watch them wherever they go.

• You have started cuddling into my chest when someone makes you smile like you are bashful. It is the cutest thing ever and makes your mommy feel so loved!

Titus James you are adorable! The older you get the more like your daddy you become. You love watching football and you are LOUD :) I love that you are like him already but I pray that you would grow to be a man of God like he is. I pray that you would be a faithful and serving husband to your wife one day, that you would be a respected leader in your community who is known for being wise and just, and I pray that you would prize the Lord above all else. You are so lucky to have your daddy to look up to and I hope that you will be just like him one day... with maybe just a little better clothing ;)

 Reaching for those toes!

This is your typical stance: always doing crunches trying to sit up on your own!