15 Months

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  You are a MESS...as the picture above indicates:)


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  You are into EVERYTHING and are soooo curious.


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  You are a PERMANENT attachment to Mama! I used to wish for a "mama's boy" b/c Henry really isn't and i've got one. I can't get two inches from you w/o you totally melting down. I'm flattered, but kinda ready for it to pass.


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  You are starting to express yourself better with some new words, but mostly Daddy and I are the only ones who can understand them.


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  You say: hot, daddee, daa ( ball), boon (spoon and balloon), bubba (bubbles), cacka (cracker), cookoo (cookie), waaa (water), mama (only every now and then), caa (car), Da (Pops), tish (fish).


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  You LOVE LOVE LOVE music and love to dance! You must get your rhythm from me;)


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  You are happiest when you are outside!


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  You love the pool and have no fear.


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  You are a terrible eater and sometimes I wonder how you sustain yourself on just crackers and fruit.


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  You love most fruits, but it's really a coin toss as to whether you'll eat at meal times. Dr. T says you are doing just fine and to keep offering new things and eventually you'll get it.


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  You are down to one nap a day now. You go down at around 1 or so and sometimes sleep 2 to 3 hours. LOVE IT!!! Now if I could just get your brother to leave me alone during "rest time" we'd be good;)


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  I love you more than the moon and the stars Manning. You melt my heart:)


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The Boy is ONE!

Dear Manning,

This week of your birthday has me reminicing about this time last year. The day you decided to make your grand entrance into this world was the day that our family was complete. You fit right in immediately and stole all of our hearts with your sweet disposition. And that disposition remains today. You are most certainly the sweetest, cuddliest, and most sensative little one year old around.

You have an infectious laugh and a genuine smile that light up the world. You are so cuddly and I can't get enough. You and I have a special bond and I know it's because I am with you every second of every day. I am the luckiest mom in the world and I am so thankful to your Daddy for allowing me to stay home with you and Henry. This past year has been amazing and I feel like i'm finally doing what I was put on this earth to do. Be your Mommy! It is so much fun to watch you every day soaking in everything you see like a sponge. You constantly point to everthing asking what it is. Your words include: hooott: hot mama dada daaa: ball woof woof: doggy tsh: fish You started walking at 11 months and are getting better everyday. The first few times I tried to put the red keds on you, you pitched a fit and wouldn't even stand up. Luckily you've come around to my way of thinking because I LOVE red keds on little boys. You are on whole milk now 3 times a day in your sippy cup. Yay for no more formula or bottles! You are an OK eater. You really like fruit, but don't care for most meats. Veggies are hit or miss. But, we'll keep trying everything b/c this mama is not a short order cook.

You are an awesome sleeper and I know as soon as I type this I'll jinx it, but you really are. You go down by 8 every night and usually up b/w 6:30 and 7:45. We've even gotten some 8:00am days and I love that!!! You still nap twice a day and usually for 1.5 to 2 hours each.

Manning, 4 years ago this month your brother made me a Mom. But, 1 year ago you made me a better one. We are all on this learning curve together, but you can count on one thing in this life. Your mama loves you more fiercly than anything in this world and I am your biggest fan!

So, Happy Birthday to you my angel! I can't wait to see what this year brings!

10 Months

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• It is so hard to believe you are on the verge of turning ONE! You are SO MUCH FUN and I love this age:)
• You are in size 4 diapers and 18-24 clothes. You seem to be slowing down on your growing and are really thinning out and getting long.
• You eat breakfast, lunch and dinner and have 3 bottles or sippy cups a day. We will be phasing out formula very soon....YAY!!!
• You have taken to your straw sippy cup like a champ and only take your bottle at night.
  
• You still don't love meat, but love all fruits, carrots, peas, green beans, yogurt, gerber snacks, oatmeal, whole wheat waffles, sweet potato fries, and pancakes.
  
• You are sleeping awesome now and I hope I didn't just jinx it;) Down at around 7:30 or 8:00 and up around 7:30. Nap in the a.m. and p.m.
  
• You started pulling up at 8.5 months and are cruising around the furniture like crazy and into everything. I thought you may be an early walker, but you show NO interest at all when I let go of your hands. You just drop down and crawl!
• Lately you are becoming a Daddy's boy. You love him and constantly say Da Da, Da Da, Da Da. So sweet!
  

8 Months

The days of sitting you in your crib for a photo shoot are over. You would rather crawl around and flash me a smile than sit there and pose. And that is a. ok. with me!

• I LOVE this stage! LOVE it! You are so much fun and really exploring the world around you. You are completely mobile, but not so into everything quite yet.
  
• You crawl around the house from room to room looking for us or things to chew. You are very proud of this new skill!
  
• You are becoming so much more fun to feed now. The bottle still isn't your favorite thing and sometimes it's a struggle to get you to finish it, but you LOVE "real" food.
  
• You have eaten: bananas, waffles, chicken, turkey, grapes, watermelon, mangos, toast/bread, peaches, whip cream, Yo Baby yogurt, and grits (didn't love).
  You also eat stage 3 baby foods.
  
• You eat breakfast lunch and dinner and 4 bottles (6-8 oz) a day.
• You are the smiley-est baby in the world and flash your pearly whites (you have 4 now) to anyone in your view!
• You sleep habits have been less than stellar this last month. The time change really threw you for a loop and you have been a super early riser (5:45ish-6). And only napping about 30 minutes to an hour in the morning and afternoon. NOT ENOUGH SLEEP for you or for ME! But I know this is just a phase with teething and learning to crawl and you WILL snap out of it! I remember this with Henry and eventually things got better.
  
• You still go to bed at 7ish.
• You are in size 4 diapers and 12-18 month clothes. I have heard several people say they think you'll be a middle linebacker! My big chunk!
• And I have to mention that the love for your big bro has now turned to adoration. You love to be around him and are often the only one laughing at his antics! I can't wait for you to be big enough to actually play with him, so he'll leave me alone for 2 seconds. JUST KIDDING, but it will be nice for you two to have each other to entertain.
• Now please stop growing so fast! I love every second of being your mama little Man!
  

7 Months

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• Since I missed your 6 month update, I think there will be a lot to report Man Man!
• You are still a super happy-go-lucky baby and usually only cry when hungry or sleepy. However, you are definitely beginning to get into that "reachy/grabby" phase and aren't happy when we remove something from your reach that you shouldn't have.
• You are rocking on all fours and have been for a couple of weeks. I still think it will be a while before you crawl.
• You are happiest in your exersaucer, on the floor surrounded by toys, outside in the stroller, in the BIG bathtub with bath toys, and mainly in the presence of your big brother.
• Speaking of Henry, you are in love with him and him with you. You squeal and scream with laughter when he's around.
• You've started to scream this week. As in, high pitch scream like a girl. Very funny!
• You are eating stage 2 baby food and have had real bananas, avocado, bread, and chicken.
• You love the Gerber Puffs and dried fruits. They keep you happy for a long time when we're out and about.
  
• You drink 6-8 ounces every 4 hours.
• You are babbling constantly now and say "bababa", "agoo", "geee", and "grrrrr".
  
• You are such a trooper and are always on the go for your big bro. You've been great at all of his Sat. morning football games and many trips to the pre-school. You gets tons of attention at these events mainly for your BIG CHEEKS!
  
• I didn't think it was possible for a baby to have bigger cheeks than Henry, but you have him beat. They are oh so squeezable and I hope they don't shrink down for a long time!
• You are still large and in charge! You are wearing mostly 12 months clothes.
• You nap consistently in the morning and afternoon. Usually from 1-2 hours each time.
• I love you big boy!
  

5 Months

• You are such a happy little thing Man Man! You smile constantly and are giving us tons of big belly laughs.
  
• You are babbling a lot and I love to hear you "talk" to yourself in your crib in the morning.
  
• You will let anyone hold you and give big snuggles when they do.
• You are still a LOAD!
• You roll over on your tummy most every time I put you down, but you rarely roll back over without a little help.
• You are on the verge of sitting up, but only on my bed or with tons of pillows around you on the floor. I can't wait to be able to put you down with toys around you.
• You wear size 3 diapers and are in 9-12 month clothes.
• You are a great sleeper. You go down about 7 and wake up usually around 6:30 or 7:00.
• You eat 6 ounces every 3-4 hours.
  
• You eat 2 T of rice cereal with a fruit in the morning around 8 and 2 T of rice cereal with a veggie around 5:30. You really like most things we've tried, but you do not like rice cereal alone. It must be mixed with your fruit of veg.
• You nap in the morning at 9ish for an hour, sometimes two. Another cat nap around lunch time in the car and then a good 2 hour nap at 2ish. And your brother still naps with you at 2 and I love this quiet time!
• I was talking to someone the other day and they said with your second child you seem to just relish every single moment more. And that is so true. I feel like I try to soak up every single second b/c this will most likely be our last baby. You are so precious Manning and I LOVE being your Mama!
  

4 Months

• You are a LOAD my little Man Man! You are breakin' my back and I can thank you for my now toned arms!
  
• Your hair is definitely red and you are starting to lose that little "mudflap" in the back.
• You are sleeping great at night. Usually down by 7 and wake up b/w 6:30 and 7:30 and I can't thank you enough for that! I finally feel rested!
• You eat 6 ounces every 3 hours and we are starting rice cereal in a bowl tonight. I know you are going to LOVE real food!
• Your daytime naps have not been that great lately. You still nap, but more like 45 min to an hour here and there instead of one long one in the afternoon. I HOPE you don't make this a pattern.
  
• You love the Excersaucer now and the Bumbo. I've also tried you in the Johnny Jump Up and you like it too.
• Henry continues to be your biggest source of pleasure. He can get the biggest laughs and smiles out of you and I think the feeling is mutual. He loves you so much and is so protective of you!
• You are babbling all the time now and starting to really squeal a lot. So so cute!
• You have been out of the swaddle for a few weeks now and I think you really like the freedom. Your Mimi is very glad about this! She thought you looked like you were in a straight jacket and she's glad you're finally FREE!
  
• Still not rolling over yet, but you are starting to roll to your side.
• I can sit you up on my bed and you'll stay there for about 5 seconds before you topple over. It won't be long!
• You love bath time and so do I. The smell of a clean baby is the best in the world.
• Speaking of baby smells, your baby breath is the finest of fragrances. If I could bottle it up I would!
• There aren't enough words to explain how precious you are to me. I love every single inch of you more than you will ever know!
  

3 Months

• You are our smiley little Man these days and are so generous with your grins with anyone in your view.
• You are FINALLY sleeping through the night (sort of). You are down by 7 and we twilight feed you at 10:30 or 11:00 and you sleep on through until 6:30 or 7am. You usually wake up once in the night, but we just pop in the passy and you're good to go.
• You eat 6 ounces every 3 or 4 hours.
• You nap once in the morning (in your crib if we're home) and it ranges from 20 minutes to 2 hours. Would like this to be a bit more consistent, but i'll take it for now. And you usually take a great 2 to 3 hour afternoon nap.
  
• You love to be swaddled for naps and night time.
• You LOVE your big brother. He can get the biggest smiles and laughs.
• You "talk" constantly and are starting to use different sounds and inflections.
• You wear 6 month and some 9 month clothes and size 2 diapers, but I still put you in 1's b/c i'm trying to use them up :)
• You are VERY ticklish, especially under your chin and on your little ribs. I can get the biggest laughs when I "snort" you!
  
• You are so content and really go with the flow most of the time!
• I love you more with each passing day and am so lucky I was chosen to be your Mama!

2 Months

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• You are wearing 3 months clothes and some 6 months
• You eat 5 or 6 ounces every 3, but mostly 4 hours
• We have moved up to the level 2 nipple and it has cut your feeding time in half and we are both so much happier!
  
• You have your last bottle around 7 or 7:30 and are in bed by 8:30 or so. You are still waking up once at night b/w 3 and 4 to eat. You usually go right back to sleep, but I am sooo ready for you to push on through the night. And then up again around 7 or 7:30.
• You absolutely LOVE your little play mat and will be content there for 20 minutes some mornings. You kick your legs with excitement when the star lights up and sings to you.
• You are full of smiles these days are are cooing and agooing up a storm! I LOVE it when you "talk" to me!
• You are starting to pay attention to Henry and will watch him as he tries to entertain you.
• You like your bath time now.
• Your favorite spot is definitely your changing table. There is a picture above it with 2 giraffes and you love to talk and smile at them. If you are upset I can put you here and you instantly calm down.
• The bigger you get the more you look like Henry. Your baby pictures look like you could be twins. I think it's the cheeks that make you look so much alike.
  
• You have really filled out and I no longer get the comment that you are SOOO TINY!!!
• Still like the passy to help you get to sleep.
• You are really great at napping in your crib at least once a day and this is something I am so happy about b/c your brother DID NOT DO THIS for at least a year!
  
• I am loving discovering your personality Manning and can tell you are going to fit right into this wild clan with no problem!!!