Parker is 12 Months Old!

Parker,

Our little baby Bubba, we can’t believe you are twelve months old. Say goodbye to the infant stage, and hello toddler!

There are so many new and exciting things that have happened this month. Let’s start with your mobility. You are a super crawler now, and can crawl anywhere in lightning speed! You can stand independently for a long time, especially if you are focused on holding something. You have taken a few steps at a time, but you aren’t really walking around yet.

You went to see your new doctor, Dr. Zubach (who was also Mommy’s doctor when she was little!), on May 10th. You weighed 21.3 pounds and measured 29 inches tall. We are super happy to see your weight gain, as you are now in the 30^th percentile for weight instead of the first percentile.

You have moved up to size 4 diapers and are fitting snug into your 12 month clothes. Actually, some of your 12 month sizes are too small, so we've pulled out some of the 12-18 month sizes for you!

You are quite the chatterbox when you’re in the mood for it. You understand a lot of words now, and if we say any of these words, you’ll point to them or look at them: snuggly, paci, Mommy, Daddy, Jack, Elmo, book, fan, and bottle. You probably understand a lot more than that, and we just haven’t realized it yet.

You are a curious little explorer! You love to crawl around Mommy and Daddy's room, or your room, and open every drawer, pull off every toy from the shelf, and see how high you can reach or climb. 

You’ve also started saying a few words. The first word we really noticed was when you say Jack’s name. You say “ck” when you see him. So we think “Jack” was your first word!

 And by the way, Jack is really becoming your buddy! You love to play with him, pet him, and hold his leash when we go on walks.

When you want your bottle or food, you say “ya-ya-ya!” very enthusiastically. 

And just recently, you’ve learned how to say "up". You say “ah-bbbb,” kind of like you’re making a little raspberry sound. We’re so proud and in awe of how fast you are learning things!

Other new things… we got a gazebo in the backyard and put a water play table out there for you. You really like the water table. You enjoy splashing and we think you just love the fact that you’re outside, which seems to be your favorite place to be!

Also this month you got an Elmo chair and a Fisher Price walker—both of which don’t seem to really impress you much. We think that’s mainly because you don’t know how to really use them yet. But we know you’ll like them once you do. 

Oh, and you got your first Elmo doll this month--thank you Grandma and Grandpa!

You went to your first birthday party this month—actually you went to two in the same weekend! First, you went to your friend Abbey’s first birthday, and then you went to Chloe’s first birthday the very next day. You did awesome both times! You are very social, and you had a great time playing with the toys and other kiddos. You also are quite a fan of balloons. :o)

One of your favorite new foods is pancakes! You love them! 

 We have loved seeing your personality develop this month. You are a super silly and happy boy. You are really growing into your giggle, and we find ourselves doing whatever it takes to get you to laugh. You are very ticklish, and your daddy is the best one to get you really laughing with tickles! 

Goofy face!

Silly paci face!

Happy boy!

 We love watching you grow each day, as you discover new words and new places to explore. You are the light of our lives, and we love you so much, little man! We are thankful every day that God has put you in our lives. Though we are a bit sad to say goodbye to your days as an infant, we are super excited to watch you grow as a toddler! There are so many things for you to still discover, and we're so happy to get to be with you every step of the way!

We love you so much, Bubba!

Mommy and Daddy