Aiden :: 12 Months

Hahaha, oh buddy...my only consolation is that we got some better "First Year" photos :)

Aiden,

My sweet boy...today you are 1 year old. I can hardly believe that we are already celebrating your whole first year! When your brother and sister turned 1, there was much celebrating in our house. Making it through the first year with twins is a HUGE accomplishment, and it felt like we were crossing some invisible finish line. While we are certainly celebrating the mark of your first year, this milestone feels different. Tucking away my baby boy's first year feels...gosh, what are the right words? It's not quite sad, but there is a part of my heart that is aching over the fact that I no longer have a baby. That many of my "lasts" as a mother will be yours. Of course, you will always be my baby boy {there's no escaping that}. But the fact of the matter is that you no longer fit fully in the crook of my arm, you are slowly growing more independent, and your little baby tiny-ness is a thing I will just have to cherish in my Mama-heart. When I put you to bed this weekend, knowing that today was coming, ready or not, my heart was bursting with love over the adorable boy that I get to call "mine." Because sweet boy, you weren't "supposed" to be. And yet God, in His loving-kindness, gifted you to me and your Daddy. And worked out a million little details to make sure I got to hold you in my arms. And there just are not enough words to express my gratitude, my joy, my love. I love you so much it hurts sometimes. And I thank Jesus every day for your beautiful life. I pray that you grow into a man who has a fiery passion for Jesus, gently caring for and loving the people around you. I pray that you forever have an adoring and close relationship with your brother and sister, that you continue to light up with joy whenever those you love are around. I cannot wait to see how you continue to grow, and I thank Jesus I get a front row seat to your development. I love you, Little Man!

Love, 

Mama

AIDEN MICHAEL

Stats :: 29 pounds {we'll get your height at your check up later this week}

Clothing/Diaper Size :: you are wearing 24 months/2T clothing and size 5 diapers

Loves :: petting Sasha {mostly just pulling out her fur}, snuggling {with whoever will let you barrel into them}

Dislikes :: changing clothes, not having Mama or Daddy close, having your faced cleaned

Eat :: we have been working on weaning you from the bottle, and we are down to less than 15 ounces a day. we are going to start transitioning you to whole milk this week, so I'm sure the bottle will be a thing of the past very soon {which I am definitely OK with!} this month you tried spinach, cantaloupe, and probably other things Mama just can't remember haha. you basically eat what we do now, so I forget what's "new" to you.

Sleep :: you are still taking a morning and afternoon nap, and sleeping through the night. you are moving a little more in your sleep, as we will lay you down in one position and then will find you in another when we get you up {something new for you!} you are still a back sleeper, and most of the time, you sleep with your right arm under your back.

Play/Development :: you have become pretty proficient and FAST at crawling! sometimes you go so fast that you get too much ahead of yourself and topple over, but even that doesn't seem to slow you down that much haha. you are standing on your own, sometimes as long as 10 seconds! you haven't really taken any steps yet, so we'll see when you decide to walk. we can see it on your face that you WANT to walk, you just haven't made any efforts toward that end quite yet.

Unique to You :: you scream to get our attention for something that you want. so we're trying to work on some better communication. just in the last week, you had 4 top teeth come in {sorry buddy!} you are our little fiery redhead, full of personality and smiles. you love your family, always wanting to be close and part of the action. you are STRONG...you will pull up on anyone and anything, bury your head in our chests, and act as though you are ready to wrestle haha. you will climb on top of your brother and sister, ready to play, which is sometimes met with love and sometimes not. you just barrel your way through and over and in...and we love you for it!