I haven't written a good Thomas update since he was eight months old. And he is SO different now than he was then. He's such a little boy now, scrapes on the knees and all. I have been enjoying seeing his sweet little personality come to life. He just grins so big and giggles so loud when he's done something to make him proud of himself. And when he's sleepy or feeling shy, he is the snuggliest little cuddle bug. Those are the moments that I want to last forever!

Sweet birthday outfit for church on his bday party day!

We went to the doctor last week for his one-year checkup. He was excited to see me when I picked him up at daycare, but I think after the finger prick and three shots, he probably wished I'd just left him there! His appointment fell during his morning nap time so we got to have some good one-on-one snuggle time. After a selfie or two while we waited for the doctor, he fell right to sleep on my chest - something that rarely happens so I soak it up when it does!

How cute is this picture?! I don't know how any nurse could poke a sharp needle into such a sweet little baby. Oh, he cried crocodile tears when he got his shots...and I almost did too!

Ok, here are some stats and things I want to remember about Thomas at one year old:

He weighs 10 pounds, 9 ounces which, if I remember correctly, is about the same that Katie Wynn was at this age.
I don't know his length but he was in the 25th percentile for height and weight but the 75th percentile for his head. He's got a big noggin', y'all.
He wears size 12 month clothes, size 4 shoes, and size 3 diapers.
His eyes are still BRIGHT blue and I absolutely LOVE them! I feel like they'll stay blue at this point; now I'm just hoping that they'll also stay this bright.
His hair is still blonde - maybe even blonder than it was before. I don't think it looks as red as it used to. It is really starting to fill in now, especially in the back. When he gets hot and sweaty he gets a few tiny curls back there. :)

He started walking at about 12 months and now is always on the go. He tries to go faster than his little legs can move and so he takes quite a few tumbles. I joke that he always looks like the drunk guy at the party because he falls down and pops back up so much.

He sleeps all night long in his bed now - even without any kind of essential oils or other help! We are so thankful for this! He goes down around 7:30 each night and wakes around 6:00 each morning. We really don't even have to set an alarm because he cries out at 6 on the dot every morning. It'd be nice to sleep a little later occasionally, but I'm not complaining! He also still takes two naps every day. At night, he sleeps in his zipadee zip.
He loves taking baths or showers but hates to be still for lotion and getting dressed!

At one year, Thomas has 6 teeth, with 2 more pushing their way in. He has the front two on both top and bottom and his top two molars in the back. There is a bottom molar that is starting to poke through and also the third front tooth on top.

I would say that "uh-oh" is the only word he consistently says. He has said both "dada" and "mama" but he doesn't regularly use them. We are beginning to work with him on signing but he hasn't picked up on any of it yet. He still has not found his "inside voice." He's very loud! He squeals and yells quite a bit.
The only "trick" he can sometimes do is wave bye-bye. I guess it's because he's the second baby but we don't seem to work with him as much on stuff like that. He can't clap or high five or blow kisses or anything like that yet. I'm a-ok with it. Like Matt always says, they all start kindergarten when they're five and they don't have to fill out a sheet that tells what age they did something!
He is very much a Daddy's boy. In Sunday School a few weeks ago, we heard a lesson on Thomas, who was called didymus or "twin." No one really knows who Thomas's twin is, but there's speculation that it could be Jesus. Another theory is that it's Matthew because they're together a lot. That's a part of the lesson that stuck with us because in our house, Thomas and Matthew are also together a lot. :) And Matt says Thomas gets his looks from him because he had blond hair and blue eyes as a baby too (I need a picture to prove this). So maybe they're "twins" too. :)
On a perfect day for Thomas, he'd probably be held by his Daddy all day. In a pinch, he'll accept me as backup. Now that he goes to daycare and the nursery at church, he has figured out that we sometimes leave him and has gotten a little clingy!

On a perfect day for me, he would always be wearing an outfit like this so I have easy access to those soft shoulders for kisses!

Thomas hardly eats any baby food anymore; just a squeeze pouch or two at dinner on occasion to get in some extra veggies. He is all about finger foods and feeding himself. There aren't many things that he won't eat (actually, I can't think of any right now!) but he gets tired of lots of things after about six or so bites. We have to have five or six different things to feed him at dinner because as soon as he decides he's done with one item, any remaining bites get swatted off the spoon or thrown off his tray onto the floor. I guess he just likes variety! Hands down his favorite thing to eat is chocolate ice cream. Since our trip to Florida, he's only had it a handful of times but he still gets so excited to eat it and very upset when it's all gone!
He was very easy to transition to cow's milk. He still has a bottle first thing in the morning and last thing at night. We are trying to teach him to use a sippy cup during the day. He carries them around and chews on them but can't quite get the concept of turning them up so he can get the liquid out. If he really wants a drink he'll just lay down on the floor because he's found that it works if he's laying down.

There are three things in our house that seem to have magnetic pulls on him: Lolli's dog food bowl when it's full of food, an open dishwasher full of sharp silverware, and laptops (and their cords). We are slowly learning that we just can't have things things out/open when he is around because no matter how many times you tell him no, he will go right back to them.

His very favorite thing to do is to put things - whatever's in his hands - inside other things - drawers, closets, cabinets, etc. Here are some examples of things I've found:
- Sippy cup in my bathroom cabinet.
- Wooden puzzle piece in the drawer with my hairdryer.
- Plastic balls in the shower.
- Katie Wynn's shoes in a toy box.
- Placemats and one shoe under the play kitchen sink.
- Bottle of milk in the play kitchen pantry.
- Sippy cup in the mudroom cabinets.
- Pacifiers in a hall cabinet.
- Monitor in Lolli's kennel.
- Bubbles in the toy grill.
We have also retrieved several things out of the garbage can that we saw him put in it. There's no telling how many things have actually gone out with the trash. I suppose I should be glad that he likes to "tidy up" and put things away, but it sure makes it hard to find things! And sometimes it makes me smile to open a drawer and find a toy and know he's been there. :)

I can't tell you how many times I've pulled dog food, mulch, or sticks out of his mouth.

Thomas is the very happiest outside. Usually if he's fussing and won't quit, all it takes is a trip outside to make him happy.

Thankfully, he still adores Katie Wynn! He watches her every move and usually whatever she's doing, that's what he wants to be doing too. She loves him right back too and it just makes my heart so very happy.

What else can I possibly tell you about Thomas? We are head over heels in love with him. His little squeals of joy make me smile so big and I love snatching him up for kisses. This time last year we were just beginning to enter into the colic phase and were so worn out and exhausted from all the crying. And now he giggles and jabbers way more than he cries and is, for the most part, a pretty happy little guy. What a difference a year makes!

I hope you like seeing pictures of my little guy because there's a lot more coming! I successfully took three pictures of him every month of his first year, so the next three posts will be sharing those. And I have his birthday party pics back from the photographer so hopefully that post will be the grand finale of this rush before we leave for vacation! :)