First Birthday

(written December 13) It has been just a few short days since we told Charlie "Happy first birthday!" but already I feel like he has become a toddler. I've been a bit teary-eyed remembering a year ago when we first welcomed the little fellow into our lives and how much he has changed this year.

Nov 2011. Charlie, 11 months, getting into mischief in the kitchen.

We had his one-year check up yesterday and the doctor was very pleased with the 'words' he is saying: dada, A-da, mama, go, bye bye, dog. I'm also pretty sure he says "more," and "all done." We had expected him to be walking by now but he hasn't taken a first step. I'm not worried, as Adelaide waited until 17 months to walk. It seems like our kids might work more on talking before walking. Charlie is on the small side of the charts now, weighing 19lb 13oz and 29 in long. He is so beautiful and healthy.

Not much has changed with Charlie's eating habits. He has been eating table food for months and there is hardly anything that he spits out of his mouth (which is good, because then that food ends up on the floor). He is drinking milk very well now from a sippy cup. My favorite cups for kids are still the Playtex cups. We are mixing Goat's milk and coconut milk, for a variety of reasons. I am still nursing him in the mornings.

Nov 2011. Charlie, Adelaide, and friend Carter, playing.

Charlie finally likes to read! I am so excited about this. I had been a little concerned that he showed no interest and no patience for books whatsoever. Now, every morning after I nurse him, he grabs a book from his shelf and we read it together. If I'm lucky, we will read 2 or 3 more books throughout the day, but it is hard when Adelaide has me reading her books a lot, too. Board books are his favorite right now.


This past week Charlie has been sick for the first time, just a little cough and cold. He has been generally happy until today, when he has just wanted me to hold and cuddle him (which I love!). His naps have been even longer than normal the past couple of days. He still sleeps a total of about 16-17 hours each day - a very good sleeper!

Dec 9, 2011. Charlie on his first birthday, posing by his lincoln logs from Nanna.

Charlie and Adelaide seem to be more interactive every day. She has always doted on her little brother but he seems to be caring about her more. Often times when he gets hurt he doesn't say 'mama' or 'dada' but "ADA!!" She loves it, and responds, "It's ok little buddy, I'm here." Makes your heart melt, right?

I will do a separate post about Charlie's birthday party details, but we had such a lovely time celebrating his birthday with family and friends. Our lives have been truly blessed with Charles David Hockey.