It's almost time.

In less than a month my baby is going to be ONE YEAR OLD.  I know I should probably save this post for his birthday, but my heart is overflowing with thankfulness for him and all of the goodness he has brought into my life in the last year.  I couldn't have hand picked, designed, or asked for a better baby.  He is SO EASY.  From the moment he was born he was an easy baby.  He was never fussy, never had tummy problems, never had sleep problems, or anything. He has been such a good boy and an absolute joy.  When he cries it is easy to figure out why- sleepy, hungry, sick, or hurt.  Those last two are pretty easy to solve by holding him close and loving on him.  He is so loving.  He climbs all over me all day long and gives me "kisses" and lays his head on my shoulder and says Mama and he loves to sit in my lap while I read him stories and he gets so excited when he sees his stroller because he knows we're going on our daily walk together and he thinks I'm funny and he listens to me whenever I sing and he is so funny and full of joy and...I could go on and on.  I LOVE MY SON.  He weaned himself off of the pacifier.  Around 8 months he decided that he didn't want to have anything to do with it.  No thumb sucking either.  He only wants to drink water from his sippy cup- he refuses juice.  Fine by me!  Less sugar the better.  One of his favorite things to do is read books.  He walks over to his shelf or wherever they may be and he says over and over, "Ook! Ook!"  I may be bias, but the boy is smart.  He says and does things that truly impress me.  There have been days that I've been so exhausted that I couldn't blink for fear of falling asleep.  Nights where I wanted him to sleep through the night sooo badly that I cried.  Kevin and I decided  that letting him "cry it out" simply wasn't an option for us.  He has been sleeping through the night for a week now.  When he does wake up we make him a bottle, give it to him in bed, and he falls right back to sleep until morning.  I love rocking him to sleep and realizing how much he is growing by the way his feet squish against the arm of the glider chair.  I can tell that he will be a good listener because he already listens well for an 11 month old whenever I tell him not to do something.  He puts his head down and cries whenever he gets in trouble.  That being said, he is sensitive.  He is especially sensitive whenever he's tired.  When he's tired everything gets a little more dramatic. lol.  He has always been a great napper and a fantastic eater.  From day one he has put himself on a schedule, making it so easy for me to know what he needs.  He pretty much went straight from breastmilk to "big people" food.  He will not eat baby food and has never really cared for it either.  He has a mouth FULL of teeth and he eats pretty much everything that I give him.  I'm thankful for that.  He gets so much joy and excitement out of animals, whether he sees them in a book, in person, or on T.V.  He loves his "puppy puppy puppy" Chloe and Eli.  They are amazing with him.  He laughs and chases them everywhere, pulling their fur, and they have never hurt him or even tried to hurt him.  They stay away from him most of the time.  That is, until he is in his high chair.  He has figured out that when he drops food they eat it, which I think has become a game to him.  It's funny to watch.  They certainly don't mind. lol. He loves other babies, music, and looking up at the sky for birds or "bu" as he calls them.  He likes bubbles, waving at people, and pointing at everything.  His newest fascination and new word is "ball".
I'll definitely post more about my precious boy and what he has meant to my life a little later this month, but those are just a few of my heart thoughts right now that I had to write out.  I constantly thank God for giving me Ayven.  He is a gift.