Holden's Twelfth Month Pictures

I cannot believe I'm posting these! Translation: I cannot believe Holden is one year old! There were times this year when I wondered how I was going to make it through with having two young children so close in age. I kept telling myself that I'd be thankful when they were a bit older. Well, I can't say that it's easy now. I don't know that parenting will ever be easy. But, I can say that it is easier than it was at various times during Holden's first year.

He has grown so much and for that, we are thankful. He is thriving and learning, growing and growing to love life for himself. He is our boy. Our baby boy. And as Fletcher says, "That's my baby brother." But even though he's our little boy...he is full of big ideas and capabilities already, so don't be quick to put anything past this little tike.

At one year old, he is still being spoon fed most of the time and eating table food some of the time. I have learned with him that the eating process is going to take more time and patience than I expected. He has four teeth and I constantly think he is going to cut another one, but it hasn't happened yet. He is walking at the quickest pace you can imagine. He loves his brother more than anyone in the world. He loves his dog, Knuckles, and clicks his tongue to call her into a room or get her to come from across the yard. He likes dirt, mulch, rocks, balls, toilet paper, and anything that his brother has. He probably learns more from Fletcher right now than anyone else. He is sleeping through the night...Thank The Good Lord! He loves being outdoors. He plays with his mullet to soothe himself. When he's in Daddy's arms, he'll play with his beard. When he's in mine, he'll play with my hair. He's got a fiesty side to himself and he's smart. He signs milk and says, "ma-ma-ma" getting milk and Mom mixed up frequently. He'll say "Da" and "Dah" referring to Dad and dog.

I could go on and on, but let's get to some of the pictures with his blue gorilla, black lab, teddy bear, and hedgehog. At one year he is 22 pounds 4 ounces, 29 inches long, and has a head circumference of 48 cm.