One Year Old

I can’t believe a year ago I was terrified, snuggling a beautiful tiny little boy in my arms trying to figure out what to do with him. Going on very little sleep and super sore from the c-section I was left alone while Shane had to fly to China for work. The first few months really hits you and teaches you what it means to be a mother. From day one you no longer think about your self. “I’ve gotten 20 hours of sleep all week but my baby is happy and gaining weight.” “The only thing I have managed to eat today is some crackers and a few spoons of peanut butter.” “I haven’t showered in 4 days.” “I didn’t get to brush my teeth until 4pm!”
Breastfeeding offered a whole new world of challenges. Declan had to get tube fed every two hours for the first 3 days of life because his sugar levels kept dropping to dangerous, life threatening lows. So I started pumping trying to get the girls to work. We gave the little guy allumentum formula and very little breast milk for the first 7 or so days of life. After a lot of hard work, many tears, and monthly la leche league meetings, we were successful. We are still going strong today and the Pediatrician thinks its awesome and said that as long as we are both happy with breast feeding than to continue for as long as we like.
Declan was/is such a happy little dude. As a new born he was happy and content as long as he was being held and loved by his parents. Some people think that it is possible to spoil and hold a new baby too much and that a baby will never learn to do things on their own. However, research shows that it is impossible to spoil a new born, a child yes, an infant no. All of the attention creates a loving, strong healthy bond and attachment, which in turn, helps to create a happier and more social toddler. Sorry, I am starting to get off track :) Now as a toddler, thank god, he is content to sit and play with toys alone while I make coffee and breakfast or do the dishes or what ever.
Declan is a child who likes his routines. We have a god bedtime routine that, on a good night, goes like this:
7:30 Naked time
7:45 Bath time
8:00 Story time with daddy
Between 8:15 & 8:30 Brush teeth and go to bed
Between 8:30 & 8:45 He’s asleep.
He started sleeping through the night (STTN) at about 2 months but he then, when most babies start STTN, he started waking up every few hours. Go figure. Now at one, when he isn’t sick he is STTN, the only problem is we are sick way more often then we are well.
Declan is a lot more picky about what goes into his mouth now. His current favorites are scrambled eggs, hummus, crackers, yogurt (no fruit-chunk- kind only) freeze dried and flattened fruit, mangos, tuna fish, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches….
His vocabulary is continually expanding and he loves to sit in daddy’s lap and read books. The other afternoon he said “water” plain as day.
Declan Claps, waves, and gives high fives. He even signs “more” when he is eating.
He cruises the whole living and dining rooms using anything and everything to hold on to and will walk the step or two between a chair and the wall etc. He will balance, stand, take a few steps or even bend over to grab something with out assistance, IF he doesn’t know he is doing it on his own.

At yesterdays appointment he weighed in at 23 pounds and 30.25 inches long.

I'll post pics as soon as I get a chance.

Pam can you please copy the pictures from declans bday party onto a CD and send them to me? Thank you :)