Teddy at One Year

At one year, Teddy:

• is slowly starting to eat food.  He likes fruit the best, because he can suck on it, and strawberries seem to be his very favorite. 
• loves to play outside, dig in the dirt, swing, play with balls, toddle after his sisters...
• likes to look at books -- I can't help but smile when he toddles over and hands me a book and crawls into my lap.  If I'm sitting on the couch reading to the girls, he will inevitably want to climb up to listen too
• loves animals -- real animals, pictures of animals, all animals.  We'll have to get to the zoo sometime this fall!  (once this final summer heat ends!)
• loves cars, trucks, bikes, anything with wheels.  He can hear a truck coming down the street and want to go to the window to see it, he loves to see the buses at school and loves to watch all the cars go by when we go for walks. 
• makes car noises when he plays with his vehicles and pushes them across the floor.  I swear this was a self-learned thing that no one showed him how to do...
• says hi, bye-bye, ball, mama, dada, hot, woof, 
• signs and says milk and water
• has word approximations for banana, brush, dog, toothbrush, hat
• jibber-jabbers all the time
• has really come into his own in the past few months -- he is so very aware of everything around him, understands so much of what we say and follows directions, makes jokes and plays games, likes to play peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake
• still likes music and dancing to music
• takes good naps (yay!) (and I really hope I didn't just jinx that)
• likes to take tubbies
• is at an age where he gets a LOT of attention when we take him out -- this might be because he plays "host" and greeter wherever we are --waving and saying 'hi' to everyone around him
• tries very hard to be big like his sisters -- his newest thing is to stand on the top step of the stool in the bathroom to brush his teeth
• has started climbing on things like tables
• confidently climbs up stairs
• wiggles down off of beds, couches, chairs, etc. -- has not yet mastered going down stairs
• drinks out of a sippy cup, water bottle, glass with a straw, regular cups
• is not quite tall enough to look out of the kitchen window, but will pull himself up over the edge to try and see out
• is generally described by people as easy-going and laid back
• generally accepts both Scott and I for bed, comfort, baths, etc. (whereas the girls went through mega-mommy stages ... some would argue Millie has never left that stage!)
• has an awesome smile with an accompanying twinkle in his pretty blue eyes
• thinks it is hilarious when you dramatically comment on his stinky little feet
• likes to snuggle when he wakes up
• has CRAZY bed head (and hat head, and carseat head and ...)
• likes to be around other children his age and younger -- he is very taken with his new cousin, Charlie and just wants to touch him, be close to him, look at him, etc. (he's pretty crazy about Peyton too)
• likes to share his food and drinks with people
• thinks it's funny to run away when you ask him to give you something he's not supposed to have (after pretending that he's actually going to give you the item)
• LOVES to go bye-bye, say bye-bye to others, and just generally be on the go
• loves the vacuum and brooms
• likes to wear hats
• does not like to sit still for diaper changes
• pretends to talk on phones
• is getting good at throwing balls
• attempts to jump
• brings all of us so much joy

Weight: 17.63 pounds (5th percentile)
Length: 29 inches (20th percentile)