ONE!

Here comes trouble, our little boy is one!!! He is mischievous, playful, affectionate, opinionated, friendly, curious, adorable, strong, and oh so sweet. He is definitely all boy. We just love him and his perfect kissable and squeezable-ness (that should be a word). I don't know how it's possible, but he gets cuter everyday. And this kid is a WEED. He is growing so fast, he should be able to ride all of the Disneyland rides by the time he's two. For the last 6 months people have been asking me when he will turn 2. My arms are very grateful he's getting better at walking everyday.

 A little lot about M.C. right now:

Dumping. Drawers, shelves, baskets, cabinets, garbage, and anything else he can get his hands on. He's very thorough.
Social. This boy loves everyone, and has no fear of strangers. He will go to anyone, anytime, and always has. (this scares his mom, a little). He especially loves other kids and studies their every move. He thinks the world is there to see him and is always thrilled to have an audience (anyone in the same room as him = his audience. This makes church a blast).

Vocal. This boy doesn't really say words, except maybe "dada" and "bye bye" but he will imitate quite a bit and he LOVES to sing. If there is music, you know he'll be singing, loudly. And speaking of music, his favorite genres are classical and jazz. I know, that sounds ridiculous, but in the car he'll cry if you turn on anything else. He's a huge Michael Buble fan. (saved us on our road trips to Richmond many times).
Physical. This boy is strong. If he grabs onto something, it takes all of my strength to get him to let go. And he is always moving. Always. Even if I'm holding him, he's constantly shifting all around trying to see everything. And he is fast with his grab. He's already broken at least 2 necklaces, and ripped my only apron. Earrings are not an option.

Curious. He notices everything. If there is any new object in the house, he will find it, inspect it, and if possible, knock it over and climb on it (step ladders, ironing boards, folding chairs, mini-trampolines, you name it). If any door is opened, he is there as fast as can be--the bathroom door, fridge door, outside door, stairs door, pantry door--basically anywhere he knows he's not supposed to be. Oh, and this week he learned how to open doors. Awesome.
Persistent. If he wants something, he will not give up. He's mastered the "fake" where he pretends to go on to something else so that you'll stop guarding the desired object/path and he can immediately turn and grab it the moment you move away. If he can't reach something, he'll sometimes grab some object to help him reach it.

dumping out drawers

Favorite things: cords, piano (pedals and keys), blinds, phones (real only, he KNOWS), remotes (also must be real--with batteries), broom and dust pan, anything gross that he can reach, tub, combs and brushes (he combs his hair with them), child safety locks (no longer useful, help?), stuffed animals, anything with wheels, drawers, all electronics, and animals (to the chagrin of his father).
Least favorite things: diaper changes (wrestle mania with tears), hats (to the chagrin of his mother--we're working on it), ties/bow ties, and the shower head.

Favorite foods: whatever I'm eating, anything that is on the floor/ground--the grosser the better, ice cream, cake (all things sweet), Grandma's homemade baby food, fruit (bananas, apples, pears), cheese, bread. Basically he'll eat anything--if you can get it into his mouth. We're not worried about him being picky. :)

Gestures. He's been great at shaking his head for a while--if you tell him "no," he will shake his head. And if you ask him a question, he will usually shake his head. He's just started nodding, but he uses his whole body, it's adorable. He doesn't clap yet, but he waves all the time. He first waved at Grandma and Great-Grandma on Mother's Day. It was very sweet. He recently started dancing whenever he hears music--which is a more animated version of his full body nod.

Adventurous. He loves to be outdoors. When we put him in the stroller, he won't sit back, unless he's exhausted. He holds himself up so he can look around and see everything. He laughs when we put him in the swing at the playground. He loves to attack play with other kids. We're working on the concept of "soft" and "gentle." We're not there yet.

 Affectionate. This boy will frequently come and find me to give me a hug and a kiss. He often does this to strangers too. Also, he mouths/kisses every stuffed animal around. This bear is his favorite. He's slept with it in his arms since he was about 4 months. Usually he's on top of it, but often he'll have his arm around it. His bottom is almost always in the air when he's sleeping. If he doesn't like or want a certain toy, he'll toss it over his head behind him.

 We love our sweet little M.C. He has grown way too fast. This year has flown by, and he's not really a baby anymore. His personality is coming out more everyday, and we have so much fun together. He makes everyone around him happy. I can't believe we have had this miracle for a year now. We thank Heavenly Father for him in every prayer. He has turned all our heartaches and sorrows into so much joy. We feel so blessed to be his parents. I love you baby boy. Don't grow up quite so fast.