And Then You Were One...

Oh my sweet Davey Jones!

This year flew by, faster than I ever could have imagined. We've had lots of adventures in a few short months, and I've been blessed to have you right by my side throughout. We had a late birthday celebration for me with the Woolston and Johnston families in California, and we even got to sneak in some time with your Uncle Davey. You were a champ for all the plane rides, car trips, and adventures at Disney and the beach. You had just started scooting around, so you were pretty easy to keep contained for most of the trip, but it was fun to see you taking in everything. We also had to get some cute shots of your baby twin Will (you were born on the same day!!) and sweet little McKenna.

In November, we headed to Utah to surprise Mimi so we could be there for her while she had her heart operation. While we visited her in the hospital the day before her surgery you had a raspberry battle with Papa. There's never been a moment like it, and it was so fun to share with them. You had discovered something new, and you had a blast interacting in a whole new way!

A two week trip turned into seven when Mimi's surgery didn't go as expected. You and Devin played together in the waiting room every day, and you snuggled all sorts of friends and family that came to support us, especially Aunt ArVae, who came with us almost every day. She loved you and took great care of you! The whole Randall family came out for the week after surgery, and that meant we got to spend Thanksgiving together. You had 3 cousins also born last year, and we never expected to have all the grandkids together, so we took advantage of getting lots of sweet baby shots, and you had fun getting to know your cousins. Libby, Sarah, and Benny were great helpers, and they loved snuggling with you!

Just before we got to Utah you got your first two bottom teeth! You were also just about to start crawling before we left, and you had it down within days of getting to Utah. Suddenly, you were everywhere all the time! You love to move.

Papa described you well when he said you feel everything intensely. You are intensely happy, or you are intensely NOT happy, and you want to make sure everyone knows just how you are feeling. Luckily, most of the time you are full of smiles, and a need for food is typically what drives you to tears, which can come at any moment. You LOVE to eat, and you were quick to move to foods you could eat by yourself. Occasionally you'll tolerate being fed, but you love the independence of feeding yourself.

You LOVE pizza, cake, french fries, and basically anything you can tell must be sweet and delicious. You could be on the other side of the room, but the second you sense there is something delicious to eat, you laugh and clap, and cross the room at lightning speed to get in on the action. Fortunately, you do like to eat healthy things too. Often even with the same level of excitement. Fortunately for you, you love Great Harvest Bread (you'll be eating that a lot in your life time), strawberries, cheese, eggs, pretzels, and you've even eaten peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, beans, peas, corn, and all sorts of other random things that you've shared with us. It definitely depends on your mood how willing you are to eat things.

You've got 3 top teeth to go with your 2 bottom ones now. Teething seems to bring colds and even an ear infection at one point, so we're not enjoying that part of this stage, but your snuggles and smiles make it all worth it.

You starting standing on your own without support, and then timidly taking steps over the last month, and you can now walk several feet at a time. I have loved watching you pull up on something, and then let go. I can see in your face that you are actively working at it, to see how long you can go, and it's thrilling to you. I think you would walk everywhere already if it wasn't much slower than crawling, so I think it will only be another week or two before crawling has been forgotten completely. You are climbing up and down the stairs so comfortably that I'm almost ready to let you do it without stressing about you falling. It's really just the stopping and standing that still leaves me a bit nervous.

You started waving and doing "Baby Shark", which both look exactly the same. Shortly after you started actually saying "hi", and now the wave is forgotten. Who needs actions when you have words?! You clap all the time and give "fives", and you have the BEST little happy dance I've ever seen. It remind me of a little bobblehead. You say "Mama" and "Dada" and I can tell you're starting to mimic more things you hear all the time.

You love playing with your brother. I am regularly preparing for tears, but usually even when things get a little rough you both laugh and just love interacting. Devin still forgets to be gentle, and now he's also starting to experience the hard things about a baby brother, like having his legos ripped apart as he's building, or being bitten by teeth that are looking for anything to chomp down on. But, he adores you. He has started calling you "Davey Crockett", and it's super cute. He likes to help feed you, and sometimes he even likes to share with you.

Davey, you have such a strong, determined, spirit, and you inspire me every day. I always say you are a man with a plan. You are a busy boy, and you've been nicknamed "Hurricane David", because you are constantly moving everywhere all the time. Especially toward the dog dishes if we are at Mimi and Papa's house. We did a "diaper dash" race with you at Disney last week, and you were the fastest baby all day. The second you saw Devin, Mommy, and your bottle you headed straight for the finish line with no hesitation. I see that in everything you do. You know what you want, and you'll do what it takes to go after it. I pray that you will always want good things, because I know that you will be driven toward those things throughout your life. Your smile still radiates your whole being, and you fill our home with joy that can't be measured.

I love you, Davey Jones. Happy Birthday my little one!

xoxo,
Mom