12 months. 1 year.

the day has come and gone and now my baby boy is one. i have known him for a whole year and i'm so lucky to have spent almost every single day watching him grow and learn. i still miss being pregnant (yes, still!) and i can hardly remember how tiny he was when we brought him home. i held back tears a few times on his birthday. i just cannot believe how fast a whole year of my life has gone - of our lives - and even though i've taken thousands of pictures, tons of videos, and tried to put all these important details in my memory bank, i know i'm forgetting things. sometimes i don't realize it's the last time i'll see him do something. the last time without teeth. the last tiny cry. the (soon-to-be) last nursing session. all of the firsts go so fast and leave things he could "only" do back in the past. but those first are so much fun and he has grown into such a funny character. he knows he's funny. he plays and interacts and has quirky little tendencies (a funny peek around, head tilt move to look at you, for one). he sees the world around him and motions for things he likes, taking in the sights and sounds of new places every day. for all of the longing i do for him to be little, i am happy to watch him become a boy. he loved his birthday and he seems to love being one. something clicked following his first 365 days. on day 366 he changed (i swear!) and he is even more amazing than i could have imagined.

moving on from the sappy stuff, here are the details about being one, finley-style :)
he is 19lb 6oz (5th%) and 30 inches (75th%) - a tall and skinny boy.
he has a full head of curly strawberry blond hair that grows so fast.
he has 7 teeth (4 on top, 3 on the bottom).
he signs "more" for food and things he likes.
he dances with his shoulders and booty to any music he hears.
he claps, waves hi and bye, and shakes his head no.
he eats big kid food (no purees) and self feeds 95% of the time.
he drinks whole milk from a sippy 2-3 times a day and nurses before bed.
he cruises around the house on furniture, his trike or wheely, or holding our hands.
he doesn't mind 7 hour car rides.
he loves dog food (ugh).
he naps from 11am-12:30/1pm and from 4:30-5:30pm and sleeps from 8:45pm-7am.
he sleeps with a pacifier, three silkies, a seahorse, and two stuffed ducks.
he "reads" by holding books and turning pages. favorites: "doggies" and "pat the bunny"
he won't sit still for a picture. at all.
he (still) loves being held, hates being left behind, and throws tantrums over the tiniest things.
he loves his mommy (and his daddy) and squeals with delight when we toss him in the air, crawls like crazy to us from across the room, judges our post dinner dance parties, and adores being cuddled and spoiled with love.

and to wrap up, here's a look back at the last 12 months. so funny to compare, to see the subtle changes (and the not so, like losing all his hair, then suddenly having a ton of it), and to watch him grow. also great? the incredible shrinking onesie (in months 3 and 5-12) that is now (finally) retired.

 click for bigger and ignore the color variations across the year :)