1 year old today!!!!

Happy 1st Birthday Aden Henry!!

Yesterday was a pretty emotional day for me...as the hours ticked by I was remembering back to what I was doing at that exact moment a year ago...being induced and in labour for 15 hours and then having a c-section at midnight was not how I pictured my labour and the birth of my first child. I still find it difficult to think about and have already been thinking about how very different my next labour will be!

But out of all that of course the most wonderful human being arrived safely and for that I am very thankful. This little boy has changed our world and definitely without a doubt I can say for the better. He is such a delightful little man. I don’t think my son is particular ‘gifted’ but I am simple amazed at what he has achieved in the space of just 12 short months. He has grown from a totally defenceless, incapable of anything much, tiny (well tiny to me at over 9lbs) baby to a happy, healthy, walking, talking, thriving little boy!

Although we all have our moments when little children, especially our own, drive us simple nuts. I can happily say that those moments are few and far between. For the most part Aden is just simply a delight to be around. His giggle and cheeky smile just melt your heart.
Helping Nana cut her birthday cake

His walking has now turned into running! He can get to the safety gate on the kitchen, when left open, quicker than you can turn around to close it. He is still getting heaps of bruises as he rushes, trips and crashes a lot!
Reading
Can you see his hair??
His ability to understand instruction, directions and words astounds me!
Aden understands bus, ball, book, bath, lunch, duck, dog, breakfast, banana, ‘your room’, (as in ‘go to your room’ for a nappy change) highchair, Dad, Mum, Jester, no, don’t touch (the last 2 are repeated a LOT around here), up, shoe, sock, car, puppy...there are more but that is all I can think of right now.

He will
‘take this to Daddy’
‘Put that back’
‘pack up your toys’
‘bring me your shoes’
‘find Daddy’s shoes’
‘get a book’
‘find puppy’
‘go to your chair’
‘pick it up’
‘put it down’
‘show me’
‘give it to Mummy’
‘get the ball’
‘throw it’
‘look at this’
‘leg’ (lift it up for dressing)
‘arms’ (lift them up for undressing)
‘foot’ lift it up for putting shoes on
‘other one’ (to swap feet)

He can also say a growing list of words mostly in context (as well as randomly)
‘Mummm’
‘Dada’
‘bubba’
‘uppy’ ‘- puppy
‘uck’ – truck
‘ar’ –car
‘here’ – here when he passes you something
‘baa baa’ – for singing Baa Baa black sheep
‘esss-ta’ – Jester our dog. Will point to the Jester when asked and goes to the window to look for him
‘do’ – dog used in context for our dog and other dogs as well as dogs in picture books
‘du’ – duck a very popular word at bath time word, he finds ducks in books to point to, can pick a duck out of a line up of animals when asked and he surprised me this week when at the park to point and say ‘du’ to a real live duck that he has never seen before.
Then last night he said 2 new words
‘yep’ - he was carrying on a bit because he was hungry so I grabbed a mandarin from the fruit bowl and held it up. “Do you want this? I asked him. He stopped immediately and said clear as a bell, ‘Yep!’ and a second time when I repeated the question. It was very cute!
‘Ta’ when I gave him some dinner

There are also some things we think he says although they are not as clear as the other words. I’ve been trying to work out if this is developmentally appropriate for a one year old...or should he be able to say more??

Aden is a champion sleeper! We used to have a few troubles getting him to sleep longer than 2 x 30 mins there for a while but he is back to good day sleeps. An hour or more in the mornings (anywhere between 8 to 11) and up to 2 hours or more in the afternoon (usually around 2pm). He puts himself to sleep. And it hasn’t effect this night sleeping at all!! Mummy is a bit slack with routine times ( anywhere between 6:30 and 7:00, and a little later if Nana and Puppa Mick are visiting or a later afternoon nap)but there is always a little play with Daddy, a book or 2 and some cuddles and then music on and in his cot with the lights out! He sometimes will cry out or talk to himself but it usually only last about 30 seconds and then he is out til about 6-6:15 on weekdays and sleep-in on the weekends til 7am! If he hears us up and moving about he will wake and just lie in his cot turning his music on and off or talking to himself until we go in and get him. He rarely cries out at all!

Aden loves his food! His current favourites are strawberries and bananas...of course this is what he got for his birthday breakfast! He also loves mandarins, apples, tinned peaches, and dried apricots...any fruit really! He is pretty good with most other foods, including Vegemite sandwiches and is getting heaps better with eating meat too.
He now has 9 teeth!
Clapping for himself on the new potty


Aden is getting good at dancing and does a mean ‘head banging’ routine in the car...cause that is the only part of his body he can move! He still loves to wave and clap and grins when you start singing ‘If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands’. We are trying to teach him to pat his head too...but he doesn’t quite get that yet.


It doesn’t really feel like the last 12 months have ‘flown by’. I guess because I know what a special little miracle he is, I have treasured every moment of the last 365 days in which I have watched him grow, develop and learn.

Mummy loves you Aden Henry. You are a very special little boy and you will always be my baby.

Big Boy cutlery


Stats:
Weight: 9.77kgs
Height: 77.5cms
HC: 46cma