Samuel turned one

The candles have been blown out, the balloons are deflated, and family has gone home. Samuel's first birthday celebration has officially ended and I can finally relax and look back at his first year of life and look forward to the years to come.

It does seem like I just had him but that is because labor, delivery and his first days of life are memories I refuse to let fade. This year has been long, productive, and exciting. Some days were just us getting by and others were filled with outings, friends, and new adventures.

I am more excited for what toddlerhood holds then I am sad about no longer having a "baby". He is learning so much every day, there is no time to be sad. For that matter I won't write about all the things he has done this past year since most of you have either seen it for yourself or heard me talk endlessly about it. So, I want more so to focus on the now and what is to come.
Development- As of now Samuel has a large vocabulary for a one year old;
Ma-ma
Da-da
Na-Na
wow
uh-oh
meow
hi
woof
moo
ball
bird
this (often said "wsthis" meaning "what's this")
and that's the order he said them all. I didn't realize how many there were untill just now...wow! He is quit the chatter box when he wants to be and often refelcts my jestures and sounds. He also has learned to shake his head yes and no but often combines the too and looks likie a bobble head...it's hysterical. Cognatively he is making leaps and bounds. Physically he is still a peanut and sees no need for walking. Sam and I were "walking" him yesterday and he just looks too small to be walking alone. But all it will take it letting go of one hand and he will be off. I wonder where he will go first. I really do look forward to chasing after him despite all the negative things I hear.

Eating habits of a one year old - Samuel is still nursing..often (thank you to my other nursing mommy friends who support us in our choice to breastfeed past 12 months). Along with that he is eating three meals a day and a snack. It seems that our entire day revolves around food either being cooked or eaten. Right now his top food choices are; capers, cottage cheese, rice, chicken soup, salmon (any fish really), lentils, scrambled eggs, and pasta with marinara sauce. These are just his favorties, he loves almost anything...except birthday cake of any kind. Find by me. Infact, his excellent eating habits have inspired Sam and I to make many changes in our diets.

Friends and favorites - Samuel is charmer, gaining the attention of store clerks, waiters/waitresses, cashiers, and complete strangers everywhere we go. But when his friends are around (ie. little ones close to his age) he doens't seem phased...and neither do they. I do look forward to the days when he specifically asks for his friend Jayden to come over. However, he may request a visit from Juliet becuase he has a little crush on her Mommy.

Toys for boys - Any kind of ball or anything resembling a ball is the toy of choice. It's even better if it's a toy that involves the use of many balls so then he can hold one in his hand and play with the others. We thought it was appropriate to have a baseball themed birthday party for him complete with peanuts and crackerjacks...it was a big hit (pun intended).

Potty time - I know I've been talking about it so much but I am super proud. Samuel is still using the potty daily and I am still handing out stickers....and picking them off my feet later.

I have learned so much in the past year from this little person and am so amazed at how much he has learned. I lookforward to all the excitment this next year holds. I don't care to hear antying about terrible twos becasue I refuse to go into that time with a rotten outlook. So far this method has proved well.