in these last 12 months....

...Starting this post at the exact time my water broke a year a ago today. What a year it's been! I have been thinking a lot about this post on whether or not I should write it TO Kaleb or to all of you. I have decided on the second bc #1: the chances of Kaleb ever reading this are prob slim and #2; I Want to start a tradition of writing a hand written letter to him, every year on his birthday. The day he was born was a really special day! Born at noon:15 on the 28th day. :) I love how we bonded and he knew exactly who I was. It was a beautiful moment. My favorite time though, was at 4 that morning when he was awake for a feeding. Daddy was asleep and it was just me and my sweet brand new boy. At that exact moment, that's when I knew I would never love anything more and that I would move mountains for him if he asked me. I was smitten, in love, head over heels. I only thought on that moment he could never amaze me more...I was wrong. This is so cliche and every one says it but this year has been an amazing and FAST year! Kaleb is really one?!?! I step back and look at all he has learned, accomplished and grown. Totally. Amazing. He went from a completely helpless 8 lb baby to a kid that walks and talks! He has taught me SO much as well! He has taught me that I can do just about anything if I put my mind to it! He has showed me LOVE like I have never seen or known it before. He has given me confidence in myself and has made me a proud mom! I'm pretty sure he has taught me way more than me or his dad have taught him in these 12 months. In these 12 months we have had a ton of ups and a few downs. The downs only made us be better parents and the ups were so "up" you couldn't pull us off of cloud nine! As you can see, K has changed our world in these 12 months! I know each stage he goes through means a new stage for mommy and daddy as well and I can't put into words how excited I am about all those stages. Ok, now that I got my mushy love stuff out of the way, it's time for a 12 month recap. Are you ready? If you don't care much about milestones abs progressions, disregard this next part! :) Smiled at 7 weeks Laughed at 10 weeks Found his toes at 14 weeks Rolled over at 14 weeks Started sucking his thumb at 14 weeks 1st tooth at 6 months Started crawling at 8 months Started walking at 10 months First words: Mamma; Dog; Ball; Hi; Outside Weighing 23.12lbs and 30 in tall 60th% in height and weight; 25th% in head size As most of you know, he had major issues pooping. He just wouldn't do it on his own. We had to "help" him for about the first 7 or 8 months. It was kinda scary for me bc I was afraid of how long this would last. He eventually starred going on his own every other day. NOW he goes 2 times a day at Ms. Becky's! Yay! He has had lots of ear infections. We were back and forth to the doc what seemed like all the time! Finally we were referred to an ENT specialist and they decided tubes was the answer. Kaleb had tubes placed around the end march. They were indeed the answer! We have not had any issues since then! A much happier boy. =) Kaleb and daddy had a few months of bonding. Charles lost his job back in November and instantly became stay at home daddy! It totally was NOT what he thought it would be. Charles thought it was gonna be easy and laid back. In the time he was unemployed, K learned to crawl and walk! It was a busy time for C, but I know he would never trade it bc now he and K have a very tight relationship! K lights UP when he sees his daddy! So sweet! I would say those were really the only "downs" in these last 12 months. Pretty good for a whole year! We are/were blessed! Having kaleb going to daycare ended up being an "up". As much as I wanted to stay home, the best place for K is def Ms Becky's! He has a wonderful time there and has learned so much! He and Caden play so well when they are there, he eats good for her, he naps good and she said he's such a good boy! I'm so glad he is there. It really is the best for him. Other ups include the normal things, seeing them recognize you and smile, learning their name, seeing them latch into something...in our case, his blankie, holding their own bottle, eating table food, belly laughs, talking their own language, really playing with toys, being excited to see mom and dad...the list can go on and on. So, needless to say, I wouldn't trade a day of this life for anything. This last 12 months were the best months of my life! Here is to a lifetime more!! PS: time, please slow down!