Peter aced his twelve-month check-up, though there was never any doubt we have a healthy boy on our hands!  The surprising news is that as big as he is (25 lbs, 30.5 in), he's right around average height and weight.  Who knew?  So, we have moved away from the bottles and he is drinking whole milk from the cup.  He hasn't put up much a fight, leading me to wonder why he'd always start grunting and huffing and puffing at the slightest glimpse of a bottle.  Charming, indeed.  The best news is that he's eating very well.  Since he's not filling up on formula before a meal, he's eating heftier portions of our 'grown-up' meals.  His favorite remains Nanny's roast and rice and gravy, though.  I can duplicate many of my mom's meals, but my version of that one doesn't cut the mustard with Peter.  How developed can his taste buds be?!  

You should know we had our first injury this week.  Our biggest babyproofing struggle has been the fireplace hearth - brick, unforgiving, and tempting as all get out.  We put those heinous pads on the edges when he started biting the brick several months ago.  Since then, he has abandoned that trick for something that causes more of a reaction:  climbing up onto the hearth and then dive-bombing onto the floor below.  Granted, it's only about 10 inches and he reaches down with his hands before throwing the rest of his body down.  It is now less a babyproofing struggle and more of a disciplinary one.... he gets a kick out of performing, despite our insistent nos and creative distractions.  However, we weren't so lucky yesterday.  During the 'fall,' he bit his lip as hard as he bites everything else, and ended up with a fat lip.  The first of many, I am sure.  After a momentary meltdown and a quick cuddle, he was headed back for the fireplace.  (sigh)

I'm gathering thoughts for Peter's baby book, as I'm told the only one you ever finish is that of the firstborn.  Perhaps you'll enjoy a few tidbits from the first year:

Likes: applesauce, macaroni and cheese, BOOKS, climbing stairs/bricks/people, watching the laundry spin in the dryer, forts, mirrors, peek-a-boo (alone or with a partner), doors and drawers/digging (he is my kid, after all), looking out of the window, thrills like spinning or being thrown up in the air, music and songs (POP Goes the Weasel), riding his tricycle, remote controls and cell phones, neighborhood strolls, watching the sprinkler, old magazines, blowing bubbles, seeing Mommy in a do-rag, bug and bird sounds, CAKE, visitors, playing in bed, monkeys, dogs and cats, the fan pull, long distance crawling

Dislikes: closed doors and baby gates, grass, mess on his high chair tray, Daddy leaving in the mornings, cabinet locks, lima beans (he is Hayes's kid after all), manicures and pedicures, the dark, not being able to eat Daddy's snacks, drinking from a straw, slow readers, being told "no"

As I was compiling my lists I couldn't help but marvel at the emergence of this little personality: determined, contemplative, fun-loving, and conflicted (wants no mess on his tray but then devours a whole cake on his own?!).  I see it everyday - the gears turning, the synapses firing.  Even this young, he's begun to figure himself out, find his place in the world around him... I'm just glad I get to watch it happen.   

(... but thank goodness for nap time!)

Happy birthday, Peter!  Thank you for 366 wonderful days together.  You've taught me so much about patience and love, and I know you have tons more to teach me.  You are a blessing and a joy, sweet boy!  

Peter celebrated his first birthday today with a picnic.... all the 'fixins,' including his very own birthday cake. He knew something exciting was happening as we blew up balloons and hauled his high chair onto the porch, but he had no idea how lucky he was about to get. His grandparents and Aunt Callie came over to ring in the big -1- with lots of new books and toys, and even an Alabama Crimson Tide jersey for the upcoming football season. Thanks to all the family who sent wishes and presents in your absence - that was very thoughtful!

Peter woke up from his morning nap and put on his special birthday outfit. When Reenie and Grandpa arrived he showed off his 'walking' and blew lots of bubbles - practice for his birthday wish. We all enjoyed eating outside and introducing Peter to a few new tastes. When it came time for dessert, we were a little unsure how it would go. Peter will eat just about anything, but he won't touch just anything. He eyed the cake with skepticism and mushed some of the icing, not really liking the feel.

When he licked a bit, though, he was sold. (Unfortunately, we had some technical difficulty without knowing it and didn't catch the beginning of the smash cake on video, but we plan to re-enact tomorrow just for the fun of it. ) Peter ended up a dark shade of grey with icing up to his elbows, all in his hair, and up his nose. He could not have put on a better show if he had rehearsed!

Since he was already a mess, we stripped him down and put him in his splash pool in the back yard. He was way more interested in his new tricycle, though. The bell, the basket, the dump bucket.... all too much fun to handle.

Several circles (and one dizzy daddy) later, we trekked inside to open the rest of his presents. He opened one present (read: tore the paper about three inches) and then let his Aunt Callie do the rest of the work. He was busy crawling and climbing around the room showing off all of his tricks to anyone who would pay attention.

After a long nap, Peter proceeded to reopen every gift, read every book, and relocate each toy over and over until it was supper time. Of course, he wanted nothing to do with his rice and gravy -- he wanted some of that cake!

Watching the rain 

Finding a new friend... oh wait...

Mourning the removal of some 'baby toys'

Everyone loves Shel Silverstein

Teething much?

Judging a book by its cover

Add to his list of talents: air guitar

Look at me go!  

Hayes and I cheated and let Peter have this wagon a bit before his birthday, thinking he'd need time to acclimate so he could show off for his grandparents next weekend.  Um, the kid took off in a wobbly sprint like he knew what he was doing.  In fact, he was pretty good at it - it's Mom and Dad who stood there a little unsure of this new development.  

Where's Daddy?

Okay, so Peter's a charmer.  He woos everyone from fellow shoppers to passing cars.  You can see him even trying to charm the baby in the mirror above.  Since he has learned to wave, he waves at everyone and everything.  It's more of a wax on, wax off kind of wave down at his waist, but a wave nonetheless.  He even waves good morning to his Mickey Mouse balloon...

We just spent a few days in Lafayette with Nanny and we got to see lots of family who had not seen Peter in a couple of months, since he was "little."  Everyone commented on how big/well-fed he is, and he proved it over and over again by eating Nanny's rice and gravy dinners every night.  This mama was well-fed, too!  

Perhaps the biggest news is Peter's first haircut.  In a few snips, he went from a shaggy baby to a coiffed little boy.  He was so busy and curious throughout the haircut - no matter how we tried to distract him, he just had to know what was going on around his head.  We were all exhausted by the end... What remained of his darker hair was cut, so he's all blond now!  

We had lunch at Pop and Gran's house - Peter loved the crawfish etouffee!  

Looks here like he and Pop were caught in a very serious conversation.  

Couldn't quite figure out why Pop wouldn't play Peek-a-boo... 

or he was frightened by the snores.

Peek-a-boo with Nanny

At the sandbox, prepping for the beach!  

Like father, like son

Aren't grandmothers the best?!

Eating on the road... again...

Highway Hypnosis

Peter loves to be part of the crowd, and we noticed that the more we laughed at him the more he laughed with us!

Peter and I had a picnic to celebrate my return home.  We played with bubbles and ate sandwiches, then played "catch" before Peter decided to do some exploring on his own...

We took Peter to the Zoo today so that the animals could see him.  It was a very hot day, and the animals seemed more interested in him than he was in them.  His favorite parts were the elephants on the savannah and the carousel.

Practice for opening presents on the big birthday

Is it possible for a child to grow two inches in two weeks? I returned from a wonderfully exhausting tour of western Europe to find a toddler where I left my baby boy. (Europe pictures forthcoming, rest assured.)  I woke up early the morning after I arrived home, as I could not wait to hold Peter and see his new tricks.  I was shocked to walk into his room and see his head towering over the crib railing.  Yikes!  He has since introduced me to "all-terrain Peter," a most impressive ability to climb over anything between him and the remote control.  He suddenly began climbing steps yesterday, without the slightest bit of trepidation.  Carpet, brick, concrete... no matter.  He even climbed up onto the fireplace hearth this morning, and this afternoon he climbed the steps up from the basement (under my constant supervision, of course).  He still primarily crawls to go anywhere, but he's also cruising around the room using furniture as his guide.  Here again, the remote control acts as the proverbial dangling carrot.  Hayes finally caught some crawling on film - then we had issues trying to upload to this website. Sorry!

Hope everyone enjoyed their Independence Day. We were fortunate to visit a friend's home and play in their pool all day. Peter thoroughly enjoyed his very first hot dog, and wowed the ladies with his swimming prowess. He also hung out with some dogs, one of which wasn't a big fan after he yanked out half of her eyebrow. I think it scared him more than the dog, but we'll hope that we haven't been banned from visiting those friends again. :)

Perhaps his favorite part of the day was when he came across an empty beer can. 30 minutes of playtime in one 12 ounce piece of tin. Even after he abandoned it, he'd go back for more every few minutes. Who needs Toys 'R Us?! 

Peter has improved his attitude toward self-feeding.  He will eagerly feed himself graham crackers, Nilla wafers, and puffs.  He's even fed himself jelly sandwich bits.  Oddly enough, he refuses to pick up anything else.  An emerging sweet tooth, perhaps?  The smash cake for his birthday should be interesting.  

These days are busy - something new happening all the time.  We'll keep you posted - thanks for visiting!

While Mommy is away in Europe, Peter and Hayes are keeping track of her trip on the computer. Peter's mattress hair has earned him the nickname "Little Indian Brave" from Aunt Rocks because it looks like a little feather sticking up.

Okay, so we have more for you after all.... we received Peter's 9 month pictures today, and thought we'd send on some highlights.