14 months

Hawkins! You are 14 months old.

I just can't believe how big and grown up you are getting. This has got to be the most fun age. You are more independent with your playtime and will play in spurts by yourself with your toys and you LOVE to go outside and play.

-Your Honey and Big Daddy gave you a red Radio Flyer wagon for your 1st birthday and you LOVE it. We go on SEVERAL wagon rides daily (especially since it's cooled off some). You cry for your wagon anytime we go into the garage and you can see it. It has seats on either side that we an buckle you into and it is perfect for your size.

- We have playdates with some of your friends. Here you are with your friend, Richard. You can't wait until he gets a little older so he can really play with you!

-You go to school 2 mornings a week and love it! You can stay the whole time now, which makes Mommy very happy. You cry a little when I drop you off, but your teachers say you stop immediately and don't cry all morning.

-You have moved to one nap a day and sleep from 12 - 2pm. It started out rough as you learned to sleep for a longer period of time, but you went to sleeping one hour to 2 hours in about a week and a half. I kind of like the new schedule. It leaves us all morning and all afternoon to get out of the house and have playdates, go to the Y or run errands.

-You drink a sippy cup of milk in the morning and afternoon, a 1/2 a sippy before your nap - and we still give you a bottle at night. We will have to cut that out soon, but I can't bear to do it now!

-You are still a super picky eater, but I have found some good foods that you will eat and that I feel like you are getting some sort of nutrition. Bananas and waffles are our go-to breakfast. When your Honey was here last week you cried as she was opening your banana, so she gave you a slice and you ate it! Usually I smoosh it with your rice cereal b/c you hate chunks. This might not sound like an accomplishment, but I promise it is! Lunch is usually a grilled cheese with baby food - applesauce and Ritz crackers for an afternoon snack, and some sort of veggie, some yogurt and chicken nuggets for dinner. Not a diet of champions, but not too bad I hope...

-You love whole wheat Ritz crackers and cheerios.

-You had pancakes this weekend and loved them! Oh, you will eat scrambled eggs if I mix them with your bananas and cereal.

-You love trucks. Our neighbor has a big black truck and sometimes parks it on the street and you go nuts when you can see it out our front door. You scream "da", "da", "da" and point to it. Friday when Daddy got home from work he finally let you outside and you RAN down the street until you got to the truck. Hilarious.

-Your Grandmama and Grandpa gave you a wooden rocking horse for your birthday and you love to climb on it. You can climb on and off by yourself! Your latest trick is once you get up on it you hold your hands out like "no hands" - how did you learn that??

-You are growing out of your 12 month clothes and fitting nicely in your 18 month clothes. You wear size 4 diapers - the new Pampers cruisers.

-You just moved from a size 4 to a size 5 shoe.

-We got you some new red sandals and you are obsessed with them. You cry to put them on your feet and really pitch a fit if I try to put on your old blue sandals. Maybe you like the bright color?

-You LOVE bathtime. (You have always loved bathtime, but you can really show your excitement now!) We will say, "Hawkins, do you want to take a bath? and you will start screaming with glee and saying "ba, ba, ba" and run towards your bathroom. It is so funny.

-In the past couple of months you have grown very attached to your blankie. It is the sweetest thing in the world. I have wanted you to become attached to something for awhile now :) It is the small blue Little Giraffe blanket. I got you another one to have an extra, but you only want original one. Here you are when you were sick :(

-You can point to my nose, ears, and belly button when I ask you where they are. So smart!

-When I ask you "What does the cow say", you say "Moo" - so stinkin cute!

-You got your first virus this past week and it was so sad to watch you be sick. A Mother's heart is so tender to her baby!

-On the same note you got your first fat lip! You were running towards your room for bathtime and got excited, tripped and didn't catch yourself. Oh, it was awful. You cried and cried, but then handled it like a big boy and laughed through bathtime.

Hawkins, you have brought so much joy to our lives this past year, and we honestly can't imagine our lives without you.