Singing and climbing

We have a singer and a climber on our hands.  There isn't much more to say... the videos speak for themselves.

Singing at dinner (not to be confused with singing for his dinner; I promise we feed him even if he doesn't sing):

And climbing!  Here he is climbing at the beginning of last week:

And climbing this weekend.  He was becoming much more adventurous, so we decided to create a mini obstacle course for him.  If you can't beat em', join em':

Star Wars

Thought some of you would like to see Maddox's latest trick:

(Ok, that was kind of a setup. But still fun!)

Lazy Sunday

We had a very lazy weekend.  It was cold here this weekend (high in the 50s!) so we stayed inside, cooking, baking, cuddling, and playing.  It was awesome.

Maddox's vocabulary is increasing so quickly, it is amazing to see.  Just over the weekend he started saying "uh-oh" when he drops something, and started using a sign for book and highchair.  He has also started showing some imaginary play-- today he held a toy phone up to his ear and baby talked into it.  I wish I had caught it on video but I wasn't fast enough. 

He had his 1 year check up last week.  He is now in the 75-90th percentile for height (31 inches) and still in the 5th percentile for weight (19 lbs). The doctor was impressed with his language, and reminded us that it is ok that he isn't walking yet. ;)

Happy Birthday, Maddox!

Maddox was born 1 year ago yesterday.  I can't believe that it he is already a year old.  He is an amazing little guy, learning new tricks every day it seems.   We had a small party for him yesterday, complete with chocolate birthday cake.  This was his first time eating sweets like that and he seemed to enjoy it.  He was definitely covered in cake and frosting, and we took plenty of pictures. 

Mama snuggles before the party

Party food!  The amazingly delicious cake that our friend Ali made for Maddox

"Happy birthday" and blowing out the candle (actually, Mama blew out the candle for him)

"I think I like this super sweet mushy stuff"

Baby finger prints in the cake

"More, please?"

Maddox at 1 year:

1. He is super curious but also very cautious.  He likes to explore his surroundings, but will often sit back and observe what is going on before venturing out.  Especially if there are new people around.
2. He just started pulling himself into a standing position (video below) and is getting very good at it.  Walking is just around the corner, I imagine...
3. He has several words that he says: baba (water), da (dog), Dada, Mama; and a few words that he signs: eat, more, and sleep.  There are probably over a dozen words that he understands, as well.
4. He is starting to play with his toys, rather than just chew on them.  He is a big fan of pushing his cars around the living room.
5. He loves being outside and going on walks.  He recently played in a sandbox and loved that, too.
6. He points.  At everything.  He points to tell us what he wants, he points when he thinks we should look at something in particular, he points just to point.
7. He is silly.  He has a goofy, scrunchy face that he makes that is adorable.  
8. He likes to clap and will applaud every accomplishment.
9. He is eating solid food three meals a day.  He loves to eat and is a great eater.  He'll eat just about anything except broccoli.  He loves beans, banana, peas, green onion, garlic, and just about anything else with lots of spices.
10. We've breastfed for a year and are showing no signs of stopping any time soon.  He still nurses when he wakes up and when he goes to sleep.  I love it. <3 
11. He is a snuggle bug.  

He is just an amazing, sweet, fun, tall!, darn cute little boy.  We are lucky to have him and we love him to pieces.  Happy birthday, Maddox Ammon! <3 

First time pulling himself up to standing

Pulling himself up yesterday before the party:

 

And today, pretty proud of himself!

 

Back to reality

And now we are home.  The semester has started.  We are settling back in to our routine.

Late afternoon walk with Mama... cool shades!

And look how big Maddox is getting!

Climbing over the car seat:

(And for the record, we don't normally keep the car seat on the floor of our apartment.  This was taken right after we got home.)

Climbing out of his co-sleeper into our bed:

Zion

After New Years, my parents, Phillip, Jared, and the Gilbert Family went to Zion National Park in Utah.  We were there for a few days, the weather was perfect (low 60s as the high) and it was beautiful.  Stunning.  Magnificent. 

This is the way to hike

Luke did a great job hiking around with Maddox

The boys

Better late than never...

We're back!  And we have a ton of pictures and videos to share.  Here are some more pictures from our holiday adventures.  These were taken right around New Years.

Reading the newspaper with GG Bernie and GG Jayne

Uncle Kyle and Aunt Marta

Uncle Jared and Cailin

Gigi