Baby days: 9-12 months

I can’t believe the time is here. Finn is one! Where has time gone?
I heard it a million times while I was pregnant; “Before you know it, he’ll be grown up” and you know what, it’s totally true. I don’t know why I was so naive in my thinking he would be a baby forever, because here we are, 12 months later, and my kid graduated from infant to toddler practically overnight. 

Month nine was probably the best month so far. I mean, my kid has only gotten cooler, but month nine will always be the one that sticks in my head. Finn had perfected his crawling but he was still manageable. I could actually catch him before he was neck deep in the toilet bowl or eating Winston’s dog food. He was busy but would sit still. It was around month nine that he decided he could hold his own bottle, only for an ounce or two, but we took it!  Around the ninth month he really started showing his true colors and his voice. HIS VOICE is loud and he would scream  “MA! MA!” when he was mad (still does). Isn’t that cute? He has been saying “da da” for a while now but only when he saw Zach. When he would chat, he would say “da da da da da” but started graduating to more complex sounds. By month 9, he had eating down (because he didn’t really start eating until 7.5 months), and he’ll pretty much eat anything we give him. Month nine was the last month Finn snoozed on me. I found a picture of him napping on my shoulder and it reminded me of that sweet moment and I’m thankful I captured it. Now, he’s too busy to snooze on any of us! If he’s sleeping, he’s in his crib, which I’m thankful for a kid who is easy to put down! During this month, Finn experienced blueberry picking, going to a Sounders game for the first time, spent a ton of a time outside in the August sun, andhis hair finally fit in it’s first pony tail (man bun or bust!) but only on the back of his head because the top hair won’t grow.. who knows! 

Month 10 was when Finn started messing around with walking around furniture and pushing things around to get from point A to point B. For a while, Finn was pushing a watering can around as a make-shift walker, and it as pretty cute. I refused to get him a walker because I think I was in denial that we were approaching the time where he’d start walking!  By mid month, he was able to stand on his own but not yet walk. It was like his legs turned to jelly the minute he tried to take a step. We knew it was only a matter of time before he was walking and getting in everything so we tried to take advantage of the sweet crawling phase. Month ten brought more outdoor time, our third camping trip with his cousin Hazel and Auntie Laura and Uncle Jason, a trip to Spokane where he ate his first ever Taco Bell quesadilla, a trip to Manito park, his first trip to Chaps Bakery, and his first wedding. Towards the end of month 10, I broke down and bought Finn a radio flyer walker. He was to the point where he wanted to walk but couldn’t which was a very frustrating transition time. Once I bought the walker, Finn was off and it was only 8 days from buying the walker to him walking on his own. Exactly 4 days after he turned 11 months, Finn was able to walk a few feet by himself. He transitioned himself to full time walking kiddo a few days after that.

Month eleven was the most chaotic. I thought having a newborn was tricky, but I think the period after he learned to walk has been the hardest. He was  IN EVERYTHING and constantly on the move. I mean, from the moment he wakes up to his first nap, he’s moving. After his nap, he’s moving until his afternoon nap. I’m lucky if I can get him in his high chair long enough for him to eat a decent meal. Then he’s moving. He’s opening doors and sticking his hands in the toilet. He’s running to the fireplace and smacking it and then grabbing a lamp and trying to tear it down. When I say he’s a “wild one” I don’t mean that in the cute fluffy Instagram picture sort of way. He is WILD. He learned no a while ago but now no means “get it done as quickly as I can and run away”. This past, he started shaking his head no, which up until now, he has yet to tell us no. I guess when you hear it often enough, you learn it! I’m not complaining about his busy-ness. I’m thankful to have a kid who is able bodied and healthy. I love his wild side, and he has the best little toothy smile. He has a great personality and I get to see it more and more everyday. Month eleven was busy with a lot of family time, family events, and playdates. Finn is a good enough walker that he’s enjoyed walking outside and now that he’ll actually wear shoes, we let him. He’s starting to talk more and mimic our sounds. I’ll say “all done” and he’ll repeat something that sounds vaguely like it. He points to animals says “DA!” for dog because he thinks all animals (cows, pigs, etc) are all dogs. He’s curious about wheels and the mechanics of things, which I love. He just started to love reading books and he’ll sign “all done” after meals (if you sign it first). His defiant personality is coming through, and I pray he’s more like his daddy than me. 

I’m biased, but I love my kid to death. I love that he loves the men in his life, in fact, he’s obsessed with his Grandpas. Given a choice to go to me, Zach, or one of his grandpas, he’ll pick the latter every time. It’s cute, but I can’t wait to remind him that I grew him for 9.5 months and I will ALWAYS be top choice. 

If you’ve been with us through this year journey, I want to say thank you for supporting our family and loving my kid. He is so blessed to have so many people, near and far, to love on him. Some day, he’ll be able to thank you himself, but for now, you’ll just have to take my word on it. 

It truly takes a village to raise a child. 

Thank you. 

Finn clearly  hated smashing his cake.