1 YEAR!!!

Ben turns one year old today! We are thrilled to have made it this far in one piece. I think he's ~26 lbs or so and probably at least 32" long (he's wearing 18-24 month clothing now). We are working on weaning him from his pacifier - any tips are greatly appreciated. It's most difficult for us when we're in public because we don't want to inconvenience other people when Ben's upset.

Ben's not walking on his own yet. We think he lacks the motivation since he can reach most everything when he's on his knees. He will stand when holding on to something and will walk if we're holding on to his hands, so at least he has the motions down. In all honesty, Craig and I are in no hurry for him to walk :). Ben's also drinking from a straw and eating a lot of solid foods. His favorites are bananas, peas, butternut squash, and lentil pasta.

We think Ben has started trying to say a few words. His daycare caregivers think he says "done" when he's finished eating and "door" when he wants to go outside. He tries to say Vincent, but it comes out more like "dissent" and says "mama" and "dada", but they seem interchangeable between Craig and I. He's calling his ball "ta". Speaking of his ball, he LOVES to roll it back and forth with mom and dad. He also started giving us a super cheesy smile this month (see first few pictures). Most everything else is a variation of either "da" or "dee". Ben is also able to find his head and feet. He especially loves to put things on his head while asked.

This month Ben attended his first wedding (congrats Taryn & Connor!!!). We had two birthday parties so we could celebrate with his LA and Phoenix friends and family. He handled both pretty well, especially given that he's a little on the shy side. I didn't get nearly enough pictures of the LA party :(.

We're looking forward to watching him grow year to year. This first one has been both challenging and amazing. We really couldn't have done it without help and advice from our friends and family. Love and hugs to all of you!!!

Who does he look like??? Craig at ~1 year is pictured on the left and I'm on the right.