Dear Shenzie and Heaten,
I am a horrible mommy and am long overdue with your 12 month letter. I’m sorry. I have a bunch of excuses…your birthday, birthday party, and getting sick top the list. This month has been amazing, wonderful, and horrible all at once. Since I’m a week late we’ll make this your 12 month and one week post because this week has really brought many new and delightful things!

It has been amazing and wonderful because you are both so fun, funny, and wonderful. Your entertain your daddy and me every day with your expressions, new found independence, temper tantrums, and big personalities. We could sit and watch you for hours. All of the little things you do are so big even though they are so small. Seeing you become so independent and know exactly what you like and don’t like. It has been horrible because we got a stomach virus that knocked us on our asses, there were a couple of sleep issues with Shenzie, and a doctors visit that included shots that was not very pleasant.

Shenzie Buggle,
You have become such a happy happy baby. You don’t fuss or cry all that much which is a nice change from Heaten’s constant state of almost fussiness. This month you really took off…literally. You started to crawl on October 4th. You also learned how to cruise around on furniture and are getting better and better. You can go from one piece of furniture to the next. In one month you went from scooting, to sitting on your own, to cruising, and now crawling. You got a little ride along/push car for your birthday and the first time I put you behind it you started pushing it and walking. It is not going to be long before you are a full blown walker.

On a less positive note you are a little mini me. Mean little Shenzie green. You get this little twinkle in your eye…not a good twinkle, but an ‘I’m up to trouble’ twinkle and then you attack. You love to pull Heaten’s hair, scratch him, me, or dada, bite, and kick. At first your dada would defend you and say you weren’t doing it on purpose…he has since changed his tune…you are TOTALLY doing it on purpose. You look right at me and reach out to pull your brothers hair. We are trying to teach you no and gentle, but so far no luck. Today in the stroller you reached over numerous times to pull his hair. Poor little guy had nowhere to run.
You still have 5 teeth, but I think you’re working on your sixth. You are drooling a lot and chewing on your finger like it is covered in chocolate.

You pretty much still love all food and are not shy about trying new things. This month we introduced grilled cheese, cheese quesadilla, sweet potato fries (thanks Eva), olives, watermelon, and real chicken. Your dada even gave you tapioca pudding (shocking! I know). You don’t really care to eat with the spoon yourself and are content to let me feed you yogurt, applesauce, and cottage cheese. We got the ok for real milk (we’re doing Rice Milk instead), but I’m being a chicken in weaning you from the bottle and formula and have not yet done the deed.
You play pat a cake with me now, you recognize and can do the signs for milk, duck, and gentle (kind of) and we’re still working on more, eat, and hat.

You like:
Standing
Walking
Bathing
Walks in your wagon
Ibuprofen or any medicine
Giving your mama kisses
Pulling hair (mine, Heaten’s, or Dada’s, you are not picky)
Rough housing, especially on our bed where you can roll around and fall back

You dislike:
Getting dressed after bath time
Wearning socks
Getting your diaper changed…it has become rather difficult to do when you’re rolling all over the place
Most people, babies crying, other kids
Loud Noises including the vacuum, cars, hair dryers, and yelling

You get sweeter, cuter, and more wonderful every day. I wouldn’t change a thing about you, even your mean streak! I love you Shenzie Bear.

Love,
Mama

Heaten Boo,
I swear you are not that much bigger than Shenzie yet you seem so much heavier and taller. You have had a wonderful month. You are much happier now that you can get around on your own. You still scoot everywhere but have also started standing and pulling up to furniture and cruising around a bit.

This month you kissed your dada for the first time !!! (September 23rd). It was very sweet…but not as sweet as when you reached over to kiss Shenzie. That melted my heart. You found your peepee for the first time while bathing…pretty funny…you were like what’s this new thing I can play with. It wasn’t funny when Shenzie found it too and tried to yank it off…oops! I gave you your first hair trim on September 21st. Nothing major, just a trim to get the hair out of your eyes and the duck butt gone from the back. Your hair is getting so long…I love it…and so does Shenzie only she like to yank on it.
You got your first tooth!!!!!! It only took you a year. On October 6th, the day of your birthday party we found it. All hell is going to break loose now with the next few.

You are still a toy thief and you have to have anything that Shenzie has even if you have the exact same thing in your hands! You recognize and can do the signs for milk and duck and we’re working on the rest.
You are a very picky eater which is surprising because as a baby you were not picky about the pureed baby foods I made you. You are very hesitant to try new foods and most times you only try them because I trick you and stick them in your mouth. You will pick up the new piece of whatever, squish it in your fingers, bring it to your mouth and lick it, and then throw it down. It is 50-50 if you will take another bite after I trick you into eating the first one. You like to feed yourself with the spoon… you can’t quite get the food out of the bowl, but can get it into your mouth once it’s on the spoon.

You like:
Standing
Walking
Bath time
Walks in your wagon
Giving your mama kisses
Watermelon
Other kids…you love to laugh at them
Hanging upside down
Getting tickles

You dislike:
Getting lotion after your bath
Getting dressed after your bath
Fingers in your mouth
Grilled Cheese
Cheese quesadilla
Sharing your toys

You are so sweet, so loveable, so adorable. I am so lucky to have such a perfect son. I love you my handsome boy.

Love,
Mama