Fletcher Thirteen and Fourteen Months

This age is the BEST. I know I say it every time, but, for real, this is my favorite age. I wish I could bottle it up and keep it this way.

I mean, come on.

My favorites about this age:

• total mamas boy
• the way he comes running to us after he hasn't seen one of us after daycare that day
• when he is walking and holds his hand straight up for you to take it so you can hold hands and walk
• his laugh. Honestly, it is the most joyful, amazing, sweetest sound in the entire world
• playing chase is the most fun game on earth to him right now
• his love for flowers
• he doesn't scream bloody murder in the car seat anymore [anxiety about travelling have decreased greatly]
• his walk waddle
• obsession with books and wanting to sit in your lap and be read to
• cuddling after a long day before he goes to bed. He still lets me hold him after his finishes his milk and we just sit there for a few minutes before I put him in his crib
• the way he snuggles his head into my neck
• his jabbering. No real words yet, but lots of babbling.
• the shocked face and sound he makes when he is acting surprised
• the face he makes when you ask "where did it go" and he tosses his hands up and shrugs his shoulders
• gaining a little more independence
• watching him learn and grow from a baby to a toddler. We have seen the biggest changes yet between months 11 and now.
• asking him to do something and him actually doing it. For example, "fletcher bring this to dad." and he will take whatever I give him right to his dad
• loves throwing stuff in the trash since we are trying to teach him to clean up after himself
• his memory. He remembers much more than we give him credit for
• thinking I have the smartest baby on the planet
• how sweet he is. He loves to wave and blow kisses to complete strangers.

I am telling you, I could go on and on about this age. It really is the best.

best surprise face ever

As soon as I wrote that post about his temper tantrums, they seemed to decrease greatly and are really far and few between. It is like so many of the things we worry about as parents, but, just as soon as it started, it stopped. I am not naïve to think my child will not have a category five meltdown in the grocery store in the near future, but for now, I am enjoying this sweet, kind, happy little boy we have.

MONTH(S) HIGHLIGHTS

Uncle Matt and Aunt Kelly's baby shower for Wyatt, finger-painting thank you cards, playing with the play grill set from Dad, mowing lawn with bubble lawn mower, riding down the cul-de-sac hill on the play John Deere ATV with no fear, cue-grass festival downtown, first Easter, visit to Pullen park to ride the carousel and the train, visit to the Outer Banks for mamas half marathon, spirit week at school, pool time at Uncle James' new apartment pool, picking lots of flowers, visit from Uncle Chinn, trying to be just like Dad, moving up to toddler hall, visit to Wilmington for Mother's Day, and hanging out with Uncle Michael who is visiting from San Francisco.

we are so excited to meet Wyatt, due to arrive May 31st!

finger-painting turned into eating the finger paint...

grilling, just like Dad

favorite thing to do, obviously

cue-grass festival on literally the hottest day in April ever

carousel at Pullen Park on Easter

swimming in the pool at Uncle James'

the love for the animal magnets is real.

obsession with flowers and loves to pick them, especially our neighbors...

playing basketball with Dad

surprise visit from Uncle Chinn

all the boys headed to Wilmington

reading with Uncle Michael

officially a mom now that a good picture was messed up due to snot on the dress

being this boys mama is the greatest gift ever

yummy family dinner at Indochine where Fletcher loved eating rice

visiting best friend, Wade

As much as I want to freeze time, I am having so much fun watching him grow into a little person. He learns new things all the time and I just wish it would slow down a little so I could catch it all. He is cautious but also a little daredevil. He is kind but will steal toys with the best of them. He will make you want to pull you hair out but then will tug on those heart strings just as hard.

Oh sweet boy, what will the next two months bring us? We have a lot of travel weekends in our future. Looking forward to a summer spent at the river and beach with family and friends