Parker turned ONE on February 2nd! We are still in awe as to how fast the months have flown by and how much he has developed and changed. It has been an amazing 12 months and we are looking forward to countless more. Ryan and I are so blessed to have him in our lives. He brings an indescribable joy to our hearts every day.
Here's what he's been up to:
He's currently got two botton teeth poking through and I know there are several more on the way (since he's been wanting extra attention from mommy). He weighs approximately 21 to 22 pounds. He is not walking yet, but I think his first steps will come very soon. We can see him progressing every day. He can cruise along the furniture with only one hand and is very good with his walker, but still lacks the balance to stand up on his own. I think he knows that crawling is much more efficient and he isn't interested in anything that will slow him down.
He is eating pretty much all types of food now and is starting to develop preferences, which sometimes makes it hard for him to get all his 'green' vitamins. I make most of his food from fresh produce and will oftentimes add butter to it, since he just burns off all the fat anyways. He has remained a very lean baby.
His vocabulary is rapidly developing now. He says 'hot', 'that', 'cat' and 'daddy' with clarity. He also says, kitty-cat, doggy, teddy, mama, and juice but you have to be around him for a bit to understand what he's saying. He also loves to babble, non-sensical sentences. I just smile and nod.
He is a very active little boy and tough as nails! He had his first accident on his birthday. :( He ended up pulling a lamp down onto himself, that we thought we had baby-proofed. He cried for a minute and then tried to get out of my arms to go play. I thought that he hadn't been hit by the lamp and it had just scared him, since he really didn't make a big deal out of it. But I always check him over no matter what had happened. I found a small knot under his hairline. If it was me I would have been much more of a baby than he.
He loves to socialize and share his toys, bottles, etc... Whenever I give him his bedtime bottle, he always tries to put it in my mouth and gets so distracted that he'd rather be feeding me than drinking. He is such a sweetheart. Throughout the week, we will visit with friends and their babes. He will bring toys over to the younger ones, sometimes putting them in their mouths, and when the older ones steal his toys, he is very patient and does not get upset. I love his positive attitude and calm, but energetic personality.
Speaking of energy, this kid does not stop for one minute, except to fill his pants. :) I don't know if this is just a phase, but from the moment he wakes up, he is on the go. I would love to read to him more, but it is hard for him to sit through a whole book. He'd rather be exploring it in his mouth or off making a mess of my tupperware drawer. He definitely keeps me on my toes during the day!
Happy First Birthday to our Sweetheart of a Little Boy!!! We are convinced, we couldn't have asked for a better kid.
Parker and his cousin, ready to party
Almost 1!
Pre-party. Looking for his presents (we got him a plane ticket to visit his grammy & grampy in California this spring, escorted, of course!)
Playing peekaboo with our cat.
His first present to arrive from Grandma Judy and Granpa David was a Power Wheels. He can't operate it by himself, but he loves doing tricks on it when we take him for a ride.
A few of the party-goers
Grandma helping us get ready.
The cake (it was the only character cake pan I own, so I got creative.)
Looking for our cat. 
Our friend Cindy Huempfner gave him this adorable little sleeper and night cap. I couldn't stop myself from taking pictures.
