My One Year Old

   I have a one year old. Liam's been with me for a whole year, he's experienced every holiday, every beautiful Idaho season, met almost all his extended family (Taylor, he's waiting anxiously!), eaten so many different food for the first time, seen fireworks and the ocean. He's been to his first theme park and to his first softball game. He's ridden on a plane, crawled in the snow and walked on sandy beaches. Liam's had a big fist year.
    I'll never forget the 30 minutes right before we left the hospital with Liam that frigid Sunday afternoon. I thought, "oh no, I cant take this home, they need to keep this baby here, i don't know what to do with him, what if he freezes or wont eat, wont sleep or wont stop crying? (all of which he did, except freeze, he hasn't frozen yet)What if he hates me!?" I cried and cried out of worry and fear for this little baby, that I would be a insufficient mother and protector. Liam however had so much confidence in me, he knew all along that I was capable of doing whatever I needed to do to make him a happy healthy little boy. He helps me every day be a better person, a better wife and most importantly, he teaches me that I am the best mom for him. Enough about nostolgical little me,
Liam! Today's about you! 12 months, 52 weeks and 365 days of Liam in our lives. And those days have been the best days we've ever seen. To commemorate each beautiful month we've spent together, we'll go through 12 things we love about Liam.
12.His Laugh. Liams laugh is so contagious and as of lately, he has been laughing for no reason, or my favorite, he laughs as he sits and looks at books all by himself. Liam gets especially giddy late at night and it doesn't take more than  big smile from me or dad to get him giggling. He's always willing to humor us with laughs when we need it most and sometimes, when we least expect it.

11.His hair! We are still just crazy about that curly hair. If it were up to Chad, we would never cut it..ever. Thank heavens he has a mother because while its adorable, i'm running my fingers through it as often as possible because i know his first cut i slowly approaching. If we're just playing around the house, sometimes Liam will go into the bathroom and grab my brush, bring it back to me and lay his cute little head on my knee! He WANTS me to brush his hair! I love it!

10. His squaty body! He's definitely got his dads body, short legs, long torso and wide feet. i love how he waddles around the house with all the confidence in the world, even if he falls 3 times between his start point and his destination.  it can be -17 degrees outside and little man will still bolt as soon as i open the door wide enough, his cute little feet will pitter patter on the freezing concrete until we grab him up and take him inside. He may be smaller than most babies his age but he can outrun them!

9. His love for learning. I've recently worked on more practical lessons with him throughout the week, projects like teaching him how to put towels back in the drawer, staking cans, teaching him how to give hugs when were sad, handing me things when I ask for them, folding his arms for prayer and pointing to Jesus in pictures. He loves doing it. He always surprises me with just how much he retains when he comes back the next day and does the same task as the day before. He never resists, he's always willing to try new things.

8. His cuddles! Liam used to NEVER cuddle, and even now, its seldom but when he does, he means it! He is a serious cuddler when he's tired or if you've got a soft blanket to share with him. He lays his head down on you and says "awww". He knows how much we love them and sometimes he uses that against us. When he is in trouble he'll try to cuddle his way out of it and sadly, most of the time it works.

7. His taste testing. I actually loathe how horrible he is at eating but its kind of adorable how he sticks out his tongue and takes a dainty little test taste before he puts anything in his mouth. We're working on getting more fruits and veggies in he diet and the colors are attracting him enough to get him eating them but every once and a while we still see that little tongue stick out and making sure the food was ok before chowing down.

6. His love for water! In the summer we couldn't keep him out of the splash park and bath time was his favorite time to smile and scream for joy. Even now with the snowy weather, he loves to get down on all fours and eat it if we'll let him! I'm so glad he isn't scared of it and enjoys being in the water as much as his parents.

5. His fathers son. He is so fun loving! He's always smiling and playing, even if mom has told him in her serious voice that "this is not a game", he just smiles until I've caved in and laugh along with him. SO much like his father.

4. His a giver! Lately when i give him a bottle its a sip for Liam and a sip for mama, he shares even if you're uninterested. He used to resist it a little more but now that he understand how much joy it gives us, Liam will give us kisses and hugs on demand! Every Sunday you'll find him in the back of the RS room sharing all his toys, not just letting other play with them, but physically giving his toys to others, then kissing them and sitting down next to them to watch them play. He's got a serving spirit and its amazing to see it in him so early in life. I can't wait to see that trait develop as he grows and bless his life and those in it!

3. SO easy going. He is almost always happy and when he isn't, there is usually a good reason. I've had friends tell me things like, " Don't get used to it" or "yeah, not all your babys will be that easy" but I've chosen to kindly disregard those comments and just enjoy every second of this child's good nature. He has made becoming a mother such a smooth transition and I'm so grateful for that.

2. Mans man. Liam has always been a little man. More recently, people comment on how he looks like a linature man because of his small size and seeing him walk around but he's always been a little man. Besides his mature little manly features, Liam also just loved man stuff. He's captivated by a football game, loves playing basketball with his dad and flirts with girls like no ones business. oh boy.

1. He's mine! I love that i get to squeeze him in the morning and kiss him at night. I love getting to bath him after he gets into a bag of flour on the kitchen floor. I love being able to watch him point to every picture of Jesus in the Church halls. I love getting to hand him off to his father after a long day and watch Chad step up into Daddy mode. I even love surviving tantrums in grocery stores or 30 minutes car rides of yelling and throwing bottles. I love that he knows he's mine, he knows i'll always be there and that no matter what he does, I'll always end the day with a long hug, 2 books, song, a prayer and a kiss.  He's a crazy haired, dimple cheeked, giggly, screaming, wide eyed one year old and we love him to pieces.