It's been one year!!!

I can't believe its been a year since our miracle baby was born. He's a full on toddler now which comes with its challenges and moments of fun and excitement.  But OMG my baby is one!!! Cue the waterworks…. “They” say kids grow up fast and boy oh boy are they right!  This summer has been a blast, so many activities and milestones.  I’ll try to summarize some for you.

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At 7 months Bram had 2 teeth and was army crawling.  By 8 months he said his first word (“Woah!”) and was standing! He has always been an AMAZING food eater since we started baby lead weaning at 6 months. His favorite food is a spicy Vietnamese soup Lee gets, Bram smells it and instantly comes over smacking his lips begging for some! He had his first bagel, a big milestone for our family!

By 9 months was “cruising” furniture and making us step up our baby proofing! Right before 10 months is when he got his first “real” sickness, a viral throat infections with a fever of 103 and sores in his throat, it was no fun, but within a few days he was back to his regular self. I had to go to Raleigh, NC for a work conference for the week, there was no way I was leaving Bram at home, so Lee took off work and tagged along. Lee was an awesome parent, like he always is. He watched him every day from 8am-9pm without complaint. They did amazing fun things together and he still somehow managed to have him in the hotel during my breaks so I could nurse him and not have to worry about pumping. It was a great experience.  His second word shortly after this trip was “Dada” obviously!

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He took his first steps the day he turned 10 months old, and we got him his passport for upcoming travels! I stopped pumping at work around 10 months old after slowly lowering my pumping times and dropping sessions. I knew I had plenty of donor milk in the freezer to get us through atleast turning 1, and let’s be honest…. Pumping sucks.  

He was full on walking by 11 months and we got him his first official pair of shoes! We started getting Bram to sleep the first few hours at night in his crib, then after the first wake up I bring him to bed with us. It’s a nice balance and allows me to have some “night life” and not instantly go to bed at 7pm. My grandfather in Florida had a serious fall and we weren’t sure what the outcome was going to be (he has since recovered!) So my sister, her 2 kids, Bram and I flew to Florida to spend a few days with our Mom and Grandparents.  It was my first time traveling with Bram without Lee. Bram did AWESOME! Except riding in the car seat, which he ALWAYS hates anyway. His third word was “Dog” which he said during this trip to a porcelain statue of a dog.

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A few weeks before Bram's birthday I participated in another  group nursing photoshoot again, this time at a local lake beach. It was a beautiful day, perfect weather, lots of mommas and babies. Bram even got to play in the water, which he loved and didn’t want to leave. He’s a water baby for sure, just like his momma was.

To prepare for him becoming a toddler we took Bram to get his first haircut. He was a trooper, sat still through most of it even when she turned on the clippers! It totally transformed him from a baby to a toddler.

At 12 months, Bram had 7 teeth, climbing everything, being a total ham and is just the light of our lives. I am still nursing, and we do not see any end anytime soon. Bram is a total boob monster and loves the comfort and nourishment it brings. We are working on manners now, as he pulls at my shirt when he wants to nurse…toddler life!
 
For Bram’s First Birthday party we invited nearly 50 adults and 15 babies including family, friends and people from the various mom groups I’m in. It was great celebrating such a special life he’s had…but it was a bit overwhelming for him. Especially during the singing of Happy Birthday. He just stared at everyone and didn’t know what to do…he wouldn’t even eat his cake was which very unlike him!
 

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We see Heather and her family often, and know they have had a pretty rough year, but we’ve all been very supportive and caring and know our relationship will be strong forever.
  
People keep asking us if we’ll do a sibling journey. We have 4 frosties waiting for us and I have no doubt we’d find a suitable carrier for one of them….but for now atleast we think our life is perfect! We're going to enjoy our "triangle family" for many years to come.