The Winters' World: Blake Everett is 1!

Blake (also known as Blakey first and foremost, followed by the Blakester, Blake-a-roo, and Bubba) turned 1 on April 25th. We had fun celebrating (separate post to come on that)! It really is crazy how quickly the first year goes by, even though there are many nights you wish you had gotten more sleep and days you need a little more coffee :-)

Side by side growth pictures with Blake and his puppy dog: little bitty thing to a bruiser in twelve short months!

He was seen on his birthday (I know, but it was on a Thursday, one of my days off :-) and his numbers are:

28.4 lbs. (>99%), 33 in. (>100%). Our boy is off the charts in size (and cuteness)! He is wearing size 5 shoe and diaper, and 18-24 month clothes. Getting some use out of big bro's outfits from summer 2011!

And one more at the six-months/half-way mark with a proud big brother!

It seems like it was just yesterday we were taking in God's handiwork and staring at him every second we could at the hospital,

And, now, we are still in awe of what a blessing our Blake has been to us (but we can't sit long enough to stare much these days :-) Right now Blake has 5 teeth, with 3 (or more) on their way in!

B is on the MOVE!

He has moved on from army crawling (and he's quick!)

and often times crawls with something in each hand,

is standing with support like a champ,

and is pulling up on (and pointing to) anything and everything!

He often gets stuck in the "tripod stance" and has found the stairs...

But still no cruising, so I do not believe walking is in our near future (but hoping it is before July when Brett and I to Guatemala!)

Some fun things about Blake at this age:

He loves to be sung to (and will even hum in a high-pitch, intonation-like way right along with you as you sing). His favorite songs are, "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," "Get-Along Little Doggy" especially if it is sung by Daddy while riding like a horsey/getty-up dance, and "Amazing Grace." He will clap his hands when you sing, "If You're Happy and You Know It," and he likes the Sesame Street Beginnings DVD "Make Music Together," just like big bro did at this age.
He loves to play peekaboo, with lids to boxes, tupperware, you name it :-)

Loves the outdoors, especially if there is a breeze. New found love just this past week is the sandbox! Oh, and he loves Boomer (as I have mentioned before :-)

Apparently he likes the arms-up pose as seen in both above and below pics! We started cloth diapers this month, and mommy is still learning...

He loves his nightly (except on Wednesdays) baths. He is fearless and is like a little fish now that he is free of his bath seat!

Blake is clapping, stacking/nesting (i.e., cleaning up more than making a mess-ha!), waiving, banging objects, pointing, etc. He's got a lot of arm movements he uses every day :-) It's noisy in the Winter's house!

His favorite activities today are opening kitchen cabinets (we have baby bowls he plays with/stacks), pushing cars, and clanking puzzles/Lego's!

Blake definitely wants to be in the thick of it all with Jameston, who calls him, "Little Buddy."

Blake is also obsessed with markers as of late, probably because they are usually within Jameston's reach, since he is obsessed with coloring. Like big brother, like little brother?

Blake is imitating sounds (words and laughs, more like cackles) and actions (such as drumming and playing violin). Speaking of laughs, his is THE BEST (says his biased mother)! Last week he started motioning like he is feeding us; he will pretend to pinch some food and put it toward your mouth!

He is making the smacking sound for kisses and will make the "vroom" sound when he is pushing cars. He says, but his usage depends on the day, "Dada" "Mama" "Doggie" "Uh-oh" and "Yaya" for Jameston. He is also signing "more," "all-done/finished," and we just started the sign for "milk."

Speaking of milk, we are in the weaning-mode. He is drinking milk like a champ: cold, from a straw cup, no bottle needed (unlike Jameston in this regard)! We have dropped from 4 to 2 nursings in a little over 2 1/2 weeks, and I hope to drop the morning feeding soon (Mommy's leaving town for a few nights this month, so it's gotta happen)! Weaning is just so hard on everyone...he will crawl toward me and try to pull up on my lap when he wants to nurse :-( Also, I am wondering if he has a lactose intolerance though due to some not-so-fun diapers...

So it is no surprise that Blake is a great eater! We have started putting his food on a plate instead of highchair tray (and he is less like to throw it off this way), and he is mainly feeding himself table food/what we are eating unless it is yogurt or applesauce. He LOVES hims some cheese, bananas, pineapples, potatoes, crackers or puffs, avocado, green beans, and anything Italian. He is NOT a fan of brocolli and berries lately (maybe a texture thing)?

Pear cores are great for teething!

Blake will sleep about 10-11 uninterrupted hours at night (yay!!) and still takes two naps most days, although lately he is moving toward an earlier lunchtime and one, long nap after lunch (no!). He is a great napper, though, in that he can nap just about anywhere! Another great characteristic of those second-borns :-)

He does like his lovey and paci to sleep some nights, and he has fallen asleep on me lately due to another ear infection and him just feeling crummy thanks to the joys of allergies/crazy Texas weather :-(

Blake with his boys:

Jameston is always present for Blake's bedtime routine, which usually consists of one (or two) books, a bible verse, and a song. Blake seems to really like Dr. Seuss's One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish (see below) and The Foot Book, and Peter Rabbit's Peekaboo book! Mainly he likes just flipping the pages, and just recently he started pointing to pictures on the pages. Love.

I am so ready for Brett to be home more now that "busy season" is coming to an end, and so are the boys! Daddy and the backyard: Blake's fave person (because he throws him in the air :-) and fave place (probably because Boomer is out there)!

My two helpers in the kitchen!

As probably most second-borns are, Blake is really a content, laid-back little dude. His main cares in the world seems to be playing with big bro and eating. He is so content (most of the time) that he even lets us put hats and mustaches on him (this was for Easter/3&1/2 and 1 year photo shoot-post to come). Ha!