Abel Christopher | 18 months

EIGHTEEN

My darling boy,

I think the cold weather has officially set in and it's going to be a long winter for both of us. I miss our daily walks and park trips and I am already counting down the days till warmer weather. We are both going a little stir crazy.

You have been keeping me super busy lately and I feel like I spend most of my days chasing after you. Now that you are walking you seem so much older. You love being chased around the kitchen counter and shriek for joy when I jump out to snatch you up. You are so curious about your surroundings I really don't feel like you play with your toys too much but when you do it's all about the cars, trucks & tractors. Pretty much anything with wheels.

 You are growing so fast and just trying to learn so much and take it all in.You have fallen and bumped your head so many times in the past few days I have lost track. I fear that your head is still a little big for your little body and makes you unsteady on your feet. You are always quick to get back up and keep on going though.

 You are obsessed with puppies and cuddling them. You lay down your head and go "aw", probably from the hundreds of times I have said that to you! You are a big time kisser now too. You love kissing me, grandparents and the puppies. You love to brush your teeth and get super excited and come running into the bathroom yelling, "teeth, teeth!". If only you will hold that enthusiasm about it.
You are learning how to count to 6 currently and spell your name. You can count fairly well with prompting but always miss one and four. I know it's mostly just you being a little parrot and repeating back what I say but it's exciting to watch you learn. You always get super excited when we reach six and shout "yay!" when we reach it. You know that kitties "mooww" and puppies "ruff", and sometimes we can get a "mooo" out of you. You love watching the birds in Grandma and Grandpa's backyard, I know you are just itching to get outside and run around.

Daddy is away right now in Florida for training so it's just you and me and it's only been a few weeks and boy is it hard. I know you miss him and are a little confused on the whole situation. You love Skyping with daddy though and I love seeing your big ol' grin when you see daddy on my phone. Being a "single parent" has me exhausted most days and after I lay you down to sleep at night I feel so overwhelmed with guilt, I know that in some moments I am far too short of patience with you. This is such a new adventure for us.
The plus side of this whole adventure though is all the time you are spending with family. I love watching you grow to know family and friends and watching you play with your cousins. I know sometimes it is still a little overwhelming for you but you do well with others holding you and jumping in on the running around. You really don't let me leave your side too long though and get super upset when you think I am going somewhere without you. I'm hoping this will get better overtime.Having daddy gone again doesn't get easier, I just get stronger but watching you miss him hurts my mama heart on a whole new level. In some ways I'm thankful you won't have too many memories of our military life.

I often sit and wonder what you will be when you grow up. No matter what you do in your life I pray that you are passionate and joyful and always always kind. I love you so much my darling boy I am so blessed to call you mine.

xoxo, Mom

Loves: mac & cheese and blueberries, reading books, being outside, puppies, his "foxes" and "fezziwig" (his lovey & stuffed pig), playing at the park, playing with his trucks & cars.

Wears: 18-24M in clothes, size 4 diapers

Sleeping: 8:00PM-7:00AM plus 1 nap during the day, usually 2-3 hours

Abel Christopher | 15 months

FIFTEEN

I keep calling you my baby but you are definitely a toddler now. We visited home late August, early September and I swear every time we visit Iowa you have a major growth spurt. You really started walking once we were home. I love, love watching you walk all over the place. It is so exciting for you and it makes you so happy to be standing tall and chasing after all the big kids. You definitely keep this mama busy and on her toes. You are constantly chattering and have learned so many new words! You are a big Mickey Mouse fan and love saying, "oh toodles". We are working on using the word please but pretty much have the hang of thank you. You have so many teeth now! 4 on the front and bottom and you have a couple of teeth coming in toward the back of your mouth now. You are still sleeping through the night and usually take a nice long nap during the day. You love technology and you are so curious by it. I swear you don't even bother playing with your toys much anymore. You are always after cell phones, the laptop and all the remotes and you always get super upset when we take them away. You also get super upset anytime the door is opened and you don't get an opportunity to go outside. You love heading into the kitchen to open up all the cupboards so you can pull everything out. Usually there is spatulas, skillets & plastic cups all over my kitchen floor. You love food! Right now you are really into cheese and crackers and love your fruit and eggs for breakfast. You still hate the vacuum so I usually save that for nap times.

I am absolutely loving this age! It's so fun to watch you wonder around and explore.

Weight: around 24 pounds
Loves: outside everything, singing & playing with the kitchen utensils
Sleeping: bedtime is 8 and you are usually up around 7 am. You are pretty consistent with taking a 2 hour nap during the day as well.
Wearing: Size 4 in diapers & 12-18 months

Abel Christopher | 12 months

TWELVE

My darling son,

What a year this has been. I have watched you go from a squishy little newborn with your wrinkly old man elbows to a curious, always moving happy boy.

The first few weeks with you were such a blur of overwhelming emotions. I felt so raw and vulnerable loving a little person so much. I prayed for a happy healthy boy and when they placed all 7 pounds and 4 ounces of you in my arms I was truly astonished that you were finally here. Watching you grow over the past year I realized I have grown so much as well.

You are such a happy little fella. I love watching how you can spread happiness so quickly with your sweet little smile. You are not walking yet but are maneuvering around by pulling yourself up and walking along furniture. Grandma and Grandpa bought you a walker that you absolutely adore and instantly started ramming into every wall in the house. You are so curious about everything! You love being outside, you always have. Whether it's just crawling through the dirt, swimming in your little frog pool or swinging, being outside is always your favorite. You have two little teeth and working on more. I love seeing those cute little teeth poking out from the bottom when you give me a big grin. You are just now sleeping through the night which is something that I am super excited about! We nurse 2-3 times a day still, something I am super proud of considering that we started off to such a rough start with nursing.You are such a chatterbox! You have so much to say and want everyone to hear you. Your favorite words are; mama, dada & puppy.

As I watch you learn and grow I can't help but wonder what you will be when you are older. No matter what you become I pray that I am able to teach you to be kind, honest, and to always stay curious. No matter what life throws your way I will always be by your side my dear.

Love, Mama

Abel Christopher | 11 months

ELEVEN

Staaawwwp. Time is just flying by. My baby boy you are such a ham! You are always smiling & giggling. I love spending my days with you. I've been busy planning his first birthday.. nothing to extreme since it will just be Aaron & I and my parents but I still can't let this day go by without some celebration! This boy is going to be 1 and it is so bittersweet. Oh it's so fun watching him learn and grow! What a fun month it has been. I'm so excited for our summer together and the adventures we will have.

What's New

•  You finally started waving bu-bye! It's the cutest thing, EVER.
• You still have no interest in walking but you sometimes you will stand & balance all by yourself! You only do it for a few seconds till you realize what you are doing and grab a hold of something super fast. 
• You do NOT like to be told no and have definitely picked up some sass. 
• You love mimicking sounds and it's our new favorite game to play in the car. 
• Aaron & I had our first day date to go see the new Civil War movie and left Abel with a sitter. As much as I enjoyed the movie I was so ready to pick up our little man. He had a great time and even napped!
• We tried moving you to only one nap a day but you were not having it. It's hard to believe that you used to be a horrible napper because you are a rockstar at napping now. You still wake up once to twice a night still.
• We are still nursing but I don't think it will last much longer. I'm so sad that these days will be behind us soon. My favorite time of the day is nursing you to sleep at night. 
• You love fruit, bread and of course ice cream.

Weight: It's been a few months since we have had you weighed. I know you are over 20.
Loves: being outside! You love the sun, too bad we haven't seen the sun too much lately.
Sleeping: about 9-10 hours a night, usually waking up once to nurse and a good two hour morning nap and usually an hour nap in the afternoon.
Wearing: Size 3 in diapers & 9-12 month clothing.

 XOXO,