Turtle Monkey

Oh, how did my baby go from looking like this:

to this:

in just one year!? They say time flies, but it is really hard to believe that just a year ago we brought Elias onto this earth. In such a short time, he’s figured out how to make sounds, hold baby conversations, roll over, sit up, crawl, stand up and cruise! He’s gone from studying us with his gaze to giving us hugs and blowing raspberries at us while smiling.

Here’s a brief photo journey of his development this past year!

Two months:

Five months:

Seven months:

Eleven months:

Elias is more than I could ask for in a baby. He is easy going and likes to sleep, which makes his care pretty darn effortless (especially in a completely baby-proofed room).

He no longer relies on formula and drinks whole milk and eats whatever it is we’re eating. For the most part, he’s not picky and he loves to stuff his face instead of being spoon or fork fed.

He’s teething at the moment. We’re pretty sure he’s getting another molar. He currently has his front four top and bottom teeth and one molar on his right side, totaling 9 in the tooth count.

He is a super happy baby. On a bad day, he might cry for 5-10 minutes due to being cranky and things not going his way. Usually he makes it through the day with nothing more than a few whines to voice his displeasure or frustration. He loves to play and study and get in the middle of things.

He gives Leah true “pets” and buries his forehead in her fur to hug her. He’ll hold out his hand to let Teyla lick it and likes to watch her play.

Elias points to everything and talks to or about it. Mark and I love watching his little personality come out in every way.

For his birthday, we had a very small party with just the three of us. After dinner of chicken tortilla soup, Elias opened his birthday present and played with it briefly before we gave him his birthday cupcake. It was the first time he’d ever had a true desert and to say he loved it would be a complete understatement. No ill effects were suffered from all the sugary goodness, much to our delight and relief.

You can view the full birthday set on Flickr. Below is a highlight of photos and videos from the evening.

I am several days behind on entries. There will be a Happy Birthday entry coming soon!

Mark, my mom and I all went to the aquarium on Friday, September 26. Elias was his usual observant self. He pointed to everything and loved looking at all the pretty colors and interesting new animals! We saw some really cool things, like a scuba diver cleaning out a tank and an octopus in a box with a ball. And of course there were beautifully colorful things like coral and the sea nettle wall.

A couple more photos of Elias and the aquarium:

Even more are on Flickr.