twelve months today

Hi Friends,

It's me, Jonah.

Today I turned twelve months old. Mom says that means I'm ONE YEAR OLD. She said that in a big voice and put one finger up on her hand, so I guess it's a pretty big deal.

What's that?

I'm a big boy???!!!

Right on.

Don't tell anybody but on Saturday, I heard Mommy say that the next person who called me a big boy was getting punched in the face. I think she wants me to stay her baby forever.)

I'm getting so big. I weigh 21 lbs 9 oz now. I'm 30 inches tall, and my head circumference is 45 cm. I'm in the 25-50th % for weight and in the 60th % for height and head circumference. Dr. B says my growth is GREAT! I'm staying right on that curve. I'm cool like that.

I have six teeth now. Two on the top and four on the bottom. See?

I have all sorts of noises these days, and I'm babbling like a champ. Mom and Dad can't decide if I'm saying any words yet, although I keep telling them that I'm saying all sorts of things. It's not my fault they haven't learned my language. G seems to be my favorite sound, and my favorite things are growling, blowing raspberries, and fake coughing. Mom is pretty sure I'm trying to say Deac, but it's not quite identifiable yet. I also regularly say Ma Ma and Da Da, but am not really saying them TO Mom and Dad. When I see a photo of our family, I can point out my Mom and Dad when asked. Mommy says I'm so smart.

Usually when you put a book (or in this case a birthday card) in my hands and open it up, I start reading. Most of the time it sounds like this, "ahhhh tickle tickle tickle a guh duh guh duh guh duh." Mom says it's just about the cutest thing she's ever seen.

My favorite songs right now are "Malti," "Do-Re-Mi (Sound of Music)," and "Jump Up." I dance now when I hear music. I LOVE music. It calms me down during dressing change or when I'm upset (like today at the doctor when I had to get four shots and a big vile of blood drawn from my arm).

Between Christmas and my birthday I have lots of new toys. I just opened my birthday presents so I haven't really played with them yet, but my (old) favorites are my ball popper...

my exersaucer...

... my pull back cars that zoom across the floor, and still my basketball goal.

For a kid who can't even crawl yet, I sure am hard to keep up with. Mommy can't leave me alone for five seconds or I've fallen over (on purpose), leaned forward and am about to fall on my face attempting to crawl, or I've rolled half way across the room.

I'm eating a little better these days. I usually drink around 30 ounces a day (27 cal formula) and am starting to show a little more interest in solids. I have a really bad gag reflex though, so right now we're mostly stickin' to purees. Otherwise I puke up not only my baby food, but also my previous bottle. I'm still having gushers every two to three days. Too much information? Oh, my bad.

I'm becoming less and less interested in TV these days (too busy trying to move around), but for a few minutes at a time, Mom can sit me in my new toddler chair and I'll watch some Jack's Big Music Show or Yo Gabba Gabba.

I want to crawl so badly I can barely stand it. I can get my hands out or sometimes my knees up, but I haven't figured out how to do both at the same time. I can put weight on my feet and stand with support, but when Mom tries to lean me over to help me get into a crawl position, instead of going to my knees, I stay on my feet and put my hands on the floor, so my butt's straight up in the air. Mom says I may want to look into Yoga.

Mom and Dad can't believe how far I've come in this last year. On February 27th of last year I was born in TERRIBLE shape. There was not a whole lot of hope for my future. On February 28th, I stopped breathing, and Mom and Dad thought I was going to die. I spent 32 days in the NICU. I had to go back to the hospital over Easter for breathing issues, and have been on the verge of a g-tube more times than I can count (you know, because I don't really count yet). But so far, I've stayed infection free and haven't been back to the hospital (except for doctors' appointments) since last April.

Mom and Dad say they love me sooooo much (they tell me about a MILLION times a day), and they don't take one day for granted.

They think I'm the most beautiful, perfect little boy baby in the whole world.

They are amazed at what I've overcome and what God is doing in my life. They know I have a big story to tell and look forward to many, many, many more years for me to tell it. And thanks so much to all you guys who have come along on the journey. Mom and Dad say to tell you how much they appreciate the love and support. You guys are the BEST!

(Thanks to Aunt Katherine for the photos of me with my ball popper, in my exersaucer, and in my chair.)