12 months

Twelve months old...a whole year! So hard to believe! Jackson continues to grow & learn & change every day. -He now weighs 18 lbs, 6 oz (still in the 2nd percentile) and is 30 inches long (60th percentile)
-He doesn't like shots (no surprise)
-He's trying to be a little more independent
-He can feed himself with a fork or spoon and most of the time the food ends up in his mouth. It's messy, but he can do it.
-Some days he eats a ton, and some days he hardly eats anything at all.-Climbs up on things
-Cruises around furniture & walks holding our fingers
-His record for standing & balancing on his own is about 12 seconds, but usually it's more like 3. When he's done standing he doesn't just fall over--he'll squat down and sit. It'll still be a couple of months before he's walking, I think.-LOVES to pull the tupperware or pots & pans out of the cupboard. He stacks them, puts the lids on, and stirs. He also pulls all the books off the bookshelf or coffee table. Life is a constant mess around here.
-Says "Whassaa!" whenever there is a sound or he sees something that catches his attention. It really sounds like he's saying "What's that?" ...baby's first sentence?
-Sometimes he says "hi!" but not consistently.
-He's starting to pick up on baby sign language and does a couple of things. He'll sign "more" when he wants more food---it kind of looks more like waving both arms up and down, but he does it consistently and we know what he means, so I guess that works. He'll sometimes do "milk" for his bottle. He does "fan" too...but he's gotten a little confused on that one and will do it whenever he sees something he recognizes or wants to identify, like a dog or a truck--both are things that we are trying to teach him the sign for, but he's not doing the right one. It's still really fun to be able to communicate with him more and to see that he has his own little thoughts going through his head that he wants to share.-Sleep...well... that's still our problem spot in life. Too bad it affects everything else. Ugh.
-If there's an open door to the bathroom, pantry, or outside, he seizes the opportunity and heads straight for it. Same for cupboard doors. And anyone who has ever lived with me knows I tend to leave doors open. I'm working on it.
-I can't load or unload the dishwasher with him in the room. If he hears it, he heads straight for it and climbs in & helps me unload (to the floor). -He's discovered that he loves the dirt & rocks. He's a boy! When we went camping last week I didn't really have much of a choice but to let him down in the dirt and he loved it. I gave him a cup and he sat there filling it with rocks & dumping it out over & over for a while.
-He had his first fever a few weeks ago. It only lasted about 36 hrs, but it was still miserable for him. It got up to 103.1. He was just lethargic & just sat on my lap without trying to squirm down or anything for hours...it was kind of nice to be able to cuddle, but sad too.
-He watched his first fireworks show on July 24th and enjoyed it. At first he was a little unsure about it, but then he really liked it.
-He waves bye-bye whenever someone leaves.
-He likes to play in water: the bath tub, sink, fountains, splash pool things---he likes it all.-For those of you who are laying awake at night, still concerned and wondering about the pooping situation, you can sleep now. Since he started drinking more milk, juice, and water from a sippy cup or bottle, he hasn't needed the miralax and is going just fine these days. Aren't you glad to know that?
-He loves music and dances along. It's really cute and I need to get it on video some time.

I sure love this little person! Is he still a baby? He is to me, but I don't know when one officially moves on to toddlerhood. I guess when he starts walking maybe. He's such a fun little guy and it just keeps getting better and better!