Simon's 1 Year Old Adventures!

With the new baby almost here I thought I'd take a minute to highlight this handsome little man! Simon turned a year old in December and seems to be learning new things everyday! Unfortunately, we're experiencing some camera difficulties so I haven't been able to capture most of them, but you can see the fun photo shoot we did with him while you read the stories.

Simon is fascinated with things. He loves taking things in and out of containers, putting things together and taking them apart, etc. He has a little foam puzzle that he loves taking apart. He can't put the pieces together on his own yet, but he will hand them to us, wait for us to put them together, then take them and pull them apart. He can do that for a really long time and be completely enthralled.

He's figuring out how things work. When he sees Jake put his shoes on in the morning he walks over to the door and bangs on it, as if to say, "ok, I'm ready, let's go!" When Jake leaves and it becomes clear he's being left behind he'll either reach up and jiggle the door handle in an attempt to follow, or he'll go to the window to watch him get in the car. He also recognizes shoes and socks and when we pull out either will sit down on the ground and lift up his foot.

This kid is taking advantage of his mobility! He knows where he wants to go and doesn't wait around for us! The other day I was letting him walk to the front door himself, but when we got there I had to let go of his hand to open it. As soon as I let go of him he turned around and ran the other way! He was not happy when I caught him and made him go inside. If he wants us to do something for him, like open a door or the blinds, he will grab our hand and lead us to where he wants us.

Simon is mastering the art of climbing! He knows how to climb onto the fireplace, into our big blanket basket, onto the couch, and, of course, up and down the stairs. The other day I left a new box of diapers out and he pushed it over to a kitchen chair, climbed on to the chair, and then proceeded to climb onto the kitchen table. I'm pretty sure if I hadn't stopped him there he would have stood up and run around on it.

Simon loves the great outdoors! He loves feeling the sunshine, wind, or rain (he usually has a hard time when it's actually sunny though, those poor eyes are not used to things being so bright!). He loves watching birds and running around on the grass. He also loves cars and trucks, though, so we have to keep a close eye on him when we're outside to keep him from running to the road.

Simon loves people! Whether it's the neighbor girl who's just his age or mommy's visiting teachers he's always more happy when other people are around. And people love Simon! He has a 2 year old friend named Connlin who loves to follow him around and play with him. I am told that at home he frequently asks when he can play with Simon.

And Simon loves his mommy and daddy. When Jake gets home he runs to greet him! He says "dada and mama" frequently. And he'll sneak up on us and give us hugs! He likes to be in the same room as us, even if we're not playing with him, and will abandon the things he's doing to follow us if we leave.

Yep! Our little boy sure is fun to have around! I can't wait to see him become a big brother and continue to learn new things everyday!