525,600 minutes

365 days.  52 weeks. 12 months. 1 YEAR!  I can't believe it's been a year since this little dude came into our lives!  It's been the BEST. YEAR. EVER!

1 day

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months

10 months

11 months

12 months

As you can probably tell, Harrison was not into taking pics this month AT ALL!  He actually cried for most of them, but there are a select few that are decent.  I absolutely could not get him to sit in the corner of his crib like I have the last 11 months.  Therefore, the 12 month pics are either in the rocking chair or walking around his room. 

At 12 months old, Harrison is walking all the time!  In fact, there are times when he almost runs to get from one place to another.  He loves hats, anything he can put on his head, throwing balls, toys he can push or pull, books, the tupperware cabinet, being in the kitchen, following Dusty (Dusty still isn't real sure about him, but he's getting better.), being outside, bathtime, swimming, brushing his teeth and hair, playing the piano, Elmo, fruits, cheese, whole milk, and snacktime.  He's understanding more and more every day!  He will get an object if you ask him to- cup, ball, shoes, book.  He follows simple directions- "wipe your face," "brush your hair/teeth," "take a drink," "throw the ball," "let's change your diaper."  He knows nose, hair, and sometimes eyes and ears.  He makes animal sounds for fish, lion, and elephant.  He doesn't like green beans, being in the carseat for long periods, and getting his face cleaned. 

Tim and I decided several months ago we would both take off work on Harrison's birthday.  We wanted to spend the day celebrating with him.  (I hope this is something we will be able to keep up always.)  Harrison LOVES the water, so we decided we would take him to the West Pool.  He had a blast!  The kiddie pool was just the perfect size for him. 

Refreshing drink after some hard swimming.

He loved walking under the water spraying from the wall!

After swimming and a nap, we went to 3 spoons for ice cream.  Harrison enjoyed some vanilla ice cream and kiwi slices.  Then, that night PawPaw, Nana, and Aunt KK took us out for Harrison's birthday dinner.  I think it's safe to say, he had an AWESOME 1st birthday! 

Harrison's 12 month well baby check up was this morning. I don't know what I was thinking scheduling it right at the time he usually goes down for his morning nap, but much to our surprise, he did a pretty good job. The doc said he is measuring right on track with all his milestones and developing just as he should be. He weighed 21lbs and 10 oz- about a 2lb gain from his 9 month check up. He measured about 1/2 an inch taller than his last appointment, but they measured him standing up.  It was pretty difficult since he just wanted to move around. Tim and I both think he grew at least an inch, maybe 2. So, we are saying he's about 30 inches tall.  He has 8 teeth, and the doc confirmed he is also cutting his molars right now.  Harrison also got 3 shots at this appointment. Tim and I both had to hold him down. I would not wish this upon my worst enemy! Holding your child down while he gets 3 needles shoved in his little thighs is NO FUN! Thankfully, he calmed down as soon as I was able to pick him up, but then... We had to go down to the lab and get blood drawn. Again, watching your child get his little, tiny finger pricked is NO FUN! It took him a little bit longer to get calmed down after that. After all that, we were finally able to go home. Harrison fell asleep soon after we got in the car. I was hoping he would get a really good nap in, but as soon as I laid him down in his crib, he woke up and started playing. After about 10 minutes of listening to him play and talk, I decided he wasn't going back to sleep so I got him up. I gave him some motrin, and he played and ran around like he had a perfectly normal morning. You would have never thought he had gotten 3 shots and blood drawn.

A few outtakes from the 12 month photo shoot :-)

A little on Tim and I...  Tim has been pretty busy this summer.  He is off on Friday afternoons, so he has been doing some things around the house.  He completely redid our front flowerbed. 

Before

After

He also built Harrison a pretty awesome swingset!  It has a 3 swings, a set of rings, and will eventually have a slide (as soon as we can find somewhere that has it in stock).  Harrison can't do a whole lot on it now, but I know he will have hours of fun out there before too much longer!

As for me, most of you have probably already heard, but next week will be my last week at the daycare.  I am going back to teach at Abbott!  I'm super, super excited! 

We also have a 2nd family vacation planned.  Tim has some training in Galveston for a few days, but we are going to stay an extra couple days.  I can't wait for Harrison to experience the beach!  I hope he loves it as much as I do!  (I know Galveston isn't the best beach, but it's a beach.)