Homegrown Happiness: September 2017

I'm posting late of course. I didn't even realize I hadn't posted this one and my kid has been 1 for over a month now!

This year truly has flown by. It has been our favorite adventure watching our little baby grow into the little toddler he is now. He used to be this tiny little baby who would curl up into this tiny little ball and just snooze on my chest. Now, he's a rambunctious little toddler who has the most contagious laugh and thinks it's the funniest thing in the world when we chase him around the house. These are 2 totally different experiences that bring their own special kind of joy. I can't even express how it feels, so I won't attempt to. I'll just say it's the best. I know people say that all the time and sometimes they mean it figuratively. This is literally the best.

Mason's personality is growing and it's so fun to watch him change and develop preferences. He loves playing with balls, bubbles and balloons. He thinks flying is a blast and bouncing or rocking are crazy fun too. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have a little daredevil on my hands. He'll give Daddy plenty of laughs and Mama lots of mini-heart attacks. He loves to chase his dog around and trying to get her to chase him. He is amazed by the outdoors and will instantly perk up when he goes outside if he's not in a good mood. He's a true little boy and loves to get his hands in the dirt.

Watching him learn is also incredibly fulfilling. This kid didn't even know how to eat when he was born. He's learned so much in just a year! We've been working on baby sign with him and he's consistently signing "milk". It's the first thing he does when I pick him up at daycare. If he's in the middle of some serious play time and I ask him if he wants milk, he'll stop what he's doing, come over to me and start signing it. It's so freaking adorable. He signs food occasionally, but he still usually signs milk for that too. He will also occasionally sign "more".

He only has 2 teeth, but he has no trouble eating with his gums. I love his gummy little smile!

So far, he:
- crawls everywhere
- climbs the stairs
- walks with assistance
- pulls up on anything
- cruises furniture
- recognizes and plays with himself in the mirror
- points to himself and sometimes mama and dada
- turns light switches on and off
- pulls chain to turn fan light on and off
- plays drums (on everything)
- still sleeps through the night
- says "mama", "dada" and "byebye"
- claps (when he wants)
- points (also when he wants)
- waves hey and byebye
- signs "milk" and occasionally signs "food" and "more"
- throws tantrums if something gets taken from him
- loves food and bath time
- dances and bounces to music

We've had some fun little adventures with Mason. We've traveled with him quite a bit. He's already been to the mountains and the beach, as well as a few other states!

Other states Mason's visited:
Maryland (multiple times)

Massachusetts (At Harpoon with Dada)

Maine - Hiking!

South Carolina - On his actual birthday, we went to Greenville to see a total solar eclipse! Such a cool way to spend his birthday!

He still gets along great with Bailey! He adores her and I think she loves him too. We're working on teaching them both to be gentle. He likes to try to hit her and pull on her tail and ears. We're constantly redirecting him from doing these things and showing him how to gently pet her. Bailey is good with him, but if you've ever met her, you know how big of a weapon her tail is. She's also still quite rambunctious for an almost 7 year old dog and will run over him if she's going after a toy.

Here are some of Mason's adventures from this past month! (actually from July-August)