Tucker is 1!

I can't believe it! My baby boy is 1! How this last year has flown! I can't believe how big he is getting! I took him into the doctor on Monday and he weighed 21.5 lbs and was 29.5 inches long. I am sure that he has gained a lb or two since then! Last night for dinner, he has 1 1/2 hot dogs, some spaghetti, some strawberries, and apple juice. Then he had an 8 oz bottle of milk. What a child!

Tucker T is getting so close to walking. He can take between 15-20 steps when he really focuses, but normally it is closer to 6-8. His balance is great, he just needs a little more confidence. He is still much quicker about crawling, but walking is a close second these days.

Some of his favorite words are "Da", "Det" (for Bridget, our dog), "Ba" ( which includes both a ball and bottle), and "Ma" (this seems to be his favorite and he says it about 50,000 times a day-- it includes Mom, mine, and more so I have to try and figure out what he is saying).

He is still a climber. Some friends of ours gave us a double jogging stroller for his birthday (thanks Shan and Jaime!) and yesterday he scaled right up it and didn't stop at the seat, but climbed all the way to the parent tray on the handle. He LOVES to be the big boy. He will climb on a chair or sit next to me on a little rock wall in our yard, or just sitting on the stair and he will puff out his chest and sit there like he is so proud of himself.

Tucker has been by far my easiest going baby. He is just so happy all of the time and so content to entertain himself. He LOVES to be outside and a friend gave him a little ride in car and that is his most favorite thing to do. He goes outside and will sit in that car and push himself around in it. Yesterday, I went to take some garbage out and didn't realize Tucker had followed me outside. I came back inside and shut the door. A few minutes later I realized I didn't know where he was and started going around the house to find him. I looked everywhere and couldn't see him and was starting to panic. Just then, I looked out the window and saw him sitting in the grass in his red car, "driving" it around. What a kooky kid! He can be tired and cranky and cross and the minute I open the door to go outside, his entire mood changes and he becomes a happy child again.

He is starting to get a temper, which is fun. He is getting frustrated that he can't communicate with us and starts to squawk at me when I don't understand or give him what he wants. He's also getting frustrated with Carson and Hallie when they come and bug him or take his toys away.

Tucker is still my little gremlin and growls at us-- a lot! He has done this for probably 6-7 months and I thought he would grow out of it quickly, but that is not the case. He is growling more than ever. People stop to look at us in the stores when he starts growling and he is quite the entertainer at church. His favorite thing to do is bark at the dog, and she seems to understand him.

I am way behind on my blogging and am trying to get pictures off of Derrick's computer so that I can update, but for those that don't know, we got a puppy about a month ago. She is a little 2 1/2 lb Shih Tzu named Bridget. Tucker ADORES her. He loves to sit and hold her leash and bark commands at her. They share everything. They share toys, and beds, and disgustingly-- binkies. Tucker will pull his out of his mouth and put it in Bridget's or she will find one on the floor and next thing I know, I have a dog running at me with a binkie in her mouth. Tucker pushes her out of her bed and lays in it. He plays catch with her, only he sometimes forgets to let go of the ball and she gets a little hyper trying to get it from him.

It has been a busy year, but I am so grateful for my cute little Tucker T and the joy and happiness that he brings into our lives!