12 months

Baby John is officially one year old!  We gave him a swing for the backyard on his birthday, and it has been a big success with both boys. John Clayton is still super sweet, constantly wanting to be held or to just lay his head on you. He has started really playing with toys -- he likes to put things into containers and claps when they play music and flash lights. He also loves to climb onto Henry's kitchen tower, into cabinets, up onto stools, into the dishwasher, and really anywhere he shouldn't be.

He has a few words that he uses pretty regularly, including thank you, up, down, Daddy/Maggie (used interchangeably) and something to the effect of "what's that." Still no first steps, but why would you walk when you can be carried?

He as almost completely transitioned to whole milk and sippy cups, and just gets one bottle before bed. It has been a little bit of a change getting used to the cold stuff, but he's just about got the whole cup thing down. He is a great eater, and unlike Henry has no problem picking up anything and putting it in his mouth. Peanut butter sandwiches and fruit are favorites. He loves little games like peek-a-boo, touchdown/reaching for the ceiling, and beeping noses. And he loves to knock over block towers or anything else you stack up.  He has definitely been a little more clingy lately, which I suppose is typical for around this age. We try to encourage him to play independently, but when he comes over and lays his head on you it's pretty hard to resist!