Henry's 1 Year Update - Amy Antoinette

The months are passing quickly, and Henry is blossoming more and more each day. I’m sure I’ll say this a lot over the years, but 12 months has been my favourite age of his so far. He has become his own little person and it is a delight to witness his quirks and traits come to the forefront.

A noticeable difference over the past few months is that he has become a lot more independent. Whereas once he wanted to be on me or next to me at all times, he now happily plays on his own and explores his environment. It is a joy to watch him in his own little world as he plays with his toy cars, stacks his cups and takes blocks in and out of his rucksack. He also loves to dance now – if he hears a tune that tickles his fancy he will bounce his legs and jiggle his little bottom with a big smile on his face.

Henry is a very cuddly little boy, much to our delight. He often toddles over to me for a hug, sucking his thumb and resting his head on my shoulder as he plays with my hair. He snuggles anything soft in sight, whether it’s a cuddly toy, a cosy blanket or a discarded fluffy sock!

(The birthday boy enjoying his cake!)

Weight: 20lbs 14oz at his first year checkup.

Health: Two big health milestones occurred just before Henry’s first birthday. First – he completely stopped his reflux medication. This was a huge accomplishment for us as he’s been on some form of reflux meds since he was just 6 weeks old. We also trialled the milk ladder to reintroduce dairy into Henry’s diet, and thankfully he’s had no reactions. He can now happily eat cheese, yogurt and all sorts of other delights containing cows milk, so his diet had opened up to a whole new range of possibilities.

Routine: Breakfast at 8.30, lunch at 12.30 and dinner at 4.30, with a morning nap at around 10am and an afternoon nap at 2.30pm (if we’re lucky!)

Sleep: Still sleeping through the night, usually from 7pm – 7am. There was a period where I was nervous (terrified) that Henry was attempting to drop to just one nap a day, but thankfully I think it was just a phase!

Clothes: Henry is in that awkward in-between stage where 9-12 month clothing is too small and 12-18 month clothing is on the big side.

Dislikes: Attempting to change Henry’s nappy is a constant battle. He hates lying down so I’ve had to become somewhat of an expert at the standing-up nappy change as often that’s the only way it’ll get done without a wrestling match. He’s started to have tantrums when he can’t have or do what he wants, but they pass quickly. And washing his hair always results in tears, no matter how fun we try to make it!

Likes: Henry is currently obsessed with the songs from Frozen. He brings me my iPhone numerous times each day for me to play them on YouTube, and gets so excited when they start (and equally upset when the songs finish!) It is the only time when he is still, relaxed and quiet, so it’s lovely to cuddle up together and enjoy some animated fun.

Milestones: Henry now has six teeth – four top, two bottom. He waves goodnight to us when we put him to bed, which is just heart meltingly cute. Besides mama and dada, he can say ‘moo’ when he sees a cow in his books and he says ‘brum brum’ when he’s playing his with toy cars. Both very sweet!

He understands and reacts to a lot of things we say, such as ‘rest your head,’ ‘walk to the window,’ and ‘have you finished?” He brings me things he wants to play with or read, and takes me to places he wants to show me or explore.

Henry has now mastered walking and it is the sweetest thing to see him toddling around. He’s become a lot more confident with his ventures, and walks greater distances each day. I’m sure it won’t be long until he’s tearing around the house!