Javierito cumplio 1 año

Our 1 year old weighs 22 lbs and is 30 ½ inches long. Woo-hoo!

Last month, April, was superbly busy. I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off both at home and at work. It has all been fruitful and fun, but now I need a vacation….

Javier turned 1 on April 22nd. I was reminded again and again that he was born on Earth Day and we kept thinking of what we could do to link both of these very special occasions. My husband loves digging in the dirt so he decided that we would plant two apple trees in our giant backyard. Fabulous idea!! He bought two from the U of M and planted them last night. Can’t wait to see Javier pick those apples!



My husband’s birthday was on April 20th and I asked what he wanted to do for his bday. I, of course, was thinking that we could leave Javier with his grandparents and that Jeff and I would go out. When I asked, he said he actually wanted to celebrate with Javier. I didn’t take it personally as I thought, yeah, I would too : ) So, we had a little gathering with friends and their kids and we had some good cake. I thought one birthday would take away from the other, but it actually felt really nice. Javier had no idea what was going and just enjoyed dipping his little finger into frosting the whole time. I could see that Jeff was happy hanging out with family and friends and that this was exactly how he wanted to celebrate.

Javier’s birthday not only landed on Earth Day, but this year, it was also Good Friday. This worked out well for us because we had an extra full day with him! We decided to fly to Chicago for the long weekend to see my family and to celebrate some more. Once again, Javier dug his little finger into frosting and this time around he did it like a pro.


I have to say that it is unreal to me that Javier is 1. People would say that there were going to be so many changes in this first year and it is so true. He is a little person now; totally interacting and speaking his own language. He’s pretty vocal when he’s just with us and it’s so funny because it’s neither Spanish nor English. We think it’s mostly Spanish as I’m picking up on a few words here and there, but overall it’s just sounds with gestures and emotion. I love it! He’s quite funny, which is adorable – he gets that from my husband.


He leans in for kisses and gives us hugs. He’s getting much better at eating foods with texture, but hasn’t mastered eating on his own. The doctor said it was totally fine, so I’m not concerned. I’m still nursing and I’m so ambivalent about weaning. I’ve dropped the late night pump session, but I can’t seem to let go of the other two times I do it. Nursing is still so natural right now for the both of us that I can’t imagine not doing it at all… He is drinking whole milk now too, which is kind of fun. He isn’t drinking much from a regular bottle these days. His daycare nana (it’s what I call her now) is just giving him a cup and she said that he doesn’t want to drink with the cover on. He makes a mess, but prefers it that way. We’re totally okay with that too.

Certain things he’s doing right now:

Likes to cuddle with his blue, Curious George-looking stuffed animal.
Dislikes sitting in car seat for a long time. (There’s that new recommendation thatbabies should be in rear-facing car seats until they’re two. Not going to happen!!!)

Enjoys his shopping cart push-toy.
Is liking bananas!
Likes to grab the remote control and point it to the television (not sure if we love that…).
Loves to pull his socks off.
Knows what “leche” (milk) means.
Likes to point at things.
Plays well with friends.
Knows what “No” is, but does he listen?
LOVES his dad.
Likes to give kisses to babies in books.
Loves to laugh.
Dislikes leaving the park.
Really enjoys taking baths, but hates big pools at the moment.
Is getting tired of diaper changes; if he only understood that pooping in a toilet is so much better! Soon enough, I guess.