13 Months

Another month has gone by and Daniel continues to learn new things. He is walking really well now, no more crawling! He has been going up the steps for a long time but is finally mastering how to come down the stairs. Sometimes he wants to walk down like we do but we are practicing turning around and coming down backwards. Daniel is trying new foods, some new favorites are waffles, goldfish crackers and turkey soup. We are done with formula now and drinking whole milk which is much easier for Mommy! Daniel is getting more and more verbal, he talks all the time. He likes to imitate what we say and is picking up new words all the time. When he can't communicate what he wants he tends to just point and whine though! We are also hitting a stage where Daniel throws a tantrum when he can't have what he wants. I guess this is a prelude to the terrible 2's (and proof that he is as stubborn as his parents!). This week Daniel is transitioning out of the infant room at school. According to his teachers Daniel really enjoys spending time in the young toddler room and they feel he is ready to move up so after New Years he will be officially moved. We are looking forward to the start of a whole new year in the Venit household. Hopefully we will have a little less excitement in our lives this year as we watch Daniel continue to develop.

Chanukah

Last year Daniel was one week old for the first night of Chanukah and we were preparing for his bris. This year we were able to celebrate a little more. We had multiple family celebrations which was a lot of fun. For the first night of Chanukah we travelled to Wayne, New Jersey to have a party with cousin Avi. Avi and his parents, Jeremy and Alys, are moving to Seattle so this was a combination holiday/moving party. We had a great time playing with all the cousins. Between his birthday and Chanukah Daniel thinks that every day we light candles, sing and get presents! January will be a rude awakening for him.

Happy Birthday Zehda

Kyle, Daniel and I took our first overnight trip in order to travel to Ocean City Maryland to celebrate Zehda's 60th birthday. It was Daniel's first night in a hotel and he did great sleeping in his pack-n-play. He was great in the car and even made it til way past his bedtime to party it up with everyone. The party had a Philadelphia theme so Daniel was sure to wear his Phillies sweater and Eagles pj's. Daniel enjoyed dancing and helping Daddy DJ the party before sleeping in his stroller. Sunday morning we had brunch at Zehda's house and celebrated Daddy's birthday. We really enjoyed getting to spend time with everyone and can't wait to hit the beach in Ocean City next summer.

12 Month stats

Today was Daniel's one year old well visit at the pediatrician. He is now 21 pounds 7 ounces (25th percentile) and 30 inches long (50th percentile). He got 3 shots but as usual he took them like a man and only cried for a minute. He got a perfect report from the doc!

Birthday Party

Today was Daniel's 1st birthday party. We had a great time. We felt like we needed to really celebrate after our crazy year. Since Daniel is so in love with Elmo we hired an Elmo to come help us celebrate and the look on Daniel's face when he came in was so worth it. He was so excited! We were so happy to be able to celebrate with our family and friends, most especially family on both sides who travelled to be with us for this happy occasion from all over the Northeast. Thanks to all of you who helped make today so special for all of us.

Daniel and Daddy meet Ric Flair

As anyone who knows him knows, Kyle is a huge wrestling fan. One of his alltime favorites is Ric Flair. So when he found out that there was going to be a local autograph session he couldn't wait to meet his idol and bring his boy with him. So on Friday Kyle and Daniel headed to Chickie's and Pete's to meet Ric Flair. Daniel always has a great time hanging out with his Daddy although he didn't seem quite as excited as Kyle to meet Ric.

Daniel turns one

I can't believe that Daniel turned one today. It has been quite a year for our family. We are definitely hoping for a less crazy year to come. Daniel is growing up so fast I can hardly believe it. He is learning new tricks every day. He is walking and gaining confidence each day. His vocabulary is growing quickly, he says dada, mama, poppop, mommom, cook (cookie, or cookie monster), oh (elmo), ba (ball) nana (banana), na (nanny, his blanket), when he likes what he is eating he says mmm, and a variety of other sounds. He definitely understands much of what we say to him also. If I ask him to do something sometimes he even does it! He likes to play "catch" with a ball and push around his little ride on toys. He is eating more new foods every day and really prefers to stay away from the baby food. A few favorites are grilled cheese, yogurt, spaghetti and meatballs, and fruit especially blueberries, strawberries and nanas. I have just been so amazed at watching my little boy develop over the past 12 months and I can't wait to see what happens over the next 12!