Yep. I'm doing it again. I can't help myself. I mean... look at him!


So, our favorite thing is still to play outside.


But he has discovered getting into the kitchen cabinets, now that he's actually allowed in the kitchen.
The room becomes off limits if he goes for anything like the cat food or the water bowl. He seems to get it, though, and just sticks to trying to pull out all the pots and pans. He also loves to get into the refrigerator, especially now that he knows he can open it himself if he gives it a couple good tugs.
(Sorry for the quality. I have an old Android phone, not a handy-dandy iPhone.)

Does anyone know if they sell locks for the fridge? I would think Michael's not the only one who likes to get in there and attempt to get himself a snack.

It seems Michael is shooting up like a weed. Around his birthday he could still fit in 12 months clothes (go figure), but these days he's styling 18 months. He can still get into 12 to 18 months, and some 12 months shirts... but he's just getting so tall! Of course he's got the adorable baby belly, but that's probably from his amazing eating habits!

And we used to be worried. Michael's favorite things these days are:

1. Bananas
2. Greek Yogurt (shared with Mama)
3. Cheese
4. Frozen Berries (to help with the teething)

Anything else is a day-to-day sort of thing. One day he'll love tuna, the next day he doesn't want it. One day he'll eat a whole grilled cheese, the next day he just wants the cheese, hold the bread. Tonight I "spoiled" him with a Gerber dinner which he absolutely loved. BBQ Turkey, anyone?

Oh, and the peas phase? Yeah. It was just that. A phase. He's now squishing them like a normal baby. Veggies are more of a "miss" these days. He'll eat corn. Other than that, it has to be hidden. Like in Plum Organics squeezables or something. He LOVES those. We call them "smoothies".

Music is our thing. Michael has this lovely new thing that he does. It's called dancing. He stomps his feet or bends his knees and "bounces". It's positively adorable. It used to just be head-bobbing, but we've added actual moves to the agenda. I love playing music while I'm cleaning or we're just hanging out, because every now and then he'll just break into his dance. It makes my heart melt. The other day he even pulled out my flute. So I played for him, and then he clapped. Talk about motivation to start playing music again.

We're still teething.

(Note: I keep saying "we", because as you know everything Michael goes through, I go through as well. Sorry if it's annoying or confusing.)

Michael has four teeth working their way in up top. I can see one already that has officially broken through (along with the four he already has), but he's definitely feeling it. YAY for frozen berries! His favorite is the banana/peach/strawberry mix. He just gums them until he can eat them. Make sure if you give them to your baby, you observe/watch/monitor, though. Choking is possible (as it is with everything, I suppose).

As much as I say I want to "crib train" Michael, I can't bring myself to do it. I absolutely love my little cuddle-bug. I mean, who wouldn't love to sleep next to this?

In other news, Michael has discovered throwing tantrums. Any suggestions on how to put your one-year-old in time out somehow? I'm all ears!

Today is Michael's birthday! What better way to celebrate than to ask you lovely followers to show your love and spread the word?

Yes, I became one of those parents. I entered Michael in the Gerber Generation Photo Search 2012 (Click the link to vote!). Who could pass this up when Michael could be the next Gerber baby or get a $10,000 College Life Plan?

I know it may seem silly, but please try to show your support! Post to come on all his developments on this very special day!