Little Miss Ritchie: Maxwell Thane {12 months}

Be still my heart - I cannot believe that our sweet little boy is already 1 year old. Gone is the squishy little newborn who used to insist on 3AM dance parties. Gone is the top-heavy baby who was too distracted to keep himself upright. Those memories feel so fresh in my mind that its hard for me to believe that Maxo is on the fast track to being a big boy. But no matter how hard to try to keep him little, he insists on proving to us every day that he's anything but.

Happy 1 year, Mr. Max! Here's a little bit about you as an official "big boy."

{Stats} You really are a big boy, officially weighing in at 24 pounds. We're finishing up your size 4 diapers and then moving onto a size 5. While your legs may be chubby and covered with dimples, they are short just like your brother's. That means that you can still fit into 9-12 month pants while your shirts are all 12-18 month.

{Busy Body} At 1 year old you are always on the move - sneaking over to the stairs with an ornery sparkle in your eye, walking with the help of toys, furniture and walls, scrambling to grab cars and balls before your brother sees you and tries to interfere, launching yourself across the couch as you let out a contagious giggle. You recently discovered how fun it is to push barstools all around the house. You most definitely keep us on our toes, and we are having so much fun watching you develop the confidence to try new things. Big brother Harry walked at about 13 months, and if I had to guess I would say that you are on a similar schedule.

What's with boys and eating dirt??

{All Ears} Oh sweet Max...had I known how amazing tubes were going to be for you I would have done them months ago. In the past few weeks we have seen a new side of you emerge. Don't get me wrong, you've always been a happy little guy, but post-tubes Max has stepped things up a level. You are full of grins, talking more, dancing, and more independent. You have the sweetest soul and its impossible for me to look at you without smiling.

{Bye-Bye Bottles} Much to your dismay, the last of your bottles has been put into storage. You had quite the love affair with those things, and I was convinced that you were going to be drinking out of one until you started kindergarten! But thanks to your amazing teachers at school and a little tough love, you've transitioned to a sip cup and are doing great. Mommy and Daddy are pretty thrilled about not having to wash bottles anymore, too!

{Words} Sometimes its hard to get a word in with your chatterbox of a brother always making so much noise, but we've noticed a lot more sound coming from your direction this past month. Mama, dada, ba (ball), moe (more), ahhh-dah (all done), and bye-bye are some of your favorites. Bye-bye is always accompanied by a wave and followed by you blowing a kiss. Melt my heart.

{Odds and Ends} You give the wettest, slobberiest, open mouth kisses. You're finally starting to take more of an interest in books and we often catch you sitting quietly flipping through pages and looking at pictures...mostly upside-down. You are still a great sleeper, snuggling up with your grey blanket and sucking on your 2 middle fingers as you fall asleep each night. You've even moved to a big boy cot at school and are doing great! You think that your daddy is pretty awesome, but definitely have a soft spot for your mama. No complaints here. You have 4 big chompers - 2 on top and 2 on the bottom - and you love to grind them together. Eek. You love your big brother and we've started to catch you mimicking his actions more frequently...its a definite game of monkey see, monkey do.

Maxwell Thane {12 months}