One.

All About Asher:

Weight: 22 lbs., 11 oz. (50th percentile)

Length: 27 1/2 inches (5th percentile)

Food: The kiddo took off this month and suddenly developed a seemingly endless appetite. We cut out all baby food shortly before his first birthday and he eats almost every meal that we do. He's only got two teeth, but he can chew/gum like a big boy. He really likes pizza, string cheese, corn and all fruits. His favorite thing is to crawl under our table and eat all the "leftovers" that Carter has dropped on the floor...we call him our little puppy.

Misc. update: First of all, I wish I could just find the pause button for this crazy life of ours. How did our little baby suddenly turn one already?!?

Asher is primarily walking/running now. He got really good at walking around 11 1/2 months and hasn't slowed since. He tries hard to keep up with big brother, but sometimes his legs can't keep up with his spunk and he bites the dust. Carter and Asher interact all the time...it's so much fun to watch them and I thank God for giving us these two loud, busy, ornery, adorable boys. Carter is pretty much done being Mr. Nice Guy though...it's not unusual for us to catch him holding on to Asher's legs so he can't get up/crawl away or he'll just walk by Asher and take something away from him for no reason. Asher is learning to play tough though--he fights back and pitches a fit if things aren't shared properly. Oh, boys.

Asher is such a momma's boy. Chris can be home with the boys for hours and Asher will be just fine, but when I walk in the door, Asher immediately runs to me with open arms. From that moment on, he gets really whiney and stays attached to me. It drives mommy and daddy crazy sometimes, but a small part of me enjoys it and I know that this phase won't last long...I've got to enjoy my cuddles while I can get them.

He says "mama" and "dada" very well and knows the difference between the two. He'll sign "all done" regularly and "more" sometimes. He goes to bed without a fuss around 8:30pm and usually sleeps until about 5:30-6am. If we get him a bottle, he'll chug it and go right back to sleep until about 7am. He can't decide whether to drop his morning nap or not. He usually just takes one nap at daycare during the week, but by the weekends, he'll sometimes be so cranky by 10:30am, he'll easily take a morning and afternoon nap. He absolutely loves to be outside. I'll take him in the stroller for a run and he almost always falls asleep. He loves to explore in the yard and chases after Carter on his 4-wheeler or scooter.

He's still wearing size 3 diapers and 12 month clothes. He's such a shorty that all his shorts are more like capri pants! He's wearing a size 3-4 shoes and is getting adjusted to walking in hard tennis shoes now. Trying to change his diaper or get him dressed is like mud wrestling a pig. He is constantly wiggling and trying to roll off his changing table--we're usually sweating (or cussing) by the end of the process.

He's a very vocal little guy and toddles through the house just yelling and babbling for no reason. He's learned how to "click" his tongue and shows off that trick quite often. He LOVES remote controls and magnets and it's a rare occasion if he's not carrying one or the other at all times, all over the house. I found the DVD player remote by the toilet the other day...that could have been ugly. He is living up to his nickname Captain Destruction. Just this week he emptied several trash cans, unrolled the toilet paper three times, threw all the laundry he could reach on the floor of our closet (big brother helped with the rest of the laundry in the basket), threw all of my shoes in the (now empty) laundry basket and pulled all of our puzzles off the shelf onto the floor, pieces strewn everywhere.

He (despite all of his messes) is such a joy to have in our lives. His squinty, ornery little smile is one of the highlights of my day and when he buries his head in my shoulder at night, my heart melts. I never thought I could love another child as much as I loved Carter, and everyone told me my heart would just get bigger with future children. Indeed it has...this second little guy has completely won me over and I'm so glad I'm his mommy. We love you Ashy!