Liam's first year

Stats: At 12 months, Liam weighed 25 lb 11 oz (95%), measured 31" tall (95%) and has a 19" head circumference (95%). He grew 10 inches and 17lbs in his first year! He's losing some of his baby fat with all the walking, and has some seriously long hair - past the ears in front and shoulders in back. It's all soft baby waves, so seems shame to cut it yet. He has 6 teeth - 4 on top and 2 on the bottom. He brushes his teeth nightly and loves his toothbrush, my toothbrush, and really any that he sees, although he does seem to prefer gnawing on them than properly brushing.

Eating: Liam is interested in everything we eat and has started sampling many of our less spicy meals, but he is primarily eating pureed veggies and fruits. He loves salmon, and as we discovered over Christmas, loves desserts... he must be getting his mom's sweet tooth. He feeds himself with his fingers, and is learning to eat with a spoon although it is still quite messy.

Communicating: Liam mainly says "mama", which he says to everything (getting my attention, asking for something, greeting...). Recently a few new words have surfaced, "up" to be picked up or go upstairs, "hot" for the candles which were pervasive over Christmas, and "bah" which seems to work for both book and ball. He points at everything. He has been using sign language since about 8 months, and regularly signs for "milk", "more", "all done", and most recently "water". I've been speaking German with him, and he understands and responds to basic phrases like "how big is Liam" or identifying farm animals.

Other cute things: Liam LOVES music, and dances to any sound he hears. He plays his drum, xylophone, and keyboard daily. He claps his hands, and can blow a whistle. He loves to chase after balls, plays "catch" with us, and has been dribbling / kicking his mini soccer ball for some months now. While daddy would love to coach a hockey player, he may need to settle for the soccer pitch. Liam loves to open doors, and recently discovered how to operate door knobs. He "helps" with dressing himself by reaching his arms into the armholes of sleeves. He tends to take his shoes off a lot more than put them on. He loves to go outside, and when I pull out his parka / hat / mittens he starts to smile. He gives big wet open mouth kisses, lots of hugs, and giggles. He loves his post-bath massage, and lies quietly for the duration with a dreamy look on his face. He has a "lovie" for bedtime (a fleecy green frog), and when he sees it in his crib, he giggles and burrows his face in it. He sleeps on his tummy, face in frog, knees tucked under, and bum in the air. We can't wait to see what the coming months bring.