The Brannan Life: 12 months!

Well folks, I can't believe we're here already. This post is a bit late, seeing as how their birthday was Jan. 2nd. But hey... better late than never, right? Anyways, this is the last of the monthly posts. Our boys have grown so much this past year. Jeff and I have been so blessed this year and continually say how much we enjoy our little family.

Ethan and Samuel have been changing rapidly the last two months! They love being able to crawl around and explore. Ethan is pulling himself up on everything! He's taken a few steps while holding on to something, but he hasn't really figured out the walking thing yet (or he doesn't want to walk). He has, however, let go and can steady himself for a few seconds before either falling or grabbing back onto whatever he was holding. He's a very coordinated and determined young fellow. Sam is still content on his knees (though he can pull himself up, he just chooses not to). He loves to just chill with a book in his lap. He even crosses his ankles when he's really relaxed. And one of his favorite spots is in his recliner he got for Christmas! Sam is definitely a lounger.

They both have teeth now! Finally! Ethan cut his bottom two teeth Dec. 14 and Sam cut his first bottom tooth on his birthday. Sam's other bottom tooth kinda went up and down a few times, but I think it's finally here to stay. It's so cute to see their little teeth marks on things! I know it'll be battle soon, but right now, I just think it's cute.

They still take two 1.5-2 hour naps a day and, at the time of writing this, they boys' meals are pretty much the same as everyone else's in the world. After their birthday, I started transitioning them away from "bottle feedings" and more toward eating regular meals (where the drink is included, not separated from the solid food). So instead of feeding them a bottle and then food, I switched it....food then bottle. Then slowly I brought the bottle/sippy cup to the table and they ate it with their meal. They've been doing great with the sippy cup. In the beginning, they couldn't seem to be able to tilt their heads back and drink while holding their balance. So, they did a lot of drinking from the cup laying down. Ethan finally figured it out, and just a few weeks ago, Sam did too. Sam would just hand you the cup and then lean towards you with his mouth open expecting you to give him his sippy cup. Crazy kid. They have been off bottles and formula for about a week. But I'll tell you more about that in another post.

For now, just enjoy the pictures of my 1 year olds! They are so much fun and such a joy to raise. I'm so blessed to be their mom and continually thank God for giving them to me.

Happy birthday Samuel and Ethan!!

12 month stats
Samuel: 28.75 inches long, 20 lbs 9 oz
Ethan: 28.25 inches long, 19 lbs 12 oz