One Year with Ford

baby in highchair with first birthday cake

// at his first birthday party //

Fastest year ever – I can’t believe Ford is one! He is the sweetest, most loveable baby and it has been the best year. We’ve grown so much as a family and as parents. We’ve taken him to some of our favorite places and started some new family traditions. And, we’ve spent the last 4 months (and more) close to home because of the pandemic.

Since he is our last baby, we are trying to soak up every minute. Ford turning one has me feeling a lot of different emotions!

Ford, your family is crazy over you and we love you so so much!

Height/Weight

Our appointment isn’t for a few weeks, so I’ll update then.

Sleeping

At around 11 months Ford finally started sleeping through the night consistently! I’ve never been happier (ha!). The first few nights it happened I kept waking up around 4 am because my body was so used to waking up at that time. He’s been waking up earlier in the morning now that he’s sleeping all night, usually waking up around 7:00/7:30.

Personality

Ford is full of fun and laughter and playfulness. He loves music and when he hears it he starts dancing immediately. His giggle is infectious and he thinks he is as big as his brothers, constantly trying to do what they are doing. He loves to eat, cuddle when he’s sleepy and loves to be chased all day long.

The biggest change from my last update is that he is officially walking! He just walks all over the house all day – usually with a toy or two in his hand. William and Henry have been his biggest cheerleaders while he’s been learning to walk and it’s been so sweet to watch.

Of my three, Ford is my easiest going baby. Most likely because I’m so much more relaxed with baby number three!

Schedule

Ford’s schedule hasn’t changed much since his last update. The only change is that now that he’s sleeping through the night, he is usually awake by 7:00/7:30. His morning nap is around 10 and afternoon nap around 2 and bed around 7:30. We don’t have a set schedule, I just base it off of when he wakes up in the morning and adjust based on wake times.

Nursing/Weaning

Ford is slowly starting to wean and I’ve noticed a big change in the last few months. He is nursing around 4 times a day – when he wakes up, after each nap and before bed.

As far as weaning goes, I tend to let the boys wean themselves. Around 10 months Ford was not interested in nursing before his naps so I dropped those feedings one at a time. Gradually we will drop the nursing session after naps and replace with a snack. I usually drop the morning feeding last.

I’ve gotten a lot of questions about how to introduce cow’s milk – William had a dairy sensitivity when I introduced it to him, so we have always just done almond milk. Ford gets a lot of calcium in his diet so I will most likely not introduce cow’s milk and just try another dairy-free milk.

Solids

He loves food. I can’t get his meals in front of him fast enough! He will pretty much eat anything/everything I put in front of him. He eats three meals and usually two snacks a day.

Some of his favorite foods are: almond butter toast, eggs, any type of fruit, cheese, fish and pasta.

I have gotten a lot of questions about what finger foods we started with. I started with avocado, peas, corn, roasted sweet potatoes, yogis, puffs, bananas, etc. Soft foods that he could mash with his gums or teeth. He quickly picked up eating and was interested in food so we moved from soft foods to mixing in a few “harder” foods ie. toast with almond butter, bites of chicken or fish, grilled cheese, etc.

Travel

No travel for for Ford in the past few months since we’ve been in quarantine because of COVID. We are hoping one day soon we will be able to travel again. A year ago we booked a trip to San Diego for the end of the summer, so we will just play it by ear based on the state of COVID. Really hoping we’ll be able to make that trip!

Milestones

Our biggest milestone – walking! So, so proud of Ford. Love watching him walk/toddle around 🙂
He’s started climbing up stairs and looks back to make sure someone is going to chase him!
He has so many teeth- he just cut his one-year molars making it 12 teeth already
Sleeping through the night has been so nice for me- and for him!
He is starting to talk more. He’s saying mama, dada, vroom, tree, mmm, uh oh and saying “row row” so we start singing the beginning of Row Row Your Boat

Must-Have Baby Items for One-Year Olds

These and these are two of our favorite brands of shoes and they are great for walkers. Plus, they stay on!
Ford got this ride-on car while we’ve been quarantined. We’re outside a lot and he was getting so tired of being in his stroller. This makes him feel more like a big kid and it will grow with him!
I’ve used the Ergo baby more in the past few months than I ever did when he was smaller. It’s great for walks and when we take the boys golfing.
Ford loves sitting in a booster seat at the bar with his brothers. We have been using this booster seat for years and still love it.
We have been spending a lot of time in the pool and this pool float has built-in shade.
These shoes are a favorite for summer because they are waterproof!
Toys: Ford loves anything musical. He just got this musical table for his birthday and he loves it! He also loves the Little People Farm and this Thomas the Train Tent to play in with his brothers. This car driving table top toy has been fun for him and he loves any toys that his brothers are playing with!
You can see what our must-haves are for 3 months, 6 months and 9 months, too.