It’s official. We have a ONE YEAR OLD. Happy Birthday, Koa Avery!! Full disclosure: I am crying my eyes out while writing this! I’m listening to this song and if you’ve read Koa’s 1 Month Update then you’d know why! I still can’t listen to it without crying.

One year ago, my water broke 2 weeks early (AT WORK!) and I can remember every thought running through my head. Are we ready? Will we be good parents? How will we know what to do? Is there a parents rule book on Amazon? Now I can barely remember life before him! Everything we do is for that little guy and I thank God every day for choosing us to be his parents. The amount of joy Koa brings into our lives and the lives of our family & friends is insurmountable. He is truly our greatest gift.

You can see his 12 month ‘onesie with a tie’ photo down below but I’m starting a new tradition for this guy as he gets older. Every year on his birthday, I’ll take a picture of him holding the same number of balloons as his age. 1 year old = 1 balloon. Next year he’ll hold 2. And when he turns 18 he’ll say, ‘Come on, Mom! I’m getting too old for this and can’t hold all of these balloons!” And then I’ll cry all over again! But I digress…

McPherson Photography Koa 1 year park photos

Look at this big boy!! Let’s knock out some updates before we get to his 1 year photos and month-to-month comparison:

– He is ALMOST full on walking! He can take about 8-10 steps before falling over but he is so determined. He goes way too fast and I just know he’ll get it as soon as he starts taking his time.
– Went through a super independent phase for a few weeks but now is allll about some love and affection! The kisses & hugs are back in full effect and I’m loving it!
– Nap time is much easier now. We were rocking this big baby to sleep for the past few months and he’s finally learned to put himself to sleep! He’ll play in the crib for about 15-20 minutes then peacefully fall asleep 🙂
– Dancing machine! Play a song with a nice beat and he’ll clap, bounce up and down and wave his hands.

McPherson Photography Koa 1 year park photos_0010