itter man

My friend Andrea graciously took a few pictures of Porter when he turned one. Oddly enough it has been several months since then and I failed to post my little guy. He is now almost 15 months old, and a lot has changed since then. He has really grown into his personality. Chad and I figured the poor kid was sick nearly from birth until just before he turned one, and it has been awesome to see him change. While he and Aimee are most of the time "the best of friends" they are very different. Aimee is very independent and outgoing. Porter is a momma' s boy. Don't get me wrong, he is definitely all boy. He loves bugs and dirt, cars, trains, and airplanes, and he has a thing for sitting in anything that is wet. Going outside to play after it has rained always means extra laundry with him. However, most of the time Porter is still happy to sit on my lap in church if I give him something to look at or eat. Aimee felt, and still feels, that is an infringement of her freedom. Porter is comparatively cautious. If a hill or slope is steeper than he feels comfortable with, he either wines for help, or scoots on his bum. If he is running and starts to loose his balance he slows down and regroups. He is happy to be a part of the action, but doesn't need, and often doesn't like to be the center of attention like his big sis. Porter is also a very quick learner. Aimee got her fingers flipped seemingly dozens of times before she was convinced that she really had a certain boundary. Porter is much fast to decide it isn't worth it. That, or he will take the punishment personally and cry, followed by the need to be cuddled and loved, and assured that we still love him. He loves books! Sometimes it can be frustrating how much he loves them. He likes to bring me a book, and then gets pretty offended when I will only read him the one. He learns especially well when Aimee is the teacher. She was the one that taught him to fold his arms when we pray, and say at least half of his entire vocabulary, which is pretty big. She is definitely his hero. When hugs and kisses don't solve his problems, Aimee does by playing chase with him, or taking him on an imaginary wolf hunt.

While I admit it has been a little hard for me to adjust to his personality differences in some ways, like his constant need for affection when I think he should just play or get over an ouch, I have also come to adore it. I have a pretty big mom crush on him. It is hard to see my little man getting so big, but luckily he doesn't make me feel left out. He needs me and it is great!