Happy First Birthday Z!

Z is 1 today! It has been the best day! I think he knew it was his birthday because he woke up in the best mood! Nick and I both sang Happy Birthday to him right when we went in his room, then he was smiling all morning! The school drop-off went well, and I got to pick him up early. When I got there they were having "birthday muffins," and Z's was GONE! I mean, there was nothing left but crumbs! 

He was really excited to see me, and of course, the feeling was mutual. His teachers said he had a great day, and they made him a huge birthday card with all the babies from his class footprints on it (which will be displayed at the party). I guess I was in a great mood too, because I found myself telling everyone I came across "He's 1 today" (like they cared, they were probably thinking, this woman is crazy and obsessive).  Say what you will, but it paid off because the lady at Publix gave him a balloon (which he loved). 

 Hey everybody, I'm 1 today!

Here are a few more pictures I managed to take this morning.

All smiles, until this one. This is the focused face he makes when he's standing up. It's almost like he's counting to himself 1-mississippi, 2-mississippi... By about 3 or 4 he's usually on his butt.

Oh Mama, that stupid face you make is so funny... (I actually think he's thinking, she is so not funny, but I'm gonna laugh anyway just to make her feel good)

 

I am so loving this stage. I know I say that every time, but it is so fun. I love taking him places with me now, and playing at home with him. I love it when he sees me from across the room flashes his 3 teeth at me in his cheesiest of grins, and bolts toward me. It is the greatest. I love to watch him stuff piles of food in his mouth. I even love it when he pushes food (sometimes that he just had the day before) away as if it is offensive to him that I am even offering it. My favorite thing is to hear him babble. I can't even spell out the sounds him makes, but he loves to pull up to a book and flip the pages making all of these weird sounds as if he is reading (video of that coming up).

He is doing great with his sippy cup and whole milk. He is totally weaned, a process that was not as painful or difficult as I was anticipating (more on that later). 

He is on mostly table food. We still do the occasional jar of baby food, if we don't have time or we go out to eat. He'll pretty much do either. He loves cheese, but other than that it just depends on the day. One day he'll devour strawberries, and the next day he won't touch them. I can't even list all of the new foods he has tried. He certainly doesn't eat anything you put in front of him, but I would say he's a good eater.

We haven't had our check up yet, but I suspect he's going to be on the low end of the charts. He can still wear a lot of his 9 month clothes, but as most moms know it depends on how they run. 

He still sleeps so well, and I fully realize that we are spoiled. He usually goes down around 7, but if we have to keep him up for some reason, he usually can make it. He takes 1 or 2 naps, depending on the day, and they are usually pretty long (Mommy loves naptime! Have I mentioned that before?)

So back to birth day. We ended the day, as we usually do with a bath. I let him stay in there for a while tonight, because he was having so much fun, and I just love watching him too!

I love you, boo boo! Can't wait, God-willing,  for many more birthdays with you!

Z's First Birthday, Part 1

Z is almost 1, which means it's almost time to PARTAY (sorry, I know that's corny). But seriously, we are really excited for his party which is going to be a few days after his actual birthday. We have been trying to get the house ready for a while now, but as far as the other planning, well, let's just say thank goodness we have this weekend to plan. In our defense, Nick and Z have been under the weather lately (which is why the pictures have been a little scarce). Thank God, Nick is much better, and Z just has this persistent runny nose. Oh, the joys of daycare school.

Anyway, I did manage to get his invitations/announcements printed and sent out, and I absolutely love them! I wanted them to be more of a keepsake than anything, also a good use for the monthly photos we have been taking for the past year. So, here it is. This is just a scanned image (much cuter in person, if you ask me :))

More details on the big day to come!

Reflection

As Z's first birthday draws near, I am reminded of the past year and his life as an infant. The first year is special in so many ways. At no other time, will he grow and change so rapidly, will he be so content to be held and rocked, or see and experience so many things for the first time. I am saddened a bit that I will never tuck his tiny body into a sling and walk around with him. I am borderline devastated that my breastfeeding days are coming to an end. Yet, at the same time, I cannot wait to see what kind of boy Z is going to be to see his personality emerge from the babbling and random gestures. I can't wait to see his face light up when we enter the toy store or go to the park. He's already quite expressive, but I am excited to hear his little voice describe his favorite toy or his request to go somewhere or have his favorite meal.

This year has been filled with almost equal parts joy and anxiety, exuberance and exasperation. There is no doubt in my mind that Nick and I were born to be parents. Every minute that I spend with my little family brings peace and harmony to my life and my soul. I joke that I could live for the rest of my life with just me and Z, but in truth, I could not imagine another day without Nick or Z in it!

As cliche as it sounds, I never imagined I could love someone as much as I love my baby boy! I just want him to have the best childhood and the best life he could ever have, and even more importantly to know that he is so loved!

Z, we love you!

Growing Up

We had a fantastic long weekend with Z. We needed the time to catch up by slowing down with him for a few days.

Last week, Z did two notable things at school that were going to require further investigation at home. First, for two days in a row, he took a single (3 hour) nap at 11:30-ish. Z has been a great sleeper since he was about 3 months old. I never thought back then when he was taking 4 naps a day that we would ever get down to 1 a day! Thinking it was probably a fluke, I put him down earlier on Friday and Saturday, but he showed me, by sleeping for 3 hours then refusing to go down in the afternoon. I still would not give up, so I forced him to go to sleep at 9 on Sunday then again at 2. It worked! But, then he refused to go to bed at 7 or even 8... It was after 8:30 before he finally gave up. Now, I love some naptime, but I love his early bedtime even more, and I will not give that up, despite efforts by my dad who insists that 7 is too early, what does he know? Suffice it say, I'm a believer in early bedtime (for my child, anyway). So, I gave in to the one long nap on Monday and put him down around 12. We had to work to get him to sleep, but he did it, and slept for 3 hours (which I have come to appreciate). That night we had to work to get him down, and it wasn't until about 8. So, a lot of changes going on right now, and we'll see just have to see what sticks.

Now, in other news, his teacher told me she thinks he's ready for table food. When I asked what made her think that, she said, "Well, he ate a green bean off of the floor." Oh... I guess he is then. You might be thinking, why was there a green bean on the floor? But, it was during mealtime, so apparently another child had dropped it. I didn't really love hearing that my child is eating off of the floor, but what can you do? She also said he shoots her some looks when he sees her giving the other kids their table food. Sounds like Z. We decided we would work on table food this weekend, and I have to say he is "picking it up" pretty well. Much of it ends up in his chair or on the floor, and he is a slow eater, but I know that is just part of it. So far we have done green beans, noodles, shredded cheese, peas, and various types of crackers. We are still following it up with baby food, just to make sure he gets enough. But, I think table food is definitely in our near future. He's just growing up so darn fast!

We took a nice walk on Monday afternoon to one of the lakes in our neighborhood which happens to be right by one of the parks. Z loved it! If you look closely you can see his new addition in the tooth department.

Here are some cute pictures from last weekend of Z with my parents.

11 Months!

Z is 11 months old! I am so happy and thankful to watch him grow and learn as he approaches the end of his first year. Life is so fun with him in it! I can't wait for his first birthday! Nick and I are trying not to get him too many things, but it's really hard, because he is starting to really appreciate toys and books.

He does have a tooth on top now. I am quite sure that he will only have the 3 and be looking a little snaggle for his first birthday. Oh well, I love that little grin anyway!

Other things I love about Z:
When he gets excited, he waves both arms and sings. This is usually what he does when his little puppy plays his favorite song.

His big wet kisses. They are pretty much reserved for me, and I LOVE it!

When we are in the car at a red light and I see the person in the car next to me laughing because Z is looking at them and smiling or waving. This also happens when we are in public. He will randomly catch someone's eye (usually a woman) and start smiling at her.

Watching his little booty sway from side to side as he takes off crawling, usually because he has spotted the pantry door open, and he knows there is some good stuff in there.

His wet face and hair in the tub.

Seeing things like this on the webcam at school and hearing that he had a great day at school.

I never get tired of hearing that he is a good boy when we go out shopping or to eat. I think he just loves seeing other people and being out and about. I really hope that lasts!

 

 

Some Things

There are some things Z has been doing lately that I keep telling myself I am going to write about, so be prepared to be amazed!

Okay, so obviously he's not solving differential equations here or anything, but these are the first times he is doing this stuff, like ever in life, and in my world that is a big deal, so here go all the minor details.

Basically he can obey a few simple commands. He will hand you a toy if you stick your hand out and say (with perfect manners), "Can I have that, please?" He will give you a (open mouth) kiss if you say "Give me a kiss" or as I usually say it "Give me kiss." He also shares the love with his talking puppy, who (besides me) is the undisputed love of his life. On this same note, he will go to her and push her little heart button until she starts playing/singing his favorite song, then he proceeds to get very excited, waving his arms in the air and singing. He will also wave if you say "hi" or "bye" and clap when you say "yayyy!" or "clap your hands."

He can entertain himself for quite a while by throwing a toy just so he can go after it, get it, and throw it again. I'm really hoping this is an intentional game, and not him playing fetch... with himself...

He imitates us. This mostly goes for coughing, tongue clicking, spitting/fart noises, clapping and laughing, although when he's just focused enough he will imitate the consonant sounds that he knows.

He is feeding himself some finger foods, sort of. He will palm cheese nip crumbs (so I'm told), and he can eat baby mum mums and gerber biscuits. It is a very messy process that he just hasn't quite mastered, but I've given up trying to force this one. I figure he'll do it when he's good and ready just like every thing else.

He is a non-stop talker, to the point where people, both random and non-random (like his doctor and another pediatrician that we had to see when his doctor was out as well as the man behind the counter at the Great American Cookie Co. (which is obviously, the non-random)) have made note of it. The ba's, da's, ma's, ra's, la's, ga's, na's, gaba's, and la-ra's are just a part of our normal lives around here, and we love it! He can also say uh-oh.

He's a proficient crawler now, and has completely given up the army crawl.

He hates getting dressed and having his diaper changed.

He still loves bath time and is sleeping well (for the most part). He is usually in a great mood, smiling, playing and laughing, although he, like all of us, has his moments! He's adjusted to school and apparently runs around with 2 other little boys. His teacher calls them the "Three Musketeers." His first little friends, how stinkin cute?!

P.S. Sorry no pictures in this one.

Future Reader

Z has been captivated by books since he was just a few months old. He's also been turning the pages since then. Unfortunately, many nights we barely have time to feed, bathe, and dress the boy by his bedtime, so storytime has fallen by the wayside. We did make time for it the other night, and if this doesn't convince us to do it more often then really nothing will!