Our Baby Boy is One!

I am typing this in a public coffee shop in hope that I will not bawl like a baby.

Our sweet boy is now officially ONE!

I've embraced every milestone up to this point, but this one has been very difficult. In speaking with other moms, they agree that they have mourned the milestones more so with their second than with their first. For some it is because the second child may be their last and for some it is because they are fully aware of how quickly the time is actually passing.

So...as I sit here typing these words, finalizing my party plans list, double check my shopping list, and plan the most productive route, I find it hard to concentrate because I keep coming back to thoughts of my sweet boy.

We struggled to conceive this little miracle and my heart is so full as I think about how he came into our lives. He was so wanted. He was faithfully prayed for.

He is a dream come true.

Newborn perfection

One year old awesomeness

Weight: 23lbs

Height: 31 inches

Clothes: 9-12 months

Eat: You are eating so many new foods these days. One of your favorites has become spaghetti. You are warming up to peas but you would still prefer not to eat them. You are eating much more of what we are eating and slowly, but surely, you are moving away from baby food. You are now drinking whole milk. You have approximately 18-22 ounces a day. We'll soon be weaning you off of your morning bottle since you have transitioned off of your night bottle nicely. You are doing much better with your cup and we can count on you to now drink water throughout the day.

Sleep: You are still a great sleeper. You are going down for your naps in your crib now, instead of your swing, and you are sleeping better. You nap for about 30-40 minutes in the morning and then for about 1-1.5 hours in the afternoon.

Play: You are moving everywhere! You are constantly pulling up on things and trying to walk along the edge. You have mastered this pretty well in your crib and along the bottom stair. You love things that roll, whether it be cars or balls. You also love books. You cannot get enough of playing in the water. Bath time is truly your favorite.

You are a major fan of peek-a-boo. We get serious giggles when we play this game.

Music still makes you dance and you love to interact with your sister. She has a way about her that captivates you and we continue to pray that you two remain close.

You are making a lot of strides. You babble all of the time. While your vocabulary is still quite small, you are very serious when you "talk" to us. You say "mama", "dada", "di-di" (bye-bye), and "uh-oh". You clap when you are excited and when you get really pumped up, you shake your fists and make a really funny face. You are learning to share with your sister. You both have a bit of a temper, which comes with the red hair, and you are learning that things will not always go your way.

You are learning about the word "no". I get the biggest kick out of your response. When told "no", you poke out that bottom lip and bring on the crocodile tears. Sometimes you'll even lay yourself on the floor and cry. You are far more dramatic than your sister ever was.

This past month has consisted of some big things. You had an eye appointment at the beginning of the month. About a month ago you were displaying some abnormal eye movements and the pediatrician was concerned. We attempted to identify the cause but your eyes are perfect. The movements have since drastically decreased. We just keep a close watch on you these days.

You had your first experience at VBS. You were only there one night because the program runs so late. You did pretty well, but definitely made it known that we had passed your bedtime.

We celebrated Father's Day with your daddy. He is truly the best and I am so grateful that he is here to show you how to grow into a Godly man. You're a blessed little boy.

We had a play date with some other families up at the church. It was a blast and you did really well.

Your birthday party will be this coming weekend. Your sister insists that you need an orange dinosaur cake...so that is what you will have. You'll have a dinosaur birthday (which I'll post about soon). We love you so much!

A prayer for our son:

Dear Jesus,

We thank you for gracing us with his conception and full term pregnancy. He may have been born 11 days early by the calendar, but born on the day You ordained in Heaven for him. We thank You for this past year. It has come with many trials as we've learned to adapt to his personality, needs and wants. We thank You for the calm, sweet spirit that You have instilled in him. We thank You for the fire that he shows from time to time. I thank You for Your provision and guidance as we raise this child that You have gifted to us.

We pray for the closeness among our family. We pray the relationships that continue to form are binding, strong, and stable. We pray that as he grows, You will help us lead him in a way that will result in a Godly young man of God. We pray that he will one day come to know You as his Savior. We pray for patience and guidance as we continue to raise him to love and serve You. We pray that you begin preparing his heart for the day that He will accept You and learn about what it is You want for his life. We know he was brought into this world for an amazing purpose and we pray that we will help instill the character traits, confidence, and motivation that he will need to pursue what it is You have for him.

We pray a fortress of protection around his life. We pray that you guard his heart, mind, body, and soul as he grows. We know he will face opposition and we want to help ensure that he is confident in all that You have made him so that he can stay strong. We are so in love with this little boy and we can't thank You enough for Your gift. We know that He is yours and we are humbled by the task before us, and committed to parenting this amazing child. Thank you, sweet Jesus, for this precious life. We look forward to another year of amazing firsts.

Amen.

His first year of life...

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Baby N: 11 Months

I would cry, but I am afraid that if I start, I will not stop. You are growing too fast! In one month you will be a year old!

Weight: 21+ lbs

Height: ~30 inches

Clothes: 9-12 months

Eat: You are making me eat my words from last month. You are now willingly feeding yourself finger foods and drinking your bottle without hesitation. You are still a little unsure about your sippy cup but you are getting there. You are a pretty good eater. You love fruits and macaroni and cheese. You have been eating 6-8 ounces every 4 hours and manage to eat 3 meals a day with a snack or two.

Sleep: We are still considering ourselves blessed with your sleeping. You go down around 7p.m. and wake around 5-5:30a.m. Lately you've had some allergy issues and your coughing wakes you/us up a couple times a night. Fortunately, you tend to fall back asleep without any intervention. You are not much of a nap taker these days. You usually have a couple cat naps in the morning and then, if we're lucky, you nap for an hour or so in the afternoon. Your sister has always  been (and still is) a big time nap taker...so...feel free to jump on the wagon little guy.

Play: Your days of play are changing drastically. You are now crawling...and I don't mean just inching. You are all over the place! You love balls...well, you love anything that rolls or moves in a way that you can go after it. Oranges are a huge hit with you.

You love spending warm afternoons outside. Now that you are moving around more, you've learned there is so much to discover. You will be keeping up with your sister in no time.

We've added a few more fire trucks to your toy collection and you are a big fan. While I don't wish you into that profession, I would not be surprised if you develop a love for it like your daddy.

Odds and Ends: YOU ARE CRAWLING!

We dedicated you to the Lord (well, long before your conception in all honesty) on Mother's Day.

You gave us quite a scare earlier in the month. We were concerned that you may be experiencing seizures, but our pediatrician believes it is an eye issue. You will see a specialist on the 7th. Prayerfully all will be well.

Hanging out at the doctor's office

You keep us laughing with your facial expressions, giggles and smiles. You do a great job waving and often get it in context. You are also trying to mimic some words such as "uh-oh". We can't get enough of you.

We could not be more in love with you, Bugaboo. You fill our lives with so much joy. Happy 11 months!

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Baby N: 10 Months

I'm pretty sure it was just yesterday that I posted your 9 month update. How did this last month pass by so quickly?! Alas, here we are in May and you are 10 months old.

 Weight: 21lbs 7oz

Height: 29.8 inches

Clothes: 9-12 months

Eat: You are a lazy eater. By that I mean you love all types of "big kid" food but you refuse to feed yourself. You are a food smashing pro but will not guide even a crumb into your mouth. I'm not sure when you'll get tired of waiting on us to feed you, but the pediatrician says not to worry. You eat about 8 ounces of baby food a day, plus nibbles off of Mommy's plate. You also drink 7-8 ounces of formula every four hours.

Sleep: You are still sleeping really well unless you are teething. You go down between 7 and 7:30pm and wake up between 5 and 6:00am. You take little cat naps in the morning and will generally take an hour or so nap in the afternoon.

Play: You are very curious. You are continually playing with whatever is in your arms reach. You have a smile that goes on for miles and your laugh is the best. We've been spending a lot of time outside, which you seem to love. You do well to entertain yourself for the most part but need to have Daddy or I in your sights.

G is still your bestie. I love the way the two of you interact. You both adore one another so much and I pray your closeness only grows as the two of you get older.

Odds and Ends: You are working on at least one top tooth. I really thought it would be in by now but it's taking its own sweet time. You are beginning to show your typical signs of teething again so maybe it is needing a little extra push.

You had an excellent check up this month. Prior to your well visit, we had to take you to the pediatrician to see about a quick spreading rash you had developed. You were later diagnosed with a bad case of eczema. We treated you for the flair up, which now seems to occur anytime it's warm (not looking forward to the summer), and have a daily treatment that seems to really be helping. Poor little guy. I'm afraid you may also have seasonal allergies. Whenever I have issues, it seems that your little eyes get puffy, your nose runs, etc. It is no fun.

You are almost crawling. You steadily get on all fours and try to push yourself forward. Your back end has it but your hands and arms have not quite figured out their motion just yet. I'm not in a huge hurry to have you super mobile. You do pretty well to kind of army crawl/body drag yourself short distances. We'll be chasing you before we know it.

You also started clapping this month! I had forgotten just how much I love little clapping babies. You melt my heart every time.

We celebrated your sister's 3rd birthday with family and friends. We are saving your first taste of cake and sweet things for your first birthday like we did your sister. It's crazy to think that in just 2 short months our sweet boy will be 1!

We love you little man and we can't wait to see what you discover this next month!

Watch Me Grow!

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Baby N: 9 Months

It may be April Fool's Day but there is no fooling anyone here. You are growing at an exponential rate. How can you be 9 months old?!
You are almost 1!  

Weight: TBD later this month

Height: TBD later this month

Clothes: 6-9 months...9 months more so for length

Eat: You are such a good eater! You eat 7-8 ounces every 4 hours. You have about 2 ounces of baby food for breakfast and lunch and then 4 ounces for dinner. You have started eating puffs, but have yet to start self feeding. You'd much rather mommy or daddy give them to you. You are, however, much better about holding your bottle. You can definitely do it...if you want to. You've tried grown up foods such as macaroni and cheese and loved it!

Sleep: With the time change, you go to bed slightly later. You lay down between 7 and 7:30pm and sleep until about 5am. Occasionally you will sleep past 6, but those mornings are rare. You still take 2-3 naps a day. You generally take 2 cat naps in the morning and then a longer (1-2 hours) in the afternoon.

Play: You want to be on the go so bad! You have been trying to push yourself forward with your legs and arms. We've seen you make a little progress in the forward direction, but not much. It won't be too much longer I'm afraid. You continue to love music and anything that makes noise. We get you outside every chance we get. You love the sights and sounds...and the cats.

Your sister is still your best friend. She loves you so fiercely and you constantly look for her in the room. You light up when she comes around. She still has the ability to make you laugh like no one else.

Odds and Ends: You are up to 2 bottom teeth with a top one on the way. You have some no fail signs of teething that have presented with all three teeth. You begin by drooling excessively and your nose becomes runny. Soon after, you have several days of rather acidic stool. Once that goes away, you end up with a noticeable divot where the tooth will come in. Within a week or so, the tooth typically pops through.

Despite teething, you are still so happy. people continue to comment on your cheery, laid back disposition.

You celebrated your first St. Patrick's Day.

You celebrated your first Easter with our church's annual Easter Egg Hunt and Sunday service.

You had on a super cute Easter outfit prior to a major diaper blow out minutes after arriving.

You helped us welcome Granna to the state of Virginia. She is now an official resident.

We love watching you grow!

Watch me grow...

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Baby N: 8 Months

I know I sound like a broken record when I say that I don't know where the time goes, but seriously! How is it that our sweet boy is already 8 months old?! You'll be a year old in 4 months! I'm not ready.

::mommy tears:: 

Weight: 19+lbs

Height: TBD

Clothes: 6-9m

 Eat: 7oz of formula every 4 hours, 2oz of baby food at breakfast and lunch and 4oz of baby food at dinner. You take a 6oz bottle at bedtime.
You continue to enjoy different foods. We tried a rice rusk but you were not a fan. You can sort of hold your bottle on your own, but most of the time you refuse. You place your little hands behind your perfect little head and chill.

Sleep: You have been consistently sleeping through the night (7pm to 5-5:30am). We are so grateful that you are sleeping so well. We definitely consider ourselves blessed. Rarely do you wake in the night any more. We've only run into it a couple times as you teethe.

Play: You are dying to be on the move. You are slowly working yourself into an army crawl. I don't mind that you are taking these milestones a little slowly. I am not ready to have you up and running just quite yet. You LOVE your bouncer. Seriously. You get bouncing so hard these days that you will bounce your little self across the room. It's really entertaining to watch. You also enjoy your exersaucer.

Your big sister is still your best friend. She just has a way with you. I pray your love for each other continues this way. We've been spending some time outside on the days that the weather cooperates. We've had a few Spring like days and we've all been loving it. 

Odds and Ends: You have popped your first tooth! You have a second one already on the way. We're just waiting for it to break through.

You have such a contagious laugh. Anything and everything we can do is done to hear that sweet sound. Your sister still gets the best giggles out of you. You are truly one of the happiest, most chill babies ever. You have such a calm disposition and I'm in awe of how easy going you are at such a young age.

 

You "talk" all the time. You have been heard saying "ma-ma" and "da-da". I'm interested to see which one sticks as your real first word. You also get a kick out of shaking your head "no".

Your Granna came to visit. You had such a great time with her. We're all looking forward to her return.

You also celebrated your first Valentine's Day and your Daddy's birthday. It was a good month.

This next month will prove to be very exciting and I look forward to sharing details. Until then, keep growing strong little man. We love you to pieces.

Watch him grow...