Little Man's First Birthday - Part 2

I know what you must be thinking. "How many posts can she possibly make about Little Man's first birthday?! And wasn't his birthday, like, three weeks ago?" Yes, I am behind, and I promise this will be the last post. As a proud momma, I need a place where I can come back to reminisce, and this ol' blog is my place for doing that, even if I am a little behind. This post is about his actual first birthday - July 8. Thank you for bearing with me while I record these memories that I never, ever want to forget. 

I think every mom relives the actual birth day, on her child's birthday, don't you?  We watch the clock throughout the day and think about what we were doing at this or that time the day our child was born. I found it to be a little emotional, myself. Especially when 7:33 p.m. rolled around. That is, after all, when my precious baby boy changed my life forever by making his grand entrance into this world.

This year when Little Man woke up, Jerry and I greeted him with the traditional "Happy Birthday to you" serenade. I think Alex thought we were bonkers. He kept hiding behind his crib bumper and peeking at us; he would not stand up like he normally does when we walk into the room.

We took him downstairs where his presents were waiting for him.

The first thing he had spotted was his birthday balloon tied to the Cozy Coupe. Nothing else mattered at the moment. He is a sucker for balloons. I knew that. Which is why I made a trip to the store at 11 p.m. the night before to make sure he had one waiting for him when he woke up.

I made him his favorite breakfast - pancakes. I thought that I'd really make them special since it was his big day and all, and so I made some with fresh blueberries and some with chocolate chips. He'd never had them made that way before. He looked at me like, "Now, why have you gone and ruined a perfectly good plain pancake by adding other stuff in there?" He was a skeptic, but he soon indulged me. And himself!

He wore his "Birthday Boy" t-shirt, looking quite smashing, I might add.

I took Alex to Chick-fil-A for lunch, and some of our friends from bible study joined us there.

I wanted to do something special for dinner. We have a local restaurant called Fork in the Alley. It is a tiny charmer tucked away in a beautiful neighborhood in town. Fork in the Alley was partnering with Bubblecakes, an equally charming cupcake shop that is located next door, for a summertime grilling event called Fork in the Bubble. Sounded like just the kind of special I had in mind. For a mere $6, we got a grilled hot dog, two sides, a drink and a ticket to go design our own cupcakes. We also got a little side of their killer mac 'n cheese for the birthday boy - another of his favorites.

We brought the cupcakes home so that we could Skype with Noni and Pop Pop, and they could join us in serenading Little Man with the Happy Birthday song again. No hiding this time - just smiles.

He devoured his cupcake.

And even smeared a little in his hair for good measure.

It was a full day. A fun day. A special day for a special little guy. Happy first birthday, Little Man. We love you.

Another chapter closes...and another begins

This week has officially marked the end of what I consider to be "Alex's baby chapter." He's moving forward at lighting speed. In the last week he:

• stopped taking the bottle and only drinks out of sippy cups
• stopped taking formula and is only drinking whole milk and water
• stopped taking milk before his nap/bed times - oh, I miss those snuggle times
• started standing on his own for several seconds at a time
• took his first steps. July 22 – he was exactly one year and two weeks old; you could just tell that he was so proud. I choked up.

Watch out toddler-hood. Here we come!

Special Visitors

We had a wonderful surprise visit this week. My cousins Lindsey and Whitney had traveled to Virginia to see some of their family in Chilhowie, and they were sweet enough to drive a couple of extra hours to Roanoke to meet Little Man and visit with us.

Alex was in heaven! I mean he just loved playing with the girls! They brought him a puzzle and a shape sorter for his birthday, and it was so much fun watching them play together with the toys - especially the shape sorter. They showed Alex how to put the shapes in, and then he did it himself.

We also had a picnic up at Mill Mountain. We had a table that looked over the city. Here's Alex showing Lindsey some of the landmarks down below.

And here he is with Whitney. They must have been having some serious conversations based upon those expressions. =)

And here's one of my favorite pics from the day - the three of them just hanging out and having fun!

Girls, your visit was a ray of sunshine for us this week. Thank you sooooo much for thinking of us and for making the extra stretch of drive. We were blessed by the time you gave us. Love y'all!

A few happenings as of late

"Support your favorite team" day at church. Go Rangers!

Showing Daddy something very important.

 A morning trip to Target after eating pancakes at IHOP.

Practicing shooting in manual mode on the camera and looking for that perfect exposure. Much harder than the lady who taught my photography class made it look! Not even sure this is considered "perfect," but I like it, so I say who cares!

Saturday morning bike ride and testing out the new "chariot" that Noni and Pop Pop gave Little Man for his birthday.

That chariot is loaded up with cheerios and water - a Little Man's gotta keep himself well-hydrated and full of energy. It's hard work directing his driver where to go!

Speaking of staying hydrated - one of the local running shops in town offers free water or Gatorade-type drink every Saturday morning at the greenway trail where we rode.

Momma got to dust off one of her old birthday gifts that Noni, Pop Pop and Daddy bought her a few years ago, too. This ol' girl always brings out smiles in people. So much fun to ride her!

Taking a break from his chariot to enjoy the swing at one of the parks along the riding trail.

A view along the bike trail.

Little Man helping Momma with laundry in the basement.

Hot Dog, Hot Dog, Hot Diggity Dog

Sammy and Alex - One Year

The one year mark. Like so many other milestones we've crossed this year, I'm learning that this one is bittersweet, too. It's thrilling to watch new chapters open, but hard to watch them close so quickly.

(1 year)

If I had to describe the first year in a phrase, it would be delightful surprise.

(11 months)

Many of you know that I was overwhelmed with the thought of becoming a parent. Not because I was worried I couldn't do it, but rather because I knew that to do it well, required a lot of work. A lot of work. That part I nailed, dead on. What surprised me though, is how much I have enjoyed the work - all of the stuff that before Alex was born, seemed like it would be drudgery.

(10 months)

For example, I thought I would dread the late-night feedings - that, for us, lasted until about nine months. Instead, I found myself joyful to have one-on-one time with the Little Man. I loved that I didn't have to wait until morning to hold him and give him kisses again. That's not to say I didn't have my moments, but overall, the delight far outweighed the dread.

(9 months)

I've also been surprised at how the little chores like dirty diapers, cleaning spit up, wiping up throw up, all seem like nothing. Especially when the moments after are followed with sweet kisses and snuggles. I live for those kisses and snuggles - they are what I cherish most.

(8 months)

Which makes me wonder, what am I going to do when Alex is "too cool" to give me hugs and kisses? How will I cope when that chapter closes? Oh, I know it will likely reopen, but I shudder at the thought of having to go through a season where he doesn't want my affection.

(7 months)

I'm surprised at how little I miss my career. I thought I would miss the adult interaction, the intellectually stimulating conversations, the reward from solving problems. I seem to still get those things in some shape or form. And I think that really helps me enjoy my time off of work rather than miss it. Although I do miss having a paycheck. Can't deny that one, but Alex is worth more than any paycheck I ever received. =) 

(6 months)

I'm surprised at my patience. If you have a child then you know that it seems to take twice as long to do anything - to get ready, to get out the door, to get into the car, to get out of the car. There's just a lot going on. But I've learned to roll with the punches and try to prepare accordingly.

(5 months)

There's also the patience for watching Little Man explore and do things on his own. He likes to climb the stairs by himself - which requires me to follow closely behind as he navigates one step at a time. He likes to feed himself - which inevitably means he will be covered in food from head to toe which I will have to clean up. He likes to see what's happening behind cabinets and inside of drawers - which means watching to make sure there are no smashed fingers and then, of course, picking up after everything has been strewn about. But I wouldn't trade any of these things, even if it did mean making life easier.

(4 months)

You know the other thing that caught me a little off-guard (in a good way) was how much I have enjoyed studying the new things he's learned and picked up. If you know me well, then you know that I'm not usually a "belly-laugh" kind of girl. But when Alex plays Peek-a-Boo because he sees a girl in an advertisement covering her eyes, I just roar with laughter because he wants to play along, and he has made the connection. It's amazing to me to watch him learn.

(3 months)

Speaking of things he's learned - lately he's been up to a few new tricks. I mentioned Peek-a-Boo. He also likes to "give me five." (He's got that down pat!) He grunts at everything he points to. He's learned to flap his lips with his fingers while he hums. He's practically running behind his push toys - but still no first steps. Oh, and my new favorite - he'll say "honk, honk." I really need to get this on video!

(2 months)

In the last month he also had his first black eye. Yikes! Broke my heart! But he survived. And I did, too. I guess it's good to go ahead and get that first one out of the way. I know there will be more to come.

(1 month)

When I look back over the last year, I see some pretty significant changes in my life. I think the last year has made me stronger (physically and mentally) and more confident. I feel like I can take on more than I did before. I don't know why that is, but it's been one of the most delightful surprises of all.

(11 days)

Chick-fil-A Cow Appreciation Day

When I worked in advertising, I spent six years helping build the Chick-fil-A brand. I am a self-professed "raving fan," and those six years were some of the best I had at The Richards Group.

One of the projects I worked on was the annual Chick-fil-A cow calendar that goes on sale each November. I remember the first year we included "Cow Appreciation Day" as one of the "holidays." It was nothing more than a Hallmark/e-card holiday when it first began. But one of my clients - Courtney DeFeo - was PASSIONATE about making Cow Appreciation Day a cause for celebration. It took some time for her to get other people on board, but over time, her vision came to life. It was amazing to watch her and the rest of the team make something out of what was essentially nothing. And let me just say that Cow Appreciation Day was a HUGE success last Friday at our local Chick-fil-A here in Roanoke. I mean, there were people dressed like cows everywhere - kids, moms, dads, grandparents. It was too fun.

Alex donned his cow spots and ears so that he could get his free kid's meal.

Here he is with some of his friends who dressed up for the occasion, too!

Courtney, this little herd is giving a shout out to you and your vision! We loved getting to Eat Mor Chikin!

Cruisin' in the Cozy Coupe

"Howdy, y'all. Just goin' out for a Saturday afternoon cruise in the Cozy Coupe."

 

"Daddy, can you help me get her cranked up?"

"She purrs like a kitten. Speaking of kitten, what is this - some kind of road kill?"

 

"Attention all animals - PLEASE MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!! We don't want to see anymore accidents today."

"I think they listened. Let's keep rollin'."

"It's a nice day for a drive, huh, Daddy?"

"Yep, this is the sweet life."

"Just cruisin' into the sunset. Doesn't get any better than this."