Ch-Ch Ch-Ch-Cha Chaaanges..

J is sleeping right now and I am holding off straightening my hair.  Our charger for our computer broke so I am using my mom's right now.  A new one is coming in the mail.  I have a couple posts to put up ..but no computer means I can't get to my pics so they have to wait.
Once J is up we are headed off to the pet store for a new friend for his pet fish.  The old friend attempt did not quite make it through the night :o(. 
At 2:00 today we are heading over to Joey's school to meet with his teacher and new friends and play for a bit. In the fall he will be attending two days one week and three days the next, repeat pattern.  I had planned to just white knuckle it and drop him off on his first day ... but that is not happening.  We will be doing this a few times and I think it may be a healthier way to make the transition.  Is that bad?  Am I hovering?  He is one, I am not sure how much to hold on and how much to let go.  The director is so sweet and totally accommodating.  She said this is a good thing to do and is so very welcoming.  Please tell me I'm not becoming a helicopter parent...
Honestly, I'm not quite sure if we are going so he can get himself used to the place or I can get myself used to the place.  I think it's probably both. I know this will be good for him and it is something he needs but he is my baby and it is still a little hard for his Mommy.  I really truly am excited for all of the new experiences he will have and so is Joe! We know this is the best choice for us to be making as his parents and we feel so good about it; he will have all of the benefits of the stay-at-home parent environment with just enough of the day-care environment mixed in. I just hope that today goes well :o).  I am afraid that if it doesn't .. well, I don't know really.  I think mothers just always want everything to be wonderful for their children.

Joey, you are 12 months old!

Our Big One-Year-Old,

The day has come and passed and now you are an entire year old (plus 12 days)!  We had a great birthday celebration that spanned half a week.  Daddy only worked on Monday during your Birthday Week and we spent the whole time together having fun, celebrating, and planning and putting together parties.  You had a great time and everything went perfectly!

A birthday is a time of celebration, yet it is also a time of reflection and we have done a great deal of that lately around here.  We have so very much to be grateful for.  Our little family of three is perfect.  As we look forward to expanding our little group of three, I try to take time to bask in our tiny family and enjoy this time where we only have you, our first born, our only child.  We hope that by your next birthday a little brother or sister will be on the way.  We cannot wait to give you that gift.  Your Mommy and Daddy love each other and love you more than words can express.  Not much more is needed beyond that, though we find ourselves blessed beyond measure.  Family, friends, jobs, security, happiness, and health -- life is in a very good place.

At 12 months old you are as happy as ever.  You are becoming much more sure on your feet but have not yet given up crawling.  Sometimes you walk right across the room like it's nothing and sometimes you don't even feel like taking a step.  Normally you reserve the latter for when we are trying to show someone your new skills :o).  Climbing is another story.  You are our little monkey for sure! You can make it up the stairs, you can navigate your slide on your own, you climb on and off of your riding toys with ease, you'll climb anything to get onto the couch .. and you are steady with all of it!

You had your one year appointment on August 10th and you maintained your percentiles this time :o).  You are 19 lbs 14 oz (10th percentile) and 30 inches (55th percentile).  You gained 2 lbs and 10 ounces and grew 2 inches since you were 9 months old! I guess we know where all that food is going. You are in 12 month clothes, though the waists are still big on you.  You need the length for pants, but for shorts 6-9 or 3-6 months sometimes work better.  You still only have your bottom two teeth ... yet I think the top ones will be making their appearance soon. Even with only two little chompers you are doing great with eating.  We have started letting you feed yourself by biting bit of food off on your own and you are doing so well for not really having teeth.  You eat toast, waffles, pizza, wraps, pretzel sticks, crackers, and fruit on your own.  Big boy!

You say Mama, Dada, Boom Boom, and Ya Ya Ya.  You shake your head yes and no , though you have been doing this for a while now.  You love the Bingo song now (I think it may have replaced your love for Thumbkin) and you love our counting song.  While you don't have many new words this month, we do see many cognitive changes.  You are very into figuring out what goes where, opening and closing things, putting things in and out, and stacking.  You are deliberate in your actions in a way we have not seen before.  The other day we watched you walk by the radiator, turn around and look at a block on the floor, go back to get the block and pick it up and place it on a movie that was sitting on the radiator.  Pleased with yourself, you went back to playing. We couldn't help but laugh! What were you thinking?!?  There are lots of little moments like that now.  You are very aware of where things in your room are supposed to go and like to put things back where they belong .. hopefully that continues :o).  On the animal front you do puppy and monkey sounds (though they admittedly sound very similar .. ha).  It is clear you know what you are trying to do, you just cannot yet articulate very well.

One of the sweetest moments I have ever experienced happened this month.  You were snuggling with me on the couch, sooo tired, and fading off to sleep.  Your eyes were closed but you were fighting letting go like usual. Whatever was playing on the t.v. mentioned a puppy dog and you clearly and loudly made your little puppy dog sound without even opening your little baby eyes.  I couldnt' believe it, it was so precious! You are such a sweet sweet thing.

Thank you for one amazing, life-changing year sweet boy! I cannot wait to see what the next one brings!

Joey's BirthDAY

A Birthday Tradition:

We started a tradition this year.  At the exact minute of Joey's birth, each member of our family released a balloon upon which we wrote something we were grateful for over the last year, and something we were hopeful for in the year to come.  I so look forward to looking back and seeing how our sentiments have changed.  We will do this for J every year and for each of our future kiddos too.  Obviously, we had to help Joey with his balloon this year :o).  This was Joe's favorite part of our day.

Birthday boys get sleepy while waiting for 7:38AM.

Watching them float away.  Joey was completely mesmerized by it.

Joey showing Mommy where the balloons went.

A Birthday Breakfast:

Daddy made a fancy schmancy breakfast of magic birthday pancakes and bacon while Mommy handled bathtime.

A Birthday Photo Shoot:

We followed up breakfast with a trip to Photo Innovations which produced little gems like these which make Mommy's heart happy. Joey went to see our favorite photographer Sarah before he was a week old, when he was 6 days old, on the day he turned 6 months and on the day he turned a year.  Many of the pics include the same props and I L.O.V.E. them.

** I'll add these soon **

A Birthday Lunch:

After a brief nap for big and little Joe while Mommy wrapped up some decorations, our little family headed out for a birthday lunch at this place.

Admittedly, we were not sure it was a good idea.  We were worried J may be too young but we were soooo pleasantly surprised.  Joey had a fantastic time!! I love love loved watching his face. I had never seen him be so pleasantly overwhelmed before.  Joe and I had a lot of fun too! I thought it would be a great place for a date night until I was informed you need a qualifying child to get in :o).  At we'll have qualifying kiddos for quite some time!

J pleasantly amazed.

Our big boy ... feeding himself with only two teeth.

A Birthday Cake:

The night before Joey's birthday I set out to make his cake.  I was going for a construction theme cake with a rainbow or tie-die center. The little cake on the side was his smash cake.

A Birthday Party:
A small group of family joined us for a little cookout and some cake to honor our boy.  He ate, played, and opened some presents (though he wasn't too keen on the opening this year). A perfect night for our baby.

Well hello there Mr. J.

The birthday song singing was a little alarming this year. Ha.

A Birthday Wish Granted:

A custom would have it we let Joey loose with his little cake.  If you know J, it's not that hard to imagine how this went.  Eating is serious buisness around here.  Eventually we had to put a stop to the whole thing .. the rest of the cake went in the garbage and Joey went in the tub :o).

A Birthday Success.. Start to Finish.