A Very Happy Second Birthday!!!!!

Today is my LBB's SECOND birthday, and I can't believe that he already 2!!!!

And the cutest thing:

You ask "How old are you?" and he emphatically yells "TWO!!!!" while holding up a what is supposed to be two fingers. :)

I'd write more, but I'm at my mom's house because unfortunately we are computer-less again...meaning way less posts but hopefully in the next few months we will have a new computer.

So, to my sweet LBB...Mommy loves you to the moon and back. And back and forth many times. You are the sweetest little two year old and Mommy and Daddy are more than blessed to call you our soon. WE LOVE YOU!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

LBB at One Year

OK. So, since I normally did a monthly post about what LBB was up to, I had to remind myself to do it for this month despite the general busyness that has been going on around here! But, it's not so busy anymore (yay!) and life is returning to it's semi-slower pace. :)

From 11 months to 12 months LBB learned lots, and subsequently, became more of a toddler than a baby. :)

• The day after his birthday, he started walking. He had been taking a few steps here and there, but they were mostly "accidental" steps. The day after his birthday, soon after we got home from the doctor, LBB decided that he was ready to walk. And walk he did. Now he walks almost everywhere, and is finally learning how to stand up from sitting position without having to pull up on something.
• Can use a fork or spoon...when he feels like it. He can "stab" his food and feed himself, but more often than not, he'd prefer us to do the "stabbing" and then hand the fork to him.
• He is a chatty little man. He can say actual words when he feels like it, but, same as with walking and nearly every other developmental milestone, only does it when he really feels like it. :)
• Loves reading aloud to us. He'll take the book out of our hands and begin telling us the story. It's absolutely adorable and yet another affirmation that I am doing a good job of instilling a love of reading.
• Loves to play music. On anything and everything...pots and pans. The wall. The table. You name it...if it's a hard, flat surface, it becomes musical.
• Is a BIG fan of sorting things into containers. It's quite comical, because everything needs to be put in a spot. In the bathtub, instead of playing with his Thomas the Train bath toy, he has to put Thomas in the little blue house. He loves his Schleich animals...especially putting them in empty wipe containers. Books go in bins. Blocks go in baskets. And Little People get put under his bed in the trundle. He is very obsessive about sorting!
• He loves fingerpainting. We got him a little smock at IKEA and it is perfect for fingerpainting...now he doesn't require a bath everytime he paints. Just half the time. LOL!
• Is a very fickle eater...I'm not exaggerating here. I am almost always worrying if he is getting enough to eat. His pediatrician says he will eat when he is hungry. But sometimes I think he is just being stubborn even if he is just hungry. But, when he does eat, he is a big fan of jelly sandwiches and mini beef raviolis. Definitely not the healthiest, but I always keep some of each on hand so if worst comes to worst, he is actually eating something. :( We have also had some issues with milk...when he was born, we had to put him on partial-whey formula because his eczema was so bad and that was the only thing that helped. When we switched over to whole milk, that darn eczema popped back up. We are currently trying out soy milk to see if that helps. Fingers crossed that it does!
• LBB is very good at letting us know what he wants. That's nice!!! A far cry from when he was itty-bitty and had to cry for everything. Now he'll point for his water. Reach for a pacifier (which we are adamently working on making disappear.) And even point to which color he wants next when painting.
• Loves the Christmas tree. And since GiGi showed him how to figure out what is in presents, loves to investigate the gifts under the tree. :)
• And he loves throwing things. Sigh. It was cute at first because he laughed like crazy when he did it. But now, it's everything he sees that gets thrown. We went to the library and my ban-shee little boy was throwing books off the shelf. Same at Barnes and Noble. He gets a kick out of winging his Schleich animals across the room. And laughs hysterically when he throws food on Cat #2. Trouble. With a capital T. :)

That's all I can think of for now. I'm sure I will remember more...if I do, I'll post later. I definitely need to round up the weight and height measurements from his last appointment, but I'm not in the mood to right now. :)

A Sesame Street Birthday Celebration

The blizzard did not get the memo that it was supposed to wait until after my little man's birthday party. :) Unfortunately, the roads were treacherous and not many people were able to make it. But, family was there and we all had a wonderful time nevertheless!

LBB was a little crabby as we sang Happy Birthday to him. :)

Clapping for himself since he took the frosting eyes off Elmo. :)

Enchanting

That's the best word I can use to describe this past year.

As my LBB turns one, I look back on this past year and am amazed by so many things...how quick it's flown by. And amazed by every little moment of it. All the smiles. All the sleepless nights. All the hugs. All the cuddles.

The firsts...first Christmas. First smile. First Easter. First time crawling. Those first unsure steps (although he is still being stubborn about this. :) He can walk, he just chooses not to.) His first words. And all the little firsts that quietly slip in each and every day as our LBB learns and explores this world.

He is an amazing kid...and I know I'm most likely biased seeing as how I'm Mommy and all that. But everyday he does something that takes my breath away. Does something that amazes me. And something that just plain makes me laugh. If I were to post everytime he did something that struck me as funny, sweet, smart, or just plain adorable...I'd never leave the computer (and as a result, miss all those funny, sweet, smart, adorable moments!)

Not to say that this first year hasn't been filled with moments of worry. Or moments of pure exhaustion. All those typical first year experiences...worrying if my LBB was eating right. Worrying when he bumps his head. Being exhausted that first month when everything in our world was being turned upside down and we had a newborn that we were cherishing but trying to figure out (the joys of first time parenting. :) ) But in the long run, I wouldn't trade any of those trying moments for a thing...those moments make you cherish all the other moments even more.

The moment I held LBB in my arms after those hours of labor, after those months of waiting, I was convinced I couldn't love him anymore than I did at that moment. But, that's the funny thing about being a mother...each and everyday my love grows more and more for him. What I once thought was insurmountable love is trumped every day when I feel like my heart is about to burst from all the love. When he gives me a big sloppy kiss my heart melts into a puddle of goop. And when he nestles up into my neck as we are saying his goodnight prayers, my eyes get misty and I feel like there is no more perfect place to be. Funny thing, love is. Especially love for your child and from your child. This past year I've learned so much about love from such a small little heaven-sent package.

He teaches me daily that while I am not close to being a perfect mother (but oh how I try!), he is the perfect son. :) He is inquistive. Funny. Loving. Caring. Stubborn. Sweet. Adorable. Flirty. Amusing. Creative. Intelligent. Relentless. Helpful. And he unconditionally loves us. What an amazing thing that is. God's goodness shines through him daily, and I never stop thanking the Lord for that.

Looking back, I am nostalgic over this past year. I miss the little things like him sleeping in our bed every night. The non-stop cuddles. The pure necessity of needing us to be with him. But, looking forward, I am loving every moment of his "growing-up". The independence. The stubborness. The excitement he has for exploring, learning, and creating.

As he grows, I love watching the traits he gets from his daddy and I. I love watching the traits that are purely his own. And I adore watching him develop and fine-tune his personality everyday.

My LBB, on this first birthday of many, I thank God for the gift of you to us. I look forward to this next year of growing, learning, exploring, creating, and just plain having fun. And I am so very thankful for everything that you teach me. For every hug and kiss that you give me. And for every single moment of every single day with you. I can't imagine a more fulfilling job than the one I have of being your Mommy. I love you so very much, my dear little LBB. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!