First Birthday Party

So this is a little late (okay six months late) but trying to catch up again.

Aaron had a small party the day before he turned one. It started as a big party then plans changed about 5 times. It was perfect. Just small and family. Stephen and I did not exactly know how we would feel that day and decided small was the way to go if we (okay, really just me) were emotional wrecks. 

Sassy made A his very own drum set. It was his favorite gift. He still plays with it six months later:

Auntie Mo made the banner

Mommy and A

Birthday boy:

This spoon was tasty

We had burgers and fixins. Perfect for a summer birthday

Present time!

A bike from Cap and T!! His favorite part was the bell on it:

The party goers: Cap, T, Auntie Mo, Aunt KK, Sassy, mommy and daddy:

Love this one of him:

A water table from KK:

Big Cliff from Auntie Mo:

Watched a slide show that I made of the year. Cue the tears:

The "cake". So I did make a cake. It was my first true cake disaster. Amazingly I did not cry. Batter Up Bake Shop to the rescue. Jenny gave me these cupcakes from her freezer and I scraped the icing off the cake and piped it quickly on the cupcakes

Mommy, Daddy and the birthday boy

He ate the whole cupcake! and then licked his hands

Yum Yum!

The month of July was hard. Not going to lie. For me, when we were in the hospital and everything was so unknown, I wondered over and over if I would get to see him in his highchair eating his birthday cake a year later. That was the moment I wanted so desperately to see. So to me his birthday was a big deal. We also had to experience the anniversaries of all those major days we had lived through the year before. The day he was born, his echo, his surgery, the day he finally went home. You would think it would be all joy but it was also a month of grieving what we had been through. Stephen and I talked several times saying "Now what?" Our whole goal had been to get him to his first birthday healthy. We did that. We were at a loss. Felt like it was time to transition our thinking from survival to parenting a healthy toddler. Having to admit that is one of the reasons I put off posting this. But I wanted to get it posted so its documented. We loved his birthday and every minute celebrating a healthy boy. We also go to pay off his medical bills that month. Which was a HUGE blessing. So nice to not have those little envelopes from UMC every other day.

" For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord" Psalm 117:2

12 months!

He's showing you that he is "ONE!"

Stats: 20 lb 1 oz Friday. Hes hanging out around this weight. Continues to get longer so he looks skinnier to us.

Diapers: Still size 3 and holding and still using Luvs. Now using nighttime diapers because we were soaking everything

Sleeping: Still going to bed at 7:00ish and sleeping until 6:00ish (depends on our work schedule). I am not sure if he is going to one nap a day or what but this is off this week. He had two days that he only napped once. We are not ready for that!! One morning this week he slept until 8:15. He has NEVER done that!! Think he is just trying to keep us on our toes. 

Clothes: Mostly all 12 month and a few 18 month (smaller 18 month) things. Went to a size 4 in shoes this month

Eating: Really not on formula at all anymore. Drinks 2-3 bottles of whole milk a day. Eats three meals. Working on taking his milk in a sippy cup. He hasn't really decided he is on board with this yet. Foods he loves: cheese, all carbs, hummus, blue berries, cake and ice cream! He's getting picky about different textures. 

Toys you love: Anything that plays music, his new piano, any app on Nonna's ipad (Elmo, sesame street, piano, mickey mouse), balls, his little car that he can ride or push around, clean diapers

Milestones this month: just started pointing, continues to give high fives, can walk holding one hand or pushing a toy, goes up and down the step into mommy and daddy's room, like to look sideways (put ear to shoulder), says "hey judeeeeee" when he sees his friend, Judah, following simple instructions (when he wants to), only uses a paci when he's in his bed (for the most part), riding in his big boy car seat

Activities: dancing, talking (babbling nonstop but it makes sense to him), screaming louder, taking things off his changing table- he will clear the same shelf 10 times a day, hiding things (clean diapers appear in weird places like his dresser and Nonna's suitcase), taking baths (sometimes he gets one just for fun and to keep him contained in one spot), swimming nekkid or just swimming period

Medical: Nothing to report this month. He has a little congestion but no ear infection or fevers.

Visitors: Nonna came to keep him for a week. Then Pops came for a short visit. Sassy came in town for his birthday. John Thomas and Callie also came through town and we met them for lunch.

Father's Day

Yesterday was Fathers Day. We actually let Stephen open his presents on Saturday because we were tired of keeping a secret. 

Aaron helping take the tissue paper out of daddy's gift. 

He was excited to get Big Bang Theory on DVD

He also got pictures of Aaron holding the letters to spell "dad"

I love this picture. Yes its blurry but I love how they look at each other!

Aaron's new thing is to not smile for pictures. You will see this is a pattern for this whole month. I don't have any with him smiling. 

We spent the day by going to church, lunch at Cap and T's, taking a Sunday nap and then just hanging out as a family of 3

Swimming

Aaron is a lucky little boy. He has his very own pool at Nonna and Pops. Pops even filled up before we got there so it would be plenty warm for him. We tried it out one afternoon. He had to think about it for a minute but once Daddy got in with him he decided it was pretty fun.

His favorite toy was the dollar store ball. He brought it back home and still plays with it daily.

Had to protect his bald head

Mother's Day

We spent Mother's day on the road. We were in Jackson that weekend spending time with Cap, T and Sassy. We decided to go to church at a new satellite campus of a large church in the area. I love getting to go to church with my parents incognito and just worshiping not as staff members every once in a while. We decided to take Aaron into the service. He loved the music!! But only lasted about 2 minutes into the sermon. Stephen and I took him out where they had lots of couches and tvs so we could watch in the lobby. Perfect! I really had no expectations for Mothers Day so I really enjoyed it every moment just spending time as a family. 

Aaron's official Mother's Day picture. This boy cracks us up!

Raising his hands during the music service

Although this moment is very fuzzy in my memory (thanks morphine), i know that its the reason I got to celebrate Mothers Day as a mommy this year. Thank you for making me a mommy, Aaron! It is so much more than I ever imagined! I wouldn't want to change a thing! (except maybe a tab bit more sleep- just saying). I love you more than you will ever know!

ZOO!!!!!

We took Aaron to the zoo. We had so much fun. Probably more fun than he did. Ha ha I had been to that zoo along time ago and we made a point of taking some of the same pictures again. So fun to share memories with your child. It opens your eyes to a whole new world of fun. Love seeing things through his eyes.

T and mommy in the dinosaur egg just like when she was in kindergarden

Mommy and Aaron in the dinosaur egg

Lots to see and explore

Aaron the Zoo keeper

Looking at the giraffe. He rode around like this for awhile. We had to put sunscreen on the bottoms of his feet. 

Cap and T

He loved talking to the bear

The zoo is stinky

My monkeys watching the monkeys