12 Months!

Just like with Katie Wynn, I took monthly pictures of Thomas throughout his first year.  Also like with her, I took three different sets each month.  I'll be sharing these pictures over the next three posts.

This first set is the most traditional of the three - just my boy in his chair with a chalkboard sign.  The quality of these pictures is rough.  I guess I didn't put much effort into them.  I just looked back at Katie Wynn's (see them here!) and hers are much clearer.  At least I tried, right?  (I made a comment in her post about apparently not knowing how to work the white balance on my camera correctly because the coloring varies so much between pictures.  After looking at these, it appears that I still haven't figured out how to work it...)

What a difference a year makes, huh?  It's so fun to be able to see how much he grew over 12 months in just one post!  One of my favorite parts about these pictures is his little hand laying on the arm of the chair.  And also his feet crossed in the last picture - such a big boy!

If you think these pictures are poor quality, wait til you see the ones with him and Katie Wynn.  They're coming up next!

All About Thomas

I haven't written a good Thomas update since he was eight months old.  And he is SO different now than he was then.  He's such a little boy now, scrapes on the knees and all.  I have been enjoying seeing his sweet little personality come to life.  He just grins so big and giggles so loud when he's done something to make him proud of himself.  And when he's sleepy or feeling shy, he is the snuggliest little cuddle bug.  Those are the moments that I want to last forever!

Sweet birthday outfit for church on his bday party day!

Sweet birthday outfit for church on his bday party day!

We went to the doctor last week for his one-year checkup.  He was excited to see me when I picked him up at daycare, but I think after the finger prick and three shots, he probably wished I'd just left him there!  His appointment fell during his morning nap time so we got to have some good one-on-one snuggle time.  After a selfie or two while we waited for the doctor, he fell right to sleep on my chest - something that rarely happens so I soak it up when it does!

How cute is this picture?!  I don't know how any nurse could poke a sharp needle into such a sweet little baby.  Oh, he cried crocodile tears when he got his shots...and I almost did too!

Ok, here are some stats and things I want to remember about Thomas at one year old:

  • He weighs 10 pounds, 9 ounces which, if I remember correctly, is about the same that Katie Wynn was at this age.
  • I don't know his length but he was in the 25th percentile for height and weight but the 75th percentile for his head.  He's got a big noggin', y'all.
  • He wears size 12 month clothes, size 4 shoes, and size 3 diapers.
  • His eyes are still BRIGHT blue and I absolutely LOVE them!  I feel like they'll stay blue at this point; now I'm just hoping that they'll also stay this bright.
  • His hair is still blonde - maybe even blonder than it was before.  I don't think it looks as red as it used to.  It is really starting to fill in now, especially in the back.  When he gets hot and sweaty he gets a few tiny curls back there.  :)
  • He started walking at about 12 months and now is always on the go.  He tries to go faster than his little legs can move and so he takes quite a few tumbles.  I joke that he always looks like the drunk guy at the party because he falls down and pops back up so much. 
  • He sleeps all night long in his bed now - even without any kind of essential oils or other help!  We are so thankful for this!  He goes down around 7:30 each night and wakes around 6:00 each morning.  We really don't even have to set an alarm because he cries out at 6 on the dot every morning.  It'd be nice to sleep a little later occasionally, but I'm not complaining!  He also still takes two naps every day.  At night, he sleeps in his zipadee zip.  
  • He loves taking baths or showers but hates to be still for lotion and getting dressed!
  • At one year, Thomas has 6 teeth, with 2 more pushing their way in.  He has the front two on both top and bottom and his top two molars in the back.  There is a bottom molar that is starting to poke through and also the third front tooth on top.
  • I would say that "uh-oh" is the only word he consistently says.  He has said both "dada" and "mama" but he doesn't regularly use them.  We are beginning to work with him on signing but he hasn't picked up on any of it yet.  He still has not found his "inside voice."  He's very loud!  He squeals and yells quite a bit.
  • The only "trick" he can sometimes do is wave bye-bye.  I guess it's because he's the second baby but we don't seem to work with him as much on stuff like that.  He can't clap or high five or blow kisses or anything like that yet.  I'm a-ok with it.  Like Matt always says, they all start kindergarten when they're five and they don't have to fill out a sheet that tells what age they did something!
  • He is very much a Daddy's boy.  In Sunday School a few weeks ago, we heard a lesson on Thomas, who was called didymus or "twin."  No one really knows who Thomas's twin is, but there's speculation that it could be Jesus.  Another theory is that it's Matthew because they're together a lot.  That's a part of the lesson that stuck with us because in our house, Thomas and Matthew are also together a lot.  :)  And Matt says Thomas gets his looks from him because he had blond hair and blue eyes as a baby too (I need a picture to prove this).  So maybe they're "twins" too.  :)
  • On a perfect day for Thomas, he'd probably be held by his Daddy all day.  In a pinch, he'll accept me as backup.  Now that he goes to daycare and the nursery at church, he has figured out that we sometimes leave him and has gotten a little clingy!
  • On a perfect day for me, he would always be wearing an outfit like this so I have easy access to those soft shoulders for kisses!
  • Thomas hardly eats any baby food anymore; just a squeeze pouch or two at dinner on occasion to get in some extra veggies.  He is all about finger foods and feeding himself.  There aren't many things that he won't eat (actually, I can't think of any right now!) but he gets tired of lots of things after about six or so bites.  We have to have five or six different things to feed him at dinner because as soon as he decides he's done with one item, any remaining bites get swatted off the spoon or thrown off his tray onto the floor.  I guess he just likes variety!  Hands down his favorite thing to eat is chocolate ice cream.  Since our trip to Florida, he's only had it a handful of times but he still gets so excited to eat it and very upset when it's all gone!  
  • He was very easy to transition to cow's milk.  He still has a bottle first thing in the morning and last thing at night.  We are trying to teach him to use a sippy cup during the day.  He carries them around and chews on them but can't quite get the concept of turning them up so he can get the liquid out.  If he really wants a drink he'll just lay down on the floor because he's found that it works if he's laying down.
  • There are three things in our house that seem to have magnetic pulls on him: Lolli's dog food bowl when it's full of food, an open dishwasher full of sharp silverware, and laptops (and their cords).  We are slowly learning that we just can't have things things out/open when he is around because no matter how many times you tell him no, he will go right back to them.
  • His very favorite thing to do is to put things - whatever's in his hands - inside other things - drawers, closets, cabinets, etc.  Here are some examples of things I've found:
    • Sippy cup in my bathroom cabinet.
    • Wooden puzzle piece in the drawer with my hairdryer.
    • Plastic balls in the shower.
    • Katie Wynn's shoes in a toy box.
    • Placemats and one shoe under the play kitchen sink.
    • Bottle of milk in the play kitchen pantry.
    • Sippy cup in the mudroom cabinets.
    • Pacifiers in a hall cabinet.
    • Monitor in Lolli's kennel.
    • Bubbles in the toy grill.
  • We have also retrieved several things out of the garbage can that we saw him put in it.  There's no telling how many things have actually gone out with the trash.  I suppose I should be glad that he likes to "tidy up" and put things away, but it sure makes it hard to find things!  And sometimes it makes me smile to open a drawer and find a toy and know he's been there.  :)
  • I can't tell you how many times I've pulled dog food, mulch, or sticks out of his mouth.
  • Thomas is the very happiest outside.  Usually if he's fussing and won't quit, all it takes is a trip outside to make him happy.  
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  • Thankfully, he still adores Katie Wynn!  He watches her every move and usually whatever she's doing, that's what he wants to be doing too.  She loves him right back too and it just makes my heart so very happy.

What else can I possibly tell you about Thomas?  We are head over heels in love with him.  His little squeals of joy make me smile so big and I love snatching him up for kisses.  This time last year we were just beginning to enter into the colic phase and were so worn out and exhausted from all the crying.  And now he giggles and jabbers way more than he cries and is, for the most part, a pretty happy little guy.  What a difference a year makes!

I hope you like seeing pictures of my little guy because there's a lot more coming!  I successfully took three pictures of him every month of his first year, so the next three posts will be sharing those.  And I have his birthday party pics back from the photographer so hopefully that post will be the grand finale of this rush before we leave for vacation! :)

Quick Visit from Lala and Poppa

Whew!  Got a little derailed on my blogging goal this week, but I'm back now and gotta keep going!  

We had Thomas's first birthday part on June 7th and Matt's parents, Lala and Poppa, were able to make the drive down so they could attend!  They arrived the day before the party and were able to stay a couple days afterward.  It was a quick visit but we were glad to have them here!  

I did not take many pictures while they were here, but Lala did and she always lets me steal them off her camera before she goes.  She's the best.  :)  So all photo credits go to her (and I think Anna who may have taken some too). 

Ok, wait.  One more thing before I post Lala's pictures...this is really the only one I have from the day they arrived.  It shows poor Katie-bug's busted face.  That morning she was running on the driveway and took a little spill onto the concrete.  You may even say she face-planted.  :)  It scratched her up pretty good and she cried for a bit, but really was completely fine after about an hour.  We didn't actually let her see her face until that night and by then she was cool with it.  I'm sharing this because her face is obviously still scratched up in Lala's pictures and I don't want you to think we beat her or anything!

Here's the birthday boy on the morning of his party!  No pants required when you're the birthday boy!

The late afternoon time of the party worked out perfectly.  We spent the morning at church which always tires the little kids out.  After a good lunch, they both went down for good naps while we were able to get the house and yard ready for guests.

Thomas woke up first and got changed into his party clothes.  He had no idea what was going on.  :)

I have a whole post coming about the birthday party with the photographer's photos, but Lala got a bunch that are too cute not to share.  Consider these sneak peeks before the real party post.  

Petting a PIG that was tied to our tree!

Petting a PIG that was tied to our tree!

Petting the donkey!

Paparazzi came to the party.  :)

Sweet boy looking at the guinea pigs.

Thomas caught Mimi sitting down with Lilli Greer in her lap and he did not like it!  He thinks he's supposed to be her only baby and she was cheating on him with LG!  He immediately climbed up in Mimi's lap so he could set her straight.

It took Katie Wynn a while to warm up to the animals, but she eventually came around and fed the sheep!

We gave Thomas his cake midway through the party.  The breeze kept blowing out the candle so it wasn't even lit.  I put three animal cookies on top as decoration and I should've taken them off because they were really all he was interested in!

Anna eventually helped by sticking his hand in the cake, but he still wasn't too interested in it.  Mostly he just didn't like the icing being on his hands.

He did come back from crumbs after his hands had been wiped off.

After all our party guests had gone home, including the party animals and the photographer, we sat down in the front yard to give Thomas his birthday presents.  We had asked our guests to bring a donation to St. Jude instead of gifts, so these were just from family.  One of his big gifts came from Lala and Poppa - a new truck!

Does it surprise you that his sister needed to get in on the action?  She helped push him over to the rest of the presents.  I love how he's looking back at her - he just needs a whip to crack so she'll keep pushing!

Except that she pushed him straight past the presents and people and kept going towards the street!

He pretty much sat in his truck while I opened his presents.

His other big present was a new slide!

The grandparents each also brought a little something for Katie Wynn to open too - she is so spoiled!

Presents of her own did not keep her from stealing Thomas's though.

The kids had so much fun at the party; Katie Wynn has already asked to do it again several times!

The next morning came early and sadly, we had to get up for school and work.  Lala had her camera out taking pictures that morning.

The great thing about Lala and Poppa staying after the party is that they got to see the kids enjoy their new toys!  We played outside both afternoons when we got home from work/school.

Of course, now that they have their own cars, they still climb in each other's!

Scrapes, scabs, and snot...  (Just what little girls are made of!)

Still trying to figure out how it works!

Still trying to figure out how it works!

We were so glad to have Lala and Poppa at our house - and not just because they spoiled our kids, cooked us dinner, and did our laundry!! :)  We hated that they had to leave early the next morning but they will be back next week (and Matt and the big kids are actually at their house right now) so we'll see them again very soon!

The Best Vacay!

Warning:  this post has 117 pictures.  If you aren't already seated with your coffee (or martini or cherry coke or whatever it is you drink) in hand, you may want to go ahead and do that first.  This one is long!

So, back in May, we spent the better part of a week at our beach house in Florida.  While I won't go as far as to say it was the best vacation ever, it was definitely the best vacation we've had with kids in tow to date.  Matt and the kids and I left after dinner on a Tuesday night and drove most of the way there.  The kids slept which was great, but we had issues at the hotel and getting them transitioned and back into bed was a bit of a struggle, but we survived the night.  The worst part about breaking up the trip with two kids is that you have to almost completely unpack the car just to repack it all back up a few hours later.  At least we have some cute luggage.  :)

The best part about breaking up the trip is that you arrive earlier in the day! 

We pulled up to the house right at lunch time, unloaded a few things, and walked to one of our favorite restaurants, Wild Olives, to get some lunch.  Then we put on our swimsuits for the first swim of the season and vacation!

My parents arrived at the end of our swim when we were getting to put the kids down for naps.  We were glad they joined us so we'd have extra hands to help with the kids.  That evening, we put the kids in the stroller and walked to La Cocina for a delicious taco dinner.  The best part of the evening, though, was the ice cream we had for dessert.  We let Thomas have some for the first time and he decided it was the best thing ever!  

Just like on past visits, Katie Wynn loved playing in the gravel rocks from our street parking spots.

This is probably the funniest picture from the trip.  Gotta make sure that booty gets clean!

We hosted some friends of my Dad's one night and attempted a family photo before our guests arrived.  This was the best one.

I have about 50 outtakes that look more like this.

The kids were so well behaved on this trip.  That's not to say we didn't have any problems at all (um, see above photo), but in general, they were in great spirits and so fun to be around!  They were good on shopping trips and pretty good at restaurants too.  I think that helped make this trip so great.  We also had fantastic weather!  The weather had rain in the forecast for every day we were there but we never saw a drop.  It was in the 80s with a nice breeze every day.

I love these two kiddos so, so much!  

My sweet little T-Man and his sweet little grin.

We went to the splash pad one night after dinner and both kids were a bit hesitant at first.  I think Thomas warmed up to it before Katie Wynn did, but both eventually ended up completely soaked!  

Katie-bug was more interested in running around in the huge green lot!

Poor Thomas...behind bars on the patio and trapped in the shower.  That's what happens when you get into everything, buddy.

Fun times swimming with Mimi!  We love having our own pool at the house - best decision ever.  

My parents offered to watch the kids one night so we could go out to dinner and we didn't say no!  Thanks, Mom and Dad!  We hit up another of our favorites - La Crema - for tapas and the best desserts ever.  I'm still thinking about those crab cakes, steak empanadas, and our layered chocolate dessert!

Now, on to the best part - the BEACH! This is one of the main reasons this vacation was so great.  In the past, Katie Wynn has been terrified of the ocean and absolutely hated the sand.  Our last trip to the beach resulted in me carrying her back up the stairs before my Mom and Thomas even got to join us.  But this time, she stepped into the sand with no problems at all and started digging with her shovel before I even had our spot set up.  I was so relieved!  

We had the best wide shore and shallow water to play in, and one morning it felt like we had the beach to ourselves!

What is it about the salty air that turns on the snot faucets?  Or is that just something special that only happens with my kids?  Their little noses dripped non stop while we were on the beach!

We were able to take four different trips to the beach and stay for a couple hours each time.  I had given Thomas a strict deadline to be walking before we left for the beach because I thought it'd be easier for him than crawling through the sand.  He likes to make his mama happy so he met my deadline, but it turns out it wasn't even necessary because he didn't mind crawling through it at all!  

Thomas absolutely LOVED the water.  I got my workout from dragging him out of the waves and up the shore and then chasing him back down, over and over and over again.  I was so pleased that he didn't mind having his hood or hat on - he never once tried to pull them off!  No sunburns for any of us - a major success!  

Poor T-Man's face got so red from all the sand he smeared on it when he rubbed his nose and eyes.  I think he over-exfoliated his cheeks a little.  :)

Probably one of my favorite photos ever.  This one's definitely going in a frame.  :)

My top three guys!

We were so thankful to have this ramp so we could pull the wagon to the beach!  It made hauling everything there and back so much easier.  Thomas didn't mind being packed in with the chairs and food.  I'm pretty sure he thought he was driving the wagon.  :)

Serious about sand digging.

Katie-bug loved having these shallow puddles to splash in.  Won't it be great when she doesn't need that enormous swim diaper anymore?!

"It too bwight, Mama!"

I mean, can you think of a more perfect place to take a nap??  This guy passed smooth out in his daddy's arms while listening to the roar of the waves.  I think he took a beach nap every time we went down there!  

This is Katie Wynn's version of sitting with her toes in the water.

Oh man, can't you just hear her bossing him around with those arms going?  She told him exactly how to build that sand castle.

And then she smashed it flat! 

Then they got to do it all over again.  :)

Thomas did a lot of sitting and watching after his naps.

We took the kids to the beach one last time on the day we left.  It was a good way to get some energy out before packing them into the car for the 8 hours drive home.  On our way to the beach, Katie Wynn said she wanted to build a snowman.  So build a snowman we did!

After chasing Thomas in and out of the waves repeatedly, Matt dug a hole to put him in.  It only kept him still for a few minutes until he figured out how to crawl out of it.  Little stinker!

Katie Wynn took over the hole and loved it when a big wave would fill it with water!

My little beach bum has come a long way!  It only took her two and half years to decide that the beach isn't all that bad.

None of us wanted to leave on Sunday to come home, not even my dad!  It just wasn't a long enough vacation.  We think we'll wait until September to go back but next time we'll be sure to go for the whole week, if not more!  I'm counting down already.