The Twelfth Month

There is a story behind these pictures.  I forgot to do these photos on James' real birthday.  We finally got around to doing it today and realized we had no cupcake to put the candles so we decided to improvise, and that is where the fun began.

First I had the bright idea to put the candles in a pop tart, but James decided to try to eat it.  Ryan hadn't put the tray on well and the entire thing fell on the floor. Uh oh! (as James stated for us)

The only other option was a half-eaten chocolate chip cookie.  (needless to say it was Ryan's because I never leave a cookie half eaten!)  It didn't exactly hold the candles though...

And then somehow the ball got involved!  

Next we tried to get this shot, and I will let the pictures speak for themselves! 

Stats: 25 lbs 7 ounces (90th percentile), 30 inches long (75th percentile- not sure this is an accurate measurement because he was so wiggly!) He had three shots at the doctor's office this time.  He screamed really loud but didn't shed a tear and hushed as soon as I picked him up. I was so proud!

Likes:  dancing to music, sleeping with your legs stuck through the slats of your crib, your Daddy, "popping" your mouth, reading books, eating, your "loveys"

Dislikes: being stuck on planes, sleeping, not having everyone's undivided attention, seeing your mom hold another baby, the church and gym nurseries

James you are 12 months old!!!  You continue to grow and change so fast.  Over the past month we dealt with your first real "bug" but thankfully it only lasted a few days.  You have become very attached to your daddy.  He is all you want, and you are sad when he has to leave.  You also love to make this random funny sound that he taught you every time you see him.  You continue to love to eat, and I have a hard time keeping enough food on the table to make you satisfied.  We have cut down your bottles to only one and night and one in the morning. The rest of the time you use your cup.  We probably could have cut them out completely, but your mama loves to get to cuddle with you while she gives it to you and is going to be sad when you don't take one anymore. You also have started drinking whole milk, and you appear to love it.  You still love to get up early.  We are thankful if you don't wake us up till 5:30 but there are many days that start earlier than that! You are such a sweet boy and like to share your snacks with whomever is around.  In order to tell us what you do or don't want you like to point or raise your arm in whatever direction and grunt until we understand exactly what you mean.  You did this the other day with the cheerios that were in the pantry.  You were pointing and grunting all the way from your high chair until I figured out what you meant!  These are the words that you say consistently and at the appropriate times: "ball, bath, juice, uh oh" and you have been trying to say "car".  For some reason you have shortened mama to "Ma" which makes me feel like I'm in Little House on the Prairie.  You also call your dad "Bah"- we think you started this because we were always saying bye to him, but you definitely think he is "Bah" now!  We are so glad you are a part of our family, and we love you so much!

A few moments from the twelfth month: 

Balls are definitely still your favorite toy.  You ask for them first thing in the morning.

I got this cute outfit for you on sale but your stomach was too "plump" to wear it!

Mom's favorite beverage which helps sustain her on most days

"Helping" cook

Almost football season!

Heat Wave

I will be honest.  I have not had a good attitude about the weather this summer.  All of my family and friends have graciously allowed me to complain to them about it.  It has been miserably hot here.  Every single day in August has been over 100 degrees, many of the days being 105 and higher- and this doesn't even include the heat index!  I have been going stir crazy because there is nothing to do and nowhere to go with a very active one-year-old to escape the heat.  I'm sure it was hot last year at this time but I confess that I spent most of last summer pregnant on the couch watching every season of Dr. Quinn re-runs combined with TLC and HGTV (please don't judge me!).  Here is a little evidence of the intense Louisiana heat. Surely sometime it will cool down into the 90's and we will be able to go for a walk outside again!

The other day I came out of the gym at around 10:30 a.m. and this was the temperature:

We have our sprinklers on timer to try to keep our grass from dying (thank you Ryan who put this together)  Unfortunately we realized that one side wasn't getting any water...so we ended up with "hay" on our side yard. 

I think we need a little rain

It seems like the only thing we can think of to do out of the house always involves food. :)  This past weekend we ventured to Krispy Kreme for James' first donut. 

Disclaimer:  I am actually VERY picky about what my child eats despite all the blog posts that involve sweets.  I promise that he eats at least 2 veggies per meal, mostly whole grains, and does not normally get dessert. 

Needless to say he enjoyed it and Krispy Kreme had their air conditioner turned much lower than we do so we all enjoyed the break from the heat. :) 

Trying out a donut

He actually wore his hat!

Side note- we kept seeing LSU fans everywhere.  Bet people were confused by our "pirate" gear.

Watching the donuts get made

The Grand Finale

Well I think its safe to say that James is pretty spoiled rotten, especially after all this celebrating!  When I was sad about Ryan missing JT's parties in NC we made a deal that we would do something special as a family when we got back on his real birthday.  Ryan got home from work fairly early which was the greatest birthday gift of all!  We decided to just do a little party with the three of us which was really special. 

 

 

 

Good morning birthday boy! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wanted to make the day as special and fun as I could.  However our options were somewhat limited because there aren't that many things you can do with a 1 year old and it was 108 degrees outside!!!!  The best gift I gave James was that I skipped the gym that morning so he didn't have to go to the nursery. :)  When he woke up from his morning nap we went to have an early lunch at Chick-fil-a.  Obviously we go there a lot, but this was special because he got to order his first kids meal! He ate a chicken strip, and we split the fries.  This was pretty special since I normally don't let him eat things like fries.    

He was skeptical at first but then LOVED the chicken

While we were at Chick-fil-a I got a call from Ryan wanting to know if we wanted to bring lunch for all the residents.  So we loaded up and went to the clinic.  It was great to see Ryan in the middle of the day and JT was a big hit with all the doctors and nurses.  It was funny to see him crawling around on the hospital floor (nasty!) and checking everyone out.

Greatest doctor and daddy ever!

That night I made James some of his favorite foods for dinner and then we had cake.  I was going to buy a cake but decided that was ridiculous.  I took the easy way out and made a box cake.  The funniest thing is that when he tried a bite he cried!  It kind of hurt my feelings but it made me really glad I didn't spend more time on it. Haha! 

He likes having the birthday song sung to him

Crazy child would not eat any of the cake.  His dad and I sure liked it though!

The candle was the best part to him

This is what Ryan thinks about that mess!

JT's feelings about his cake

He had to go straight into the bathtub

Present time!

Daddy got him a golf club

I see many golfing days in the future

Presents: golf club, personalized book, bubble maker, and swing for the back patio

Dear James,

The day you were born was one of the most memorable and precious days of our lives.  From the moment we met you we were captivated by your cuteness, your feisty personality,  and the way you bring laughter to all those around you.  You have brought us more joy this past year than we can put into words.  It is a privilege to be your parents, and we will forever be grateful that God blessed us by putting you in our lives.  The past year has been full of tears, stress, and sleepless nights but also full of laughter, priceless moments spent together as a family, and love that we never knew we could feel until we met you.  We love you sweet baby boy.  Happy Birthday!

love always,

Mom and Dad

First time with Mommy

First time with Daddy

Family of 3

A Few More Memories

A few more memories from our recent trip:

Helping Granny Deb Make Cupcakes

How old does this make me feel?  These are my two flower girls- both of whom I started taking care of when they were itty-bitty.  Now they are babysitting my kid! Crazy!!! :) 

James and Eve enjoyed playing in his "pool"

James loves Madeline!

Playing the piano with Uncle David

Hanging out with Granddaddy before he goes to work

Cool hair

Can you tell what his favorite toy is???

On the move! Unfortunately I think he was allergic to the grass.

JT- no feet on the table!!!!

Trying out lo mein.  Could he have made a bigger mess on the floor? Probably not!