It's time

Dear Baby Person,

I wasn't this sad when your sister turned one.  I think because you were the second I don't feel like I had enough alone time with you so somehow your first year is "incomplete" to me or more accurately parts of it feel lost to me.  You adore Abby and your Daddy so I know you are getting all the love you need and from other people that really love you too.  I just wish I had more snuggle time with my little baby boy before he got so big.

You have amazed me in my so many ways in this first year of life.  Your first word was book when you were about 8-9 months old.  It was perfect to me because you will fit right into this little book loving, reading family.  You haven't said again in several months but if we don't read at least 3 books at bed you get real mad and wiggle off my lap to get more.  You say daddy, hi, and up perfectly.  You can say Abby sometimes and baba means bottle - any bottle, but especially Daddy's water bottle that you really like.  You also continue to roar and growl but have caught on to saying uh oh and wow.

You were kind of late crawling, meaning you did it later then Abby, which had us a little worried.  Not for any good reason, Dr Cornell says it's not even a mile stone.  However, 1 month after you started crawling you were walking everywhere.  You have been walking for at least 6 weeks now but everyday I just watch you for minutes at a time and smile.  It's so cute and amazing to me to see such a little guy walking.  You are so confident and determined to get where ever it is you want to go.  I hope that this will always be part of your character.

You love all food - ALL FOOD.  You love all fruits, all vegetables, all cheeses, all meats you have ever tried, all noodles, all cereals and all breads.  You have gotten over your distaste of yogurt.  Like your sister you will always eat the fruit first.  When someone is eating something you want, you point to their food and then to yourself and loudly make it known you want some.  Of course you still can't eat a lot of things with only your 5 little teeth which causes some very loud tantrums.  You have become very dramatic in the last month, throwing your head down into your arms and sobbing.  But you are still really quick to smile and laugh.

You're favorite games right now are peek a bo, hide and seek, and monster.  You like to chase and be chased until you laugh so hard you fall down.  You love trucks, books, Little People toys, and balls.  You have just started trying matching puzzles.  You also love to wrestle which isn't always good because Abby doesn't always remember how little you are right now.  It is so fun for me to see her sharing with you and playing with you.  I know in the years to come you will become even better playmates.

It's time for me to accept you are a toddler now and get ready for all the big changes you will hit this year.  It will be an exciting year, filled with new words, food and motor skills. You started this first year of life at 7# 4 oz and I think 21 inches.  At your 12 month appointment you were 20# 9 oz and 29.5 inches.  You're our big little man.  I love you so much Emerson.  I dreamed about you for so long and you are even more handsome and sweet then I ever hoped.  You are a sweet little snuggle bug with a big personality.  Happy Birthday Son.
Love,
Mommy

12 months

I still haven't been able to find the words for his 1 year post.  Here's the first year photo edition.

First day home

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months

10 months

11 months

1 year - cool as a cucumber.

I love this girl

We should be looking for a 4K for her but I'm not ready to let her out of my sight.  I want to soak up everything about her.  Her love of music, drawing, dancing, and dress up.  The way she laughs so hard when she can get Emerson to laugh.  Her smiles and giggles and repetitive knock knock joke: "Knock Knock. Who's there? Ice cream - you're favorite.  Every time I see a ghost."  She doesn't have the joke quite right but she things it's hilarious.

She is sassy like her Mama but has a huge heart like her mama too.  If anyone is ever crying, even strangers, she wants to help make it better.  She tries so hard to get Emerson to stop crying by singing and reassuring him "I'm right here Emerson, I'm right here".  She's quick with hugs and kisses.  And keeps telling me that she is really friendly.  Preschool is going great and Mrs. Francis says Abby is sweet and outgoing.  She loves her teacher and her friend "Broccoli".

 She loves Sunday school and we have been working on prayers.  The top of her prayer list is Daddy, Uncle Jay, Kai, Tricia and the grandparents - "God Blah Daddy, God Blah Uncle Jay":)

Her memory is astonishing to me.  After reading a new book 3 times she knows most of it by heart.  I am excited for her to learn to read, it's going to be so amazing to her.  She remembers places we have been only once, like a restaurant for Tim's birthday and can tell you everyone that was at the party.

She really loves dress up right now of any kind - princesses, fireman, zebras, whatever she can find.  She has several imaginary friends including Swiper, Fozzie and Kermit.  Quiet time has become her favorite time of day, no battles anymore.  She'll play in her room for 2 hours!!

Every day I feel her slipping away from us into big kid land.  I absolutely love you Abigator, I hope you are always this sweet, funny and sassy.

**Photos by Theresa Hermus Photography.

11 months!!!

A typical day for little man at 11 months old:

6-6:30 am wake up for the day. Usually joyful.
Shortly after we give him breakfast.  His favorites are bagels, any fruit and cheerios.  He hates toast right now and throws it directly on the floor.  He also hates yogurt.  Hates it.  Like it's poison.  We don't even try it anymore.

9am -10:30/11:00 am morning nap.
Then we rush off to the library, preschool, the zoo or the store.



Noon (ish) Lunch.  He loves cheese quesadillas, pasta, brown rice, chicken, leftovers.

1-3/3:30 afternoon nap

Play time or time at the gym.


5/5:30 Dinner.  He'll eat pretty much anything we eat except yogurt.

6:30/7:00 bedtime.  It's really hard to get him to stay up until even 7pm.  At 6:30 like clockwork he starts fussy.  If it hits 645 and there is no evidence that we are getting ready for bed he really starts crying.

He is standing well on is own but panics and squats down to crawl.  He can cruise along furniture but prefers to crawl.  His favorite toys right now are ones that he can push along the ground.  He took his first steps on 9/26.

He's still a much more emotional baby than Abby and often wakes once in the night but can usually settle himself these days.  Guess he's just a light sleeper like his mama.

 I'm looking forward to his 1 year pictures this weekend with Theresa Hermus Photography and his 1 year Halloween themed birthday party.  It's going to be a real fun month.

10 months

Can't believe we've made it to ten months.  Why do I feel like we are still in survival mode?  Maybe because I don't work full time so our house is more lived in.  Maybe because 2 kids is at least 4 x the work.  But Tim and I are muddling through.  On to the big guy's update.

He LOVES his big sister (when she's not hurting him).  He wants to play with all her toys and follow her around.  He wants to eat whatever she eats.  He thinks she is super funny.  He plays games with us!  I don't remember Abby doing this.  He makes a really good baby monster or polar bear that we have to run away from.  His growls are hilarious.  He also likes to be the finder for hide and seek.

He's crawling, climbing, pulling up and playing with push toys, balls, and Little People.

He's always a mess.  Especially at meals.  I often just feed him in a diaper because he needs a bath after most meals.  His absolute favorite food is blueberries.  Today I got him to say "blue" when he was eating them.  This month he tried gazpacho, ground turkey, pork, and cheese quesadilla.  He has 3 teeth, all on the bottom row.

He loves bath time, especially splashing and squirter toys he can chew on.

He's adventurous and quick to smile or cry. He usually has an injury that neither Tim or I witnessed happening.  His face went under the water 3 times while playing with Abby in this pool and it didn't even phase him.  Looks like we have another danger mouse on our hands.

He is still very proud that he can pull himself up and grins or laughs nearly every time he does it.

 He still naps twice a day, usually 2 2 hour naps.  He always wakes up with a smile.  His bed time is about 7:00 pm and he wakes between 545-615 am.

He's a content baby as long as no one is bugging him and is always getting compliments about his adorable dimples from strangers.

I have no idea how much he weighs right now but he's definitely outgrowing his first car seat.  His personality is really starting to shine.  He might be the only outgoing one in our little family.  Time to start planning for the first birthday.  Can you believe it?  Happy 10 months Baby Person, it's been an interesting ride.

Abby's big girl day

What started as just a Brewer game with mom and dad become a really big day for this little lady.

In the morning one of her best bud's hung out while his brother went to the doctor.

They played in the pool.

He did a silly dance.  Abby was all giggles at all his "jokes" and "silly sounds".  He loved having such an adoring audience.

I brought out a new toy to play with - water bugs.  They both loved it.

Then we dropped off Emerson at Lori's because he's a baby and this was  a big girl event.  She was so excited to see the Packers/Brewers.  She was shouting with glee when she saw the stadium "That's where the Brewer's live Daddy."  Thanks to Ryan Braun we even bought her a new hat with our vouchers.

She loved all the treats, especially "the sour one" (frozen lemonade).

She enjoyed waving her wrapper like a pom-pom and shouting Luccccccccccccc and Charge.

There was lots of snuggles and no tears.

It was a great to watch Tim enjoy sharing one of his favorite activities with his little girl.

While at the game we got a voicemail from the library.  Abby won the BIG prize for summer reading!  She was so excited she kept thanking them and couldn't stop looking at the game so they could get her picture.  She almost walked into all kind of obstacles leaving the library.  I highly recommend this game.  It's a Disney Princess Cupcake Party game.  She's in love.  It's pretty fun.  She woke at 6 am today to play it again.

It was a pretty great day.  When Tricia came over this morning Abby asked her if she wanted to go to a Brewer's game.  That's our girl!

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I'm hiding.

Tim's been gone for 12 hours now and these kids are trying to break me.  Emerson is in his crib.  Sleeping? Who cares! He's quiet.  Abby's watching a Wild Kratt's episode from the library.  I'm sitting by the fan hoping that any minute I'll hear "IT'S DADDY!".

Then I'm going to run out the front door and never come back.  Grab one of the tents and live at Yellowstone Park.  12 hours with at least one kid crying for 11 hours makes for a loooooooooooooooooooooooooong day.

Sometimes I think that if He doesn't give us more than we can handle He sure likes to push us to the limits.  Every time I thought I was really going to lose it Abby would reign us back in.  "I love you so much Mommy" or singing to Emerson so he wouldn't cry.

So tonight as I prepare for bed I'll try to remember those squeals and laughs as Emerson had his first time on a swing.  The way Abby gently hugged and kissed Emerson after their naps. (YES, she napped today. Thank you Jesus).  The I love you so much Mommy when I belted her in the car at 6 pm for the emergency Target run for formula.  The quiet "hi" and wave from the baby that screamed all the way home from the store but was so happy  to see us when it was over.  Or my favorite of the day - as I was yelling at her to come clean up the water she spilled "Mom, leave me alone. I'm trying to go potty in here". Hahahahaha.

I'm trying to soak it in ladies.  But sometimes a beer might help.  Wishing us all an easier day tomorrow.  Abby has found me and said "I want you again".  Soak it up.