Yesterday (6/15/13) was a big day for us... Logan finally got his first hair cut! I've been thinking about it for quite some time, mostly because those long curls tickled his ears and he always had hair in his eyes. But as much as I knew he needed it, it was so hard to willingly cut the long blond curls that defined our little boy's look.
We went to Pigtails & Crewcuts in Murfreesboro on the recommendation of a friend. I can't say enough good things about them! We had such a great experience, and although a little pricey it was worth every penny.
We chose an Army airplane for Logan to sit in, and as we put him in it they went into action. The owner blew bubbles to keep Logan entertained, and most of the time he had no idea anyone was messing with his hair. He was a perfect angel! He held tight to daddy's hand the whole time, but no tears!
For the first time this pregnancy, Logan's first haircut brought the hormones out. I may or may not have teared up a little when he showed off his new big boy haircut. He is so grown these days, and his new hair matches his new little boy independence.
Logan has been steadily walking with a little help for weeks now, but couldn't find the courage to let go of those last few fingers to venture out on his own. On May 24, the night Nana and GP were on their way to Nashville for Memorial Day, he took his first few steps on his own. He would stand or walk as steady as could be, but as soon as he noticed he was on his own he would set his little bottom on the ground. It almost became a game... Daddy and me cheering him on with excitement, and him letting out high pitched squeals and giggles as he teased us with only a step or two.
It wasn't until Thursday night (June 6), when Grandpa and GG came in town, that he finally took off on his own (apparently he saves all of his best moments for the grandparents). He hasn't stopped since!
I can't begin to describe how proud I am every time he puts those little shoes to use. I guess a part of me never though he would actually do it! What an amazing feeling to watch your children grow and learn, and take pride in everything you've taught them and prepared them for along the way. Nothing is cuter than a little boy teeter-tottering his way around town. 16 months and 4 days, and not a day too soon.
Everything is so different this time around. Here we are, already in the third trimester and only a few short months until your arrival, and I'm just now writing your first letter. It's not because I have anything less to say to you or spend any less time thinking about you, only that life has been so busy since the day our family first began growing. We spend our days working and our evenings chasing your brother around, and any spare time in between is spent building a new house for our family of four and preparing for your arrival.
We have loved you and wanted you long before you became a part of our lives. We had an angel baby surprise us a few months before finding out about you, and we left any worry and doubt we may have had about another baby in the past with her. This time around we know just how much our hearts will grow when we look into your eyes for the first time, and we look forward to that moment each and every day.
I think about you constantly, wondering if you'll have blond hair and blue eyes like your brother or surprise us and look like a little mini-me. I wonder if you'll be wild and crazy like Logan, or quiet and reserved like your mama. Will you take your time reaching milestones, or rush through the first year trying to catch up to your brother? I cannot wait to watch you grow, and my heart swells with pride just thinking about you.
Life is flying by us, and you are growing and learning something new each and every day. Sometimes you seem closer to 2 than I would like to believe, but you still remind me each night that you are the same little snuggly baby that will always need his mama. Your independence and need for control is evident in everything you do, and although it can be frustrating and challenging at times it makes your daddy and me so, so proud of you.
Your vocabulary is taking off! Your favorite word is ball, but you also say balloon, dog, and thank you, and like to copy short little phrases when you hear us say them. You also say "uh, oh" more and more, which is my favorite by far. You recognize and point to a lot of different things we've taught you as well, such as grass, trees, bird, cat... the list goes on and on. You are so smart and learning so fast!
You are absolutely fascinated by balloons. You LOVE them. It all began at your 1st birthday party, and hasn't stopped since. You can spot them from a mile away, and it's getting harder and harder to make it through the checkout line. You also have an intense love of balls in all shapes and sizes. You spend most days chasing them around the house, or practicing your best throw or basketball shot.
You're not quite a walker yet, but you're oh so close. You will stand on your own now and sometimes even take a step or two, but you're not yet confident enough to take off running. You will, however, spend hours pushing anything you can around the house... walkers, furniture, laundry baskets, or big toys. When you do stand on your own or walk around with us, you are so proud of yourself! It brings a smile to my face every time.
Of course you have no idea just how much life is about to change for all of us in the coming months. You point to the baby and love to lay your head on my growing belly, and I wish there was some way I could explain it all to you. I wish I could tell you that our love is growing, but will never change the bond we have with our sweet little boy that has filled our lives with joy and happiness. I wish I could ensure that you would never feel like you had to fight for attention or share our love when you needed us the most. You may never remember life as an only child, but I promise that your father and I will never forget one minute of the time we've had as a family of three. You are the sunshine in our lives everyday.
A year has come and gone... A year of milestones and worries, smiles and tears.... A year of you and me. You are so far from the wide-eyed baby boy I brought home on that warm February day. Everything about you grows and changes every time I blink my eyes.
You talk all the time, but I still have no idea what you're saying. Most things still sound like 'da-da', but you are slowly introducing more sounds into your vocabulary. You have a certain little squeal when you're eating something you really love, grunts to let us know what you want as you point and lead the way, and certain forms of 'da-da' for both your daddy and me. Every little sound is sweet music to my ears.
You are much braver on your own these days, and getting closer and closer to taking those first steps. You're always on your feet, cruising around toys and furniture, or climbing on anything that is lying around. You fly up the stairs and can walk so fast holding onto our hands, but just aren't quite ready yet to let go. Neither am I.
You're still a greater eater as long as we load your plate with fruit, but we're having to sneak vegetables into your growing belly more and more. If you're in the right mood you'll eat anything, and you still put down more food than any of your (much bigger) buddies at daycare.
You really love going to daycare everyday, and get so excited when you first see your friends in the morning. I still get the best greetings when I come to get you in the afternoons (you've started clapping for my arrival!), but you no longer torture my heart in the morning with cries and tears.
Daddy and I are constantly seeing you do new things that we can only imagine you've learned from your friends at school. You have started doing a big exaggerated clap as opposed to the little claps we've taught you, and do the cutest little wiggle dance on command. You love to be tickled, and your giggles are contagious. We're teaching you as much as we can at home, and right now you love to show us that you can point to everyone's nose when we ask. You also love to point at our other facial features so we can tell you what they are, too.
You're still a great sleeper, and most nights beg us to go upstairs when it gets close to bedtime. You give great big bedtime kisses and drift off to sleep without a sound.
I know I'm forgetting a million other things I want to remember. There are so many amazing things you do that melt my heart, and I wish I could freeze just a moment of time to cherish forever. I hope you always know how much your daddy and I loved every minute with you, and wouldn't trade you for the world. You are our world.
A few weeks ago, in an effort to bring a little more happiness to our lives, I started a new job. A normal Monday through Friday, 8-5 kind of job. Gone are long hours at the hospital, working every holiday, and a chaotic life of little sleep and no routine.
Being home with my boys every night for dinner and bedtime has been great. Weekends as a family with normal sleeping hours has been even better. Having a smiling little boy speed crawl to me in the afternoons when I pick him up from daycare is an added bonus.
The one thing I wasn't ready for? Serious mommy guilt. Before this job change Logan was in daycare 3 days a week. I missed him like crazy, but I never felt very guilty because I knew how good it was for him to get the socialization and interaction that only daycare can provide. I don't know why 2 more days has made such a difference, but it is killing me. I know we're doing the best we can, and what we have to do, but I hate feeling like my child is with strangers more than he's with us. I hate not knowing what's going on in that little head of his. And as much as I love his reaction when he first lays eyes on me in the afternoon, it breaks my heart to see the tears roll down his face when I tell him bye every morning.
I try to remind myself that daycare is good for his development. I remind myself of the millions of other parents and kids going through the same thing. And Nick reminds me that Logan will never love me any less because he spends his days in school. But all of the reminders in the world can't take away the pit at the bottom of my stomach Monday through Friday.
For now I will work as hard as I can to race to that sweet little face as fast as I can every day. And I will cherish the time we do have together, and family meals at the dinner table, and tucking my sweet little boy into bed each night. Things I have missed or taken for granted for far too long.
Since it's almost March, and Logan is almost 13 months old, I thought it might be a good time to share some pictures from his birthday party (better late than never, right?). The lighting was pretty terrible and I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I hoped, but I really loved the way everything came together. I focused on the food (learned from my wedding planning days), and didn't plan a lot of elaborate decorations. The best parties are all about good friends & family, and celebrations of love. Which is exactly what we did.
One thing I didn't plan on? Waking up to a blanket of snow on Groundhog Day. Luckily it melted quickly, and only stopped a few people from joining the party.
Of course our theme was airplanes, and I had a lot of help with the decorations. Mom arrived late Friday night with the banner made, and stayed up until 1am securing each of my thousands of photos for the other banners. Together with my Dad they brought everything to life the next morning, filling the clubhouse room with streamers and balloons and as many pictures of Logan as I could find. I used a few airplane props from his bedroom for the final touches.
The room was overflowing with pictures of Logan... exactly what I wanted. I used Printicular to print all of our instagram photos at Walgreen's, and printed some (about 100?) of my favorite photos of Logan's first year. Inspired by this photo from Pinterest, I hung the pictures with clothespins. Simple and colorful.
Always the control freak, I insisted on making each and every platter of food on my own. I spent all day Friday in the kitchen, and most of Saturday morning, too. Thank you, Pinterest, for lists that never stop growing and endless ideas that I have to try.
A few years ago I hosted a baby shower for a dear friend of mine, and decided to make my own buttercream frosting for the cupcakes even though I only owned a hand mixer. Never again. This time I opted for boxed cake mix, and premade frosting from Publix. Best decision I ever made. And at least they were pretty?
I also went simply and easy for Logan's smash cake (which he hated, by the way). Funfetti boxed cake mix, and funfetti frosting. And the cutest airplane candle holder from Amazon (here).
I totally planned for and expected cute smash cake pictures. Boy, was I wrong. He enjoyed the singing and being the center of attention, and flying his airplane around, but that's about it. He wanted nothing to do with his cake. And when we forced him to try a little frosting so he could see what he was missing, it was all over. He screamed and cried, and threw up the nacho cup he had enjoyed not long before. Definitely not the pictures I hoped for!
The little ones had a great time at the party. So many little cuties!
Overall, the party was a success and exactly what I hoped for. Happy birthday to my sweet little boy! Here's to many more years of celebrations with friends and family.
What an amazing, life-changing, and absolutely incredible year this has been. I barely remember what life was like before you joined our family, and I don't miss a thing about it. You have brought us laughter and tears, sleepless nights and endless days, and enough smiles and memories to last a lifetime. You have tried us in ways we never expected and taught us lessons in parenting, marriage, and what life is really about. Not a day goes by that I don't cherish every smile that lights up your face.
At 12 months you care much more about texture than taste, and always prefer larger bites you can pick up and feed yourself. You are finally growing and wearing 9-12 month clothing! You skipped 6-9 month clothing all together. You are constantly moving and crawling faster than we can keep up, and just started pulling yourself to a standing position. You are now 19 lbs and 28 inches long. You have climbed to the 5th percentile for weight... which is quite an accomplishment for my little man!
Your favorite song is still "if you're happy and you know it", and you often prompt us to start singing by clapping your hands. You also clap when we sing other songs or play games together, and during bathtime when the water turns off. I have been surprised lately by sweet kisses when I least expect them, and you have definitely become quite the charmer.
This week at daycare you joined the toddler class and had a blast! You ate hot meals with the big kids, and even laid down on a mat all by yourself during naptime. It is amazing how fast you are growing up. I installed your new car seat tonight and can't wait to get your reaction to seeing a little more on car trips (don't worry, still rear-facing for another year!). You are starting to sit still and really listen to stories at bedtime, no matter how long of a book we choose. We always find time throughout the day to cuddle, and I think you enjoy it almost as much as I do.
The more I think about the little man you're becoming, the more I find myself at a loss for words. Everything is moving so incredibly fast. I have a hard time mourning the loss of my precious little baby, because every day is such a fun adventure with you. My heart is beaming with pride at every new milestone. You are full of surprises and joy. For the past 12+ months you have been my world, and the memories alone give me such peace and happiness. I look forward to the next year, the next milestone, and the next adventure by your side. This is our journey together.
