Barrett - Twelve months old

My dear baby Barrett

Well this is it, baby. Can I still call you baby, now that you're one year old? I think so, because to me, you'll always be my baby! Throughout the last few days I keep thinking, what was going on one year ago now? One year ago now, I was thinking the baby would never come, we were on our way to the hospital, I was in labor, we learned a c-section was inevitable, you were born! What a whirlwind those days were. What a time of exhaustion, of pain but total and utter joy. I couldn't imagine past those first few days, of a crying newborn and sleepless nights. But here you are, playing in front of me as I write this, chewing on your Elmo toy, listening to your music table and dancing with it and looking up at me and saying hi as our eyes meet. You have become 1 year old in the blink of an eye. It is a very emotional time for mommy as I realize you are more of a toddler now than a baby.

You are becoming quite a talker and know at least 5 words now and when to use them. Impressive!! You can say mommy, ball, uh-oh, hi and bye. And the last two are accompanied with hand waving. It is unbelievably cute! When I pick you up to leave the room or when you can tell someone else is leaving you say "buh-bye!" and wave. So cute! You're so proud of this new party trick too and seem very eager for people to come and go so you can use it. Even a walk into the other room to change your diaper will elicit this grand goodbye and you smile when everyone laughs and waves back. You also say "muh" and point when you want something but I don't know what this means - mine or more maybe?

You get around so easily now, crawling and creeping along furniture at the speed of light. But no standing or walking alone and when we hold you up to encourage you to stand, you let your little legs buckle. You can do it, but I think you'd rather be held so you don't try. Silly duck. I recently read though that good crawlers may be slow to walk because they can get around so well already and I'm wondering if that will be true in your case.

Still silly with the food and somewhat picky. You, however, tried birthday cake on your birthday at Mimi and Papa's house and I think it was instant love. You clamped your lips and refused to open them until I put a dab of frosting on your lips and then you gobbled it right up. It was a vanilla cake with raspberry filling and whipped frosting and you couldn't get enough. We have your birthday party right around the corner and I know you'll be in cake heaven when you have a little one of your own.

We love you so much, baby. This last year has been an amazing whirlwind of joy and I am so happy to have you in our family!

Love
Mommy

Loving everyone singing Happy Birthday to him




Clapping after the candle is blown out




Yum, CAKE!

Family and 1 year photos

This past weekend we had Barrett's 1 year photos/family Christmas photos taken. Our photographer sent us a sneak peek of her favorites and I am very pleased with them!

We managed to get full cooperation from the little guy too, which sure beats the last time we had them done, with teething and tears. Below are some of the shots we got. But not all - some will be included in this year's Christmas card (if I ever manage to get around to actually getting them started), so those shots have been excluded.

However, just because I got these 1 year pictures taken does not mean that I am allowing this whole 1 year birthday thing to happen. Can I please continue to leave in my safe and happy world and pretend that in a mere 10 days my baby will NOT be turning one year old?

Counting down the days...

One year ago tomorrow was my due date. One year ago I was still at work, hoping every night when I went to sleep that *that* night would be the night. I envisioned waking up with contractions, taking a warm bath, then waking up Tim to say those two anticipated words: "It's time." But it wasn't to be. Every morning I woke up and laid there for a minute, making sure that I still felt perfectly normal and there were no contractions to be felt. Then onto rolling myself out of bed, waddling around the house to get ready, drive to work and here those three dreaded words: "You're STILL here?" Ugh. It was kind of cute the first time but by the 312th time, I wasn't so amused. Although it was a little funny when people asked when I was due and I said "last Friday." Funny now, although I'm pretty sure my 41 week pregnant self wasn't laughing.

I did everything I could think of to get this kid out of me. I spent hours walking around the mall with nothing to show for it but blistered heels and swollen feet. I bounced on an exercise ball every night. I tried evening primrose oil. I ate buffalo wild wings every weekend for a month. I ate an entire pineapple by myself for pete's sake.

This was one determined child. Even after 20 hours in the hospital, 12 days late, I remember the nurse telling me he was so far north he was practically in Wisconsin. I had visions of him clinging to my lungs with white knuckles, holding on for dear life. But out he came, though not willingly, by doctor's scalpel and prying hands. When I was laying on that table, I could feel the pressure as the doctor pushed and pulled, way up under my rib cage, to pry him out. He had a will that was not giving in!

It's funny now, but he still has that will. He's generally a pretty mellow-ish little one, but when that will comes out, boy does it come out. As he tries his hardest to flip over and crawl away during diaper changes and squirms and cries and struggles to win the fight and get away, I tell him "do not get into a battle of wills with your mama, because that's one battle you're going to lose."

It's hard to even remember one year ago. It's hard to picture myself being 40 weeks pregnant, now that my body has returned to its normal self again. If it wasn't for that scar on my belly, I'd wonder if the entire pregnancy was some dream, it seems so foreign now. Sometimes I miss that little body in my belly, rumbling and tumbling around inside me but I sure do love that little boy, tumbling and crawling all over me when I lay on the floor!

A very St Louis Thanksgiving

Yes, this is a very belated Thanksgiving post. What can I say, I am beyond swamped with Christmas, a very special upcoming birthday, and incredibly busy times at work.

Nonetheless, we had a great Thanksgiving and had so much to be thankful for this year. This was an especially meaningful Thanksgiving because of the little guy in the below pictures and how much he has blessed our lives this year. It's surreal to think that last year my parents came up to see me, because I was only 2 weeks away from my due date, and I was cooking Thanksgiving dinner with a belly that barely allowed me to reach the stove. This year I celebrated Thanksgiving with that squirmy little sweetheart seated to my right, munching away on turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, and rolls. Crazy what a difference a year makes!

It was especially fun to get together this year because of the two little cousins. Caroline is 8 weeks younger than B and so it is always fun to see the two interact. 8 weeks is such a difference at this age.

Eating breakfast together


Barrett definitely was in awe of the bigger boy cousins. Here he is mesmerized by Jack (nearly 5) playing the Wii


But not too mesmerized to not play with Caroline also


A new house = lots of things to get into. He has entered the phase where he realizes it is tremendous fun to pull things off of shelves, to sweep them onto the floor and throw food/cups onto the floor. What a great game!

Here he is checking out the drawers


And playing his favorite game - making a mess, we call it


Lots of yummy pies. I realized we didn't take any pictures of dinner or B in his "first Thanksgiving" bib. Oh well
The pies were, from top to bottom, pecan, apple, pumpkin turtle (graham crust, bottom of pecans and caramel, topped by pumpkin, and finished off with layer of cool whip topped with caramel drizzle and crushed pecans) and Apple/oat pie (apple with a oat/strudel topping, drizzled with caramel).
There was unbelievably good food and I think I gained 5lbs that weekend. YUM.


More playing time


Mimi and her grandbabies


Next up is Christmas - I have so much to do and am starting to think I overcommited myself this month!