1st Birthday!

My baby is a year old!! I feel like I should write a long post using beautiful words to describe how touched I am that my baby is a year old today. But I can't put into words how I feel right now. I'm so HAPPY. I thought I might be sad or a little weepy that my baby is growing up, but I just feel so proud of him and I'm glad that we had such a wonderful year.

Evan is such a good little boy. I know I've written about it before and it might make some people (including other mothers!) want to gag, but he really is such a great child. I've been so blessed for multiple reasons this past year. 2009 and 2010 have been the best years of my life. I was thinking the other day about the years leading up to Evan's birth. Wondering which was the worst year. Thinking 2006 was pretty bad...but 2008 was worse. And 2007 wasn't so hot either. But then as soon as 2009 came around I found out I was pregnant...and my life changed for the better. Check out the announcement, pictures of the day he was born, and my birth story. Awww, I just want to thank Joy again...just thinking of how sweet she was makes me tear up!

We had a dinosaur birthday party for Evan on Saturday. We invited his playgroup friends, my family, and a couple of our friends (Evan's adopted aunt and uncle). My grandma flew out from Arkansas just for Evan's birthday! And my great aunt, great uncle, and their daughter decided to come at the last minute from SC. Like, about 2 hours before the party started my mom called me to "warn" me that they were coming. I was glad they were able to share the day though.

It was a lot of fun! Not many of his playgroup friends could come since 2 were on vacation and 3 were sick. But 3 of them did come and it was nice to have other kids his age there. We grilled out on the patio and everyone ate under the trees in our backyard. It was the first day in months that the weather wasn't super humid and hot. Evan opened his presents and boy did he receive a lot!! One of my favorites was a monogrammed towel with his name and a dinosaur on it. I don't really know what his favorite is yet. My parents gave him a walking dinosaur toy that plays music and he likes to dance to it, but isn't doing too well walking with it. He also liked a poppy up toy that also plays music. And of course he loves the books he received.

He inhaled his cake!!! As soon as it was put in front of him he grabbed a fistful of icing and shoved it into his mouth. You'd think he knew what a cake was even though we've only given him a couple of sweets before and in VERY small portions. Matt cut him a really big piece of cake. After a few minutes I went over to take it away since I didn't want him to actually eat it all....and it was GONE. He ate every bite of it! I wouldn't even eat a piece of cake that big!! Everyone was quite amazed by it. He actually resorted to 2 hands so he could eat it faster. Thankfully I got a video of it. ;-)

Today on his actual birthday we sang "Happy Birthday" to him first thing in the morning (and I sang it to him after he woke up from both of his naps). Unfortunately the middle of the day wasn't so happy. Evan had his first real injury. He was in the bathroom and toppled over and hit his mouth on the corner of the cabinet. It was bleeding A LOT. And he was crying A LOT. I was trying to call Matt who wasn't answering. Then I called the nurse and talked to her in between Evan's screams. She told me to get him to stop crying and let him suck on a popsicle. So he did, but the bleeding continued and he kept crying even on his 3rd popsicle. But Matt came home and we were able to locate the source of the bleeding. He cut his gum and the inside of his lip between his 2 front teeth. The bleeding stopped after awhile. The nurse called me back twice to check on him and give me instructions. Basically I gave him ice water a lot. He took a long afternoon nap and his lip was a little swollen when he woke up, but he was acting fine.

So nothing really serious, but it was scary (I was afraid he'd knocked out a tooth at first!) and stressful. I was by myself when it happened and trying to clean up the blood and give him an ice pop (good thing my sister had left some in the fridge after she stayed here last month!) and locate the source of the bleeding. Then after about 15 minutes my sister and grandma came in (and were no help whatsoever) and then Matt came in a couple of minutes after that. Then I felt like there were TOO many people in the house and it was just making Evan more upset. But Matt was great and helped comfort Evan and clean him up (we were both covered in blood and grape popsicle).

We went out to dinner with my family to Cracker Barrel for Evan's birthday dinner. That's his favorite restaurant. :-) And now he's back in his crib, talking and cooing even though he should be sleeping. Such a little sweetie!!

11 Months Old

The pictures are from a photo shoot my dad took when Evan was 10.5 months old.

Evan is over 11 months old now! Just another 3 weeks and he'll be 1 year old!! :-( :-) I don't know if I'm happy or sad about that...

Evan celebrated 11 months by running his first fever, then getting a cold (his second, he had another one back in Feb/Mar sometime) and teething at the same time, and then cutting his 5th tooth. He's been a busy little man!!!

He can now crawl FULL SPEED AHEAD! It's amazing how fast he can go. I remember a month ago we were at a playdate and I saw one of his friends crawling that fast. I thought that Evan would never crawl so fast. After all, he'd been crawling for months and still wasn't anywhere near that quick. But now all of a sudden the past few days he's figured out he can GO. Matt had a situation where he went after Evan to keep him from getting into something. Evan turned around and saw Matt coming after him and started crawling even faster trying to get away.

He definitely has a devious side. He knows how to "casually" start playing with something he isn't supposed to be near. Like he isn't allowed to touch the entertainment center. But he'll slowly crawl over there. When he sees that I'm watching him he'll stop and lean over and fiddle with the edge of the rug (which is about 6 inches from the entertainment center). He'll play with the rug for a bit until he either forgets I'm there or thinks I'm gone, then he'll reach out and touch the entertainment center. He's also not allowed to touch the hearth. So he plays with the table we have in front of the hearth and the stuff on it. So he's as close as he can get without me telling him to get away. I was watching him play with the stuff on the table yesterday and he grabbed an item and then proceeded to touch the hearth with the item. At first I thought it was an accident so I didn't say anything, but then he deliberately started touching the hearth and the kitties' food bowl with it. He found a loop hole!! Of course I made him stop because now that's yet another rule...not allowed to touch forbidden things even with another object. ;-)

I'm making Evan sound bad in this post...but he really isn't! As a matter of fact, I'm so thankful that I have such an obedient son. He is so GOOD. I see his friends and all the trouble they get into. I think Evan is more obedient than the average baby his age. I could always tell that...he's always been quiet...he's never been fussy or demanding. It took him a long time of crawling before he started exploring and getting into things. Some children are like that and I'm grateful to have one of those.

My mom said that I was a great child as well...very obedient and good. My brother was the opposite and while my sister was sweet natured and rarely complained, she was an explorer and was constantly getting into things and trying to get away from my mom. So I wonder how my next child will be... It's so neat how you can tell a child's personality when they are just a couple of months old. Evan has stayed consistent as far as that goes... he's never given me reason to change my opinion that he's a good, obedient, quiet, laid back, slightly introverted baby. :-)

San Diego

A week ago I was on a plane with Evan heading to San Diego! Matt was there on a business trip all last week and on Thursday Matt and I flew out there to meet him. The flight went very well!! It was delayed 2 hours, so it was a long time to hang around the airport and I didn't try to put Evan down for a nap so he was very tired by the time we took off. I gave him a bottle at take off and he went to sleep for about 20-25 minutes. Then he woke up and stayed awake the rest of the 4 hour flight. It was fine though because we flew first class (it was less reward miles to fly first class than it was to fly coach!! 25,000 to fly first class and 30,000 to fly coach). Ummm...I think I'll fly first class!! lol It was my first time to be in first class and it was great! They served a meal which was a lifesaver because it kept Evan and I busy for about an hour. Then he ate lots of snacks and looked out the window a long time. I let him play on the floor by my feet for a little bit. I walked him around the first class aisle for a little while, but he wasn't sleepy. However, he did lay in my lap and play with some toys for awhile. All in all, it was great. Security at the airport was great too. There's a family line at the Charlotte airport and so I went through that and someone helped me put the stroller on the x-ray belt. I only carried one backpack with me - i packed VERY light which was also a lifesaver. It's not like Evan plays with toys a whole lot anyway.

The best "toys" for flying were: water bottles (I had 2), package of pretzels, Mum Mum wrapper, package of animal crackers, and the plastic wrapper off the the snack box (that we purchased in coach on the way home). Evan loves playing with trash and it's great because I don't have to carry it around with me, it's stuff I bought in the airport or received on the plane and I just left them there when we got off.

San Diego was GREAT!! It was beautiful weather there. We went from Charlotte temperatures of the high 90s to San Diego temps of 70-80 degrees! The warmest day there was 79* and that was hot to everyone who lived there!! We spent Thursday walking around the Convention Center and Seaport Village. Then Friday we went to the zoo. My favorite things there were the hippos, elephants, polar bears, and koalas. I had been there before, but I was like 12 at the time so I don't really remember it. Evan's favorite thing was the turtles in an aquarium, a monkey we saw just after we arrived, or the fish that were in the hippo tank. lol They weren't even an attraction! We came home that afternoon and swam in the hotel pool.

Saturday we went to Old Town and spent the afternoon walking around the historic attractions and the pretty park in the center. I had a great time seeing the pretty trees, cacti, and other plants. We ate Mexican for lunch and had ice cream later in the afternoon.

We went back to the hotel and swam. Then we napped the rest of the afternoon and went out to the Gaslamp quarter for dinner. On the way back to the hotel (we took the trolley) Evan fell asleep. I lifted him out of the stroller to get on the trolley and he stayed asleep the whole way home!! He doesn't fall asleep like that much anymore. I loved holding him while he slept. :-)

On Sunday we spent the afternoon lazing around and napping. Matt's friend who lives nearby came and picked us up (he even borrowed a car seat) and took us to Coronado. It's a beautiful island with a cute little town, beautiful houses, and a great beach. I've decided that someday I want to live there! Although I would be paying the same price as a 4 bedroom home with an acre of land in NC for a 1-2 bedroom house with almost no yard in Coronado!! lol We had lunch HERE and then walked across the island (through the awesome neighborhoods) to the beach. We walked up and down the beach for awhile and then Matt's friend drove us just outside the city to see the condo he bought (he didn't even have the keys yet!). It was amazing driving through the hills outside the city at sunset. SOOOO beautiful. I think a part of me was made to live in southern Cali. I just love love love the desert hills.

Monday we flew back to Charlotte. This time Matt flew with us and we were in coach. Evan slept about an hour and a half (he slept GREAT the whole time we were there, he was worn out from the time change and all of the things we did!) on my lap. He just sprawled out on his tummy and went to sleep. He's so heavy both of my legs fell asleep from his weight! He was a little fussier on the flight home, but after he woke up he was better.

So now we are back in Charlotte where the temperature highs are 99* and the humidity is up to 85%. :-P

Tag! photo

I was tagged by Sara to post the 8th photo in my 8th picture folder. Wonder what it'll be.........

Well, I wish I could say it was an adorable picture of my adorable son, but that's just not true. So here it is:

lol! Yeah, I took that picture when my odometer switched to 80,085 miles.

But here's the picture that was in the #7 slot. Much better!! Evan LOVES Matt's work ID tag and grabs it the second Matt picks him up after arriving home from work.

I tag anyone who wants to participate! I'm supposed to choose 8 people, but there's just no way for me to choose.

Swap

I participated in a blogger swap and received a package from Becky in Tasmania!! She and I have been friends for years now and it was awesome to switch packages! As a matter of fact, we've decided to do it more often. :-)

She sent an outfit for Evan, a stuffed Tasmanian devil toy, a board book about Tasmanian devils (LOVE!), 2 bars of her favorite candy (yum!), a picture frame (the glass broke, but I think it will be fine without it and I love the butterflies!), 2 book marks, a bracelet, a key chain, a book called "Mother Wisdom" (I haven't read it all yet, but the parts I have read are so precious), and a beautiful butterfly pin.

I feel like I'm forgetting something and I very well may be! lol I was so excited when the package came. Matt and I opened it up and started going through all of the stuff (and Matt immediately ate one of the candy bars), so it wasn't until a couple of days later that I remembered to take pictures. Now Matt wants a Tasmanian devil for a pet and I keep "chasing" Evan around with the Tasmanian devil toy. haha! Evan is going to know more about those animals than any other American boy!!!

I'm very excited and can't wait for Evan to be able to fit in his outfit (it's just a little too big right now, which is good because if it was 12m size he'd be growing out of it in a couple of weeks.

I was touched at how thoughtful Becky was. She remembered that I love butterflies and reading and it was really sweet of her to send stuff that Evan could enjoy too! Thanks, Becky!

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July!!

Evan loved the fireworks last night! We sat farther away than we normally do, which worked out great. The weather was beautiful yesterday (much cooler than it's been the past couple of months with a high of 83*). We went to the parade in the morning, had a cookout with my family for lunch AND supper, and then went to see the fireworks. Matt ended up staying home and went with us. When the fireworks started Evan was grinning as he stared at them! He sat so still and quiet the entire time, completely fascinated. It was such a great experience, I'm glad I'll have these memories for the rest of my life.

10 months old

The day after Evan turned 10 months old it was like a switch was flipped in his head and he started crawling everywhere. He's been crawling for months, but staying in the living area. He started crawling down the hallway and sometimes into the office, but never ventured anywhere else and didn't crawl for long distances. However, all of a sudden he is all over the place! It was so weird how it happened...one day he was staying close by and the next day I couldn't keep him out of the kitchen, utility room, bathroom, office, and bedroom! Not that I necessarily want to keep him out of all those places, but I just have to watch him in those places. And if I ever do try to keep him in the living area....well...yeah right. lol He will try to go where he wants over and over and over no matter how many times I move him.

We're having a good time and I have to say, it's more entertaining now that he's on the move all the time. Sometimes it's hard, but for the most part I don't mind. He's also started trying to get into the kitchen cabinets and the bathroom drawers. I put a lock thing on the cabinet doors under our kitchen sink since I have some cleaners in there. I am planning on putting drawer locks on the drawers in the bathroom because they are very easy to pull out and he often hangs on them and then loses his balance and falls on the tile floor. Other than that I don't plan to baby proof any more than that except for putting a lock on the toilet lids.

He has 3 teeth (two bottom and one top), but he's been very cranky and clingy this week. Earlier in the week he only wanted me to hold him. Not my mom, not my sister, not Matt... just me. And he was whining constantly. This lasted a couple of days. I knew it was teething, but that fourth tooth still hasn't broke through (well, I haven't looked today, so maybe it has by now). His first tooth was rough. He was fine until the day after it broke through. Then it was 4 days of constant whining and fussiness. His second and third teeth were fine. He cried one night in NO with his second and then with his third there were a couple of nights I think it was bothering him, but nothing like before. And now this fourth one is rough too.

He is starting to walk around while holding things much more. He's been doing it for about 3-4 weeks now, but just since last week he's doing it more and more for longer periods of time. It's hard to get him to "walk" to me because he knows perfectly well the best way to get around is by crawling. So when I want him to come to me he sits down and crawls. lol

I'm trying to teach him to clap and do the "so big" motions when I ask how big Evan is. Some of his friends do that so of course I want Evan to do it. ;-) He has no desire to sit still long enough to do those things though! I try to sit and interact with him, but he wants to move!! However, he is more cuddly than he was a few months ago. He'll sit in my lap while I read books to him. Throughout the day he'll climb up into my lap just to give me a hug. LOVE LOVE LOVE that!!

He kissed Matt for the first time last week and then on Monday he kissed my sister for the first time. It was so sweet because he was going to kiss Melissa, but she didn't know what he was doing so she pulled away. I told her I was pretty sure he wanted to kiss her. So she held still and he went for her again. She moved towards him slightly and he slowly moved towards her and gave her the gentlest kiss! It was like he knew she didn't understand the first time and was trying to be slow and gentle for her. So far she's the only person he's kissed except Matt and I. He loves giving my mom hugs now too though.

He's saying more sounds now. He started babbling "dadadada" last week. I think soon he'll be saying "dada" meaning Matt since he babbled "mamama" before saying "mama" meaning me. He's also saying sounds like "ninini" and "nienienie" (that just started the past 2 days) and today he even said something that sounded like "okay."

So what are your 4th of July plans? The town Matt and I usually go to to watch fireworks is having their parade and fireworks on the 3rd this year since the 4th is on a Sunday and they don't want to interfere with church plans. However, Matt RSVPd to go to a wedding on the evening of the 3rd (ugg, I told him I didn't want him to go, but he insisted...and it isn't even for a friend of his, it's a co-worker and it's 3 hours away). So I'm just trying to decide if I'll go watch the fireworks with my family without Matt or if I should wait for him and go with just him and Evan on the 4th (when they have fireworks in downtown Charlotte). I just love the town's fireworks and I wanted to go with my family. But...I don't know how Evan will act the first time he sees fireworks. I'm afraid he might hate it and scream and cry.

How did your little one react to fireworks for the first time? How old were they?