Cake . . . Yum!

We had a birthday party for Max on Saturday. It was so much fun to celebrate his first year with our friends and family. Max opened his presents, or at least mom and dad did, he just wanted to sit on the floor playing with the tissue paper and ribbon.

It was funny when we were singing Max loved being the center of attention. He couldn't take his eyes off his Elmo cake. Isn't it cute! Gotta love Sam's! I also love Max's birthday hat. He wore it in the store for over 10 minutes, so I thought it would be worth the $5, but then at his party he wanted nothing to do with it, until the cake came out. Then he couldn't care less that mommy put a crazy Sesame Street hat on his head.

After we sang we gave Max his very own cupcake, with the '1' on it of course. He didn't hesitate long, he just dug right in!

This was his first taste of cake . . . and he loved it! He did a pretty good job of getting most of his cupcake into his mouth, although some did end up on the floor.

No matter how messy he gets, we just love our little man to pieces!

Now if only our flight to San Francisco tomorrow goes

as well as his party, we will be in good shape. Keep your fingers crossed that all goes well!

Happy Birthday Max!

Okay, I just couldn't let his real birthday go by without a post. My little guy is officially one in about 15 minutes. I can't believe that is has been year. Time has flown! Every day is more fun than the one before. I still look at Max every day and think how fortunate we are to have the opportunity to love him and raise him. We are very lucky and we count our blessings every day!

My Baby is One!

Or at least he will be tomorrow. . .



I have parent teacher conferences so I won't get to see my little man at all tomorrow night. I will also want to go straight to bed when I get home, so I know I won't be able to blog. We got his pictures back tonight from his one year photo shoot and they turned out really well. I will post some of the pictures throughout, so let us know which ones you like! As I look at how big my little guy is I can't help but think about how much things have changed over the past year. I know that I have just begun my journey of parenthood by I have already learned so much!

I know this is only the tip of the iceberg, but I have learned that . . .

• those cute little newborn mittens serve a purpose - baby nails are sharp!



• the boppy and the sleep sheep are non-negotiable, must have items for any family



• my husband can find deals on anything - last week he found Huggies Supreme diapers for 5 1/2 cents each!




• babies don't have perfect belly buttons as soon as their cord falls off




• the only place to find socks that stay on is Walmart





• washing bottles is no fun





• Desitin is a must have for every diaper change - and the Target version just isn't the same





• it is worth splurging on a Pottery Barn bath towel




• I need to take more pictures




• there are not enough hours in the day to enjoy my little bit




• Max and the pets are a lot alike - they like attention and sun spots on the carpet




• Max's laugh is the most beautiful sound in the world





• minivan's are helpful even if you only have one child




• ear infections suck




• date nights are necessary - thank you Nonna!
  
  


• babies come with a lot of 'stuff' - and they make even more laundry




• I love nursing Max. It is so wonderful to share that closeness with him and I am sad to see it end (although I was more than happy to quit pumping at work last month)






• babies live in sleepers - day and night - for the first three months




• girl clothes are much cuter than boy clothes




• not knowing Max was a boy until delivery was so worth it! There aren't many surprises in life and this was a wonderful one!




• there are times when it is okay to let babies cry at night - they will still love you in the morning!




• you should shower before you go in for an induction. I still don't know why no one told me this! Three days without a shower is inhumane!



• I will never be able to thank my mom enough - for everything



• a c-section isn't the end of the world




• I can be obsessed with poop - how often, what color, and on and on




• a good day care provider is worth her weight in gold




• baby colds really suck!





• a pillow under the mattress helps with the colds




• each stage is more fun than the one before - at least so far




• Max is growing up way too quickly






• sleep is good - whenever you can get it



• babies spit up - a lot




• bibs might not be cute - but they sure do come in handy



• cute baby clothes are too hard to put on - the basics are the best
  


• I love onsies - what am I going to do when he gets to big for them?!

• I Love You Forever always makes me cry, no matter how many times I ready it




• reading to Max is even more fun that reading aloud to my students




• never to go anywhere without a burp cloth




• Cheerios are like baby crack - I know it isn't the most ideal comparison but a friend coined the phrase and it totally fits




• dirty binkies can work in a pinch



• EVERY baby is a miracle



• I love my husband even more now that I see him as a daddy



• Max is the most amazing little boy on the face of the Earth
  


• I am the luckiest woman alive!

Sick Again?

I got the dreaded call this afternoon from Max's sitter. . . the fever call. Max had a 101.6 temp under his arm this afternoon. I found someone to cover my class for an hour or so and I headed to pick him up. I called the doctor and I was able to get in this afternoon. I was sure that she would just tell me it was a virus and that I would just need to let it run it's course. That wasn't the case. Ends up our little man has ANOTHER ear infection! We are back on the Augmenton, so hopefully it will be better soon so that Max won't be sick for his birthday.

I did get to take a couple cute pictures of Max today. He loves to stand up at the cabinets and when he loves things he doesn't just smile, he yells! After another dose of Motrin he was ready to dig into dinner. Ravioli - Yum! Good thing it was a bath night!

The day at the park

Well, after the dangerous storms blew through town this morning, we took Max and the dog to the park near our house. They have a nice little playground and we were able to put him on some of the equipment. I would of though he would of enjoyed it better, but Sarah should enjoyed herself. She keep taking videos and pictures at every turn.

New Shoes

Yesterday we had Max's one year photo shoot. The pictures turned out pretty well. I should be able to post a couple on the blog next week. I have to say that I became a bit obsessed with what Max would be wearing in his pictures. Since he is a March baby I wanted him to look 'springy'. I had him wear a cute little pair of overall shorts and a collared shirt. It was my first Gymboree purchase, I have to say they have nice things and their sizes run much more true to size. Since he was wearing shorts, I wanted him to have a cute little pair of sandals to go with them.

We went back to Laurie's and luckily he didn't get beat up this time! We tried on a ton of different shoes and finally settled on a pair. While we were there the salesman checked out his other shoes and they are already way too small! I feel bad that I didn't notice. So until the weather warms up Max will be sporting the socks with sandals look, which you can see in the picture. He will be very upset with me at some point over this!

Since the weather has been nice we spent some time outside this morning. Max just loves being outside! He just takes everything in like a little sponge. The wind really started to pick up since there is a storm headed our way, so we took Max inside. Apparently he hadn't had his outside fill yet, so he just stood at the door for another 20 minutes. I may be partial, but I think our little man is the cutest child around!

I also want to update on our sleep issues. I think I can officailly say that the crying thing worked for us. After that first night he has not cried for more than five minutes and I think he has learned that he can put himself back to sleep. That first night was incredibly tough, but I am so glad that we did it. Now all of our family is well rested, not to mention much happier!