One Year Old!

Dear Chuy,

You're ONE YEAR OLD!!!

Well, actually, you're one year and a couple weeks, we've been busy swimming and having fun, so, not a lot of time left to blog about it... Anywhoo...


Your mommy has been having a bit of trouble accepting that her precious little tiny baby boy is no longer a baby. You're a toddler now. You walk all around the house like a crazy man, you go to big boy escuela now where you have to do grown up things like wear shoes and drink from a sippy cup. It's so exciting to see how much you are changing and growing, but my tender mommy heart misses her tiny little newborn baby sometimes (though, I will say, I don't miss getting up every two hours in the night to feed you)...


We had a killer, white hot, over the top, kind of ridiculous, super awesome 1st Birthday Party for you and Clover over at Auntie Vic and Uncle Dave's house. What started as a 'tiny hat' theme ballooned into a full on Alice In Wonderland Mad Hatter tea party!


Here's a pic of you and Clo in your fancy pants outfits...

You weren't too fond of your flouncy Mad Hatter goodness - can't say I blame you - it was super hot outside and you're wearing a wool jacket...


Here's Mommy, Daddy, and Baby Hatter...

Oh yes, there were still tiny hats involved and Daddy has an awesome white rabbit tee too!

One of your Auntie Vic's friends made the most beautiful tiny hat cakes for you and Clover...

We decided to strip you both down to your diapers (though Clover is still wearing her Mary Jane's... cause she's a lady...) and let you go crazy on your tiny cakes...

Here you are blowing out your very first birthday candle...

I was so incredibly proud of the moment when we sang happy birthday to you and Clo - it brought a tear to my eye.


Then, you and Clo got down to business...

I did manage to get a bite of your cake - it was the most delicious cake I think I've ever tasted. It's almost a shame that you guys were set on 'total cake destruction' mode, only a couple bites actually ended up in your mouths.

On your actual birthday, we opened presents at home. Here's a pic with you and a small portion of your birthday loot. You are one spoiled little mister - you got soooooo many presents from all your friends and family.

We took you out shopping and then had pancakes for dinner - mommy favorite (and hopefully yours too)!

Of course, we also had to have a B-Day celebration at escuela too - here's a pic of you with your buddy AJ...

Mmmm... cupcake...

Your B-Day party was also your last day at your baby escuela. You see, there's another location of the same escuela that's only a mile from our house, so, I moved you. It hurt to leave all of your teachers and friends, we both miss them terribly, but it is so nice that it only takes 15 minutes to pick you up now - instead of an hour.

Happy happy birthday, my sweet little boy. I can't believe we've made it a whole year. I can't believe how much you've grown. I can't believe that you're walking and soon you'll be talking up a storm.

It is so incredibly crazy how fast this year has flown by. I can't even imagine my life without you - I love you so very very much and I can't wait to see what you'll be up to in year number 2!

Love,

Mommy

Eleven Months Old!

Dear Chuy,

What? You're 11 months old already? How did that happen?

Better question... when did you stop looking like a little baby and start looking like a little boy?

Huh? When?

Your Mother's tender heart would like to know because she just can't take it. Where'd my baby go?

You've been spending more and more time doing your 'baby work'. What's funny is that I know you could totally walk on your own if you wanted to - you just choose to use the furniture and the walls and this here cart for balance. Daddy and I have both seen you just let go and stand on your own, however... maybe by your 1st birthday?

Here you are helping Daddy do the dishes. You are so completely your Father's son - you LOVE watching Daddy do the dishes - you cry when I take you away to go and play...

For Mother's Day, we took you to the Children's Museum. We all had a blast - you especially loved looking at the fishies... then we all had pancakes for dinner... cause that's what Mommies like!

My sweet boy made this for me at escuela - it's paper that's full of seeds, so I can plant it and watch it grow!

Your Auntie Regina came for a visit last weekend - we had much fun! I can't believe you're actually smiling in this picture - too bad I look like a wreck, but you and Auntie Gigi look great!

Through the magic of science and technology, I am now able to post videos to your blog. Yay! Thanks to Auntie Gigi's fancy schmancy camera. This video is of you playing with a spoon at Casa Maria. You are such a silly rabbit.

I can't believe that in 20 days you're going to be 1 year old. Can't believe it! This has truly been the best year ever and I just can't wait to see what you'll be up to in year 2.

Love,

Mommy

10 Months Old!

Dear Chuy,





Last week, you turned 10 months old. Less than two months until your 1st Birthday. Can you believe it? Where did the time go? This was seriously the quickest 10 months of my entire life.





You're on the verge of a major major major baby milestone... walking... walking? walking!



We got you a little clackity clack alligator push cart and you love it.

You always look so determined and serious when you push your cart down the hallway. I've made up a song about you and your 'baby work' - remind me sometime, I'll sing it for you...

You've also taken to cruising around all the furniture - mostly to get to kitties who, thanks to your mobility and lack of volume control, want little to do with your company at the moment.

Tis a shame too, because you have much love for these beasts... your Father and I don't quite understand what you see in them, but you don't have to clean their litter box, so, perhaps that has something to do with it.

Another new 10-month-old situation? Eating.

You've decided that baby food fed by spoon is for babies, not big strong 10-month-olds with 'baby work' to be done.

You now prefer your food on a plate, bite sized, not too hot, and make it snappy!

Thankfully, your plate has a suction cup on the bottom of it, even though said suction cup was no match for your brute strength last night... but hopefully you'll figure out not to throw your plate across the room at some point... right?

Easter was a couple weeks ago and you and your classmates at escuela had a fine time 'hunting' for eggs.

Here's a little Chuy fun fact for you - Mr. Baby Pants doesn't like grass... in fact, he hates it.

When we sat you down, not only did you start crying, but you also pulled the exposed parts of your legs up and away from the evil green menace...

Needless to say, you hunted your Easter eggs from a cute airplane mat.

I think we need to continue with our grass aversion therapy...

Easter Sunday, we had our family and friends over for a good ol fashioned Easter dinner - complete with pot roast, au gratin potatoes, and green bean casserole- it was good times.

Here's a pic of you and your cousin, Logan - you guys look like double trouble...

Clover and her family joined us on Easter as well - we had good times.

No baby-types wanted to wear these ears, but we tried our best to get a picture of all three of you anyways...

All in all, we had a great month - as usual - watching you grow taller, watching your hair start to get curly, just simply being amazed at the fact that you exist and you're our son... it's still so crazy to me.

Happy 10-month birthday, my sweet precious boy - I am so looking forward to what you'll be up to in month 11!

Hmmm... perhaps smiling at the camera will be on your list of tricks?

I sure hope so.

Love,

Mommy

9 Months Old!

Dear Chuy,

Happy Nine Month Birthday last week and Happy St. Patty's Day today!

You're a funny little guy. All of a sudden, one day last week, right around your nine month birthday, you started doing all sorts of new tricks all at the same time... as though you had a baby checklist that you were trying to complete.

Scooting backwards turned into this crazy little Quasimodo frontwards scoot/ crawl, which pretty quickly has turned into an army crawl. You still don't care to use your knees at all, instead, you just reach and grasp with your arms and scoot along on your belly... pretty awesome stuff.

Last Sunday morning, I heard you waking up, so, I came to fetch you - and here's what I found...

Yep, you've figured out how to stand up in your crib... yikes! Daddy and I immediately lowered your crib mattress so you can't flip over the top of the bars... yet...

Since your crawl/ scoot has become fast and furious, we also decided that it was time for a baby gate... crazy, huh? The cats aren't fond of this set up, but they'll get over it... literally... :)

You sure do want that trash can now that you can't get to it...

Bath time remains the same - you love to splash around - I just had to include this pic in your nine month blog because you are so freakin adorable...
All those people at the grocery store or wherever we happen to be are right - you should be a baby model...

You have been completely enamored by your Rowdy Roddy Piper Horse lately. He's your bestest horsie friend ever in the whole world...
Seriously, you have great love for this horse.

So, yesterday your Walking Wings arrived. You see, since you've been crawling and scooting, you've also been getting really good at pulling yourself up to standing and almost cruising around the furniture...

I thought this little harness would be just the thing to get you on the road to walksville...

Unfortunately, before we strapped you into this contraption, your Daddy scared the beJesus out of you with a laughing monkey toy...

Needless to say, you weren't in the best of moods to try a new situation like these Wings...
I think we'll try again another day.

As of today, you are 40 weeks old... which is very significant to me. You have now officially spent the exact same amount of time out of my belly that you spent inside my belly. Which seems crazy - it all just goes by so fast...

Love,
Mommy

Eight months old!

Dear Chuy,

You turned eight months old last week! You've almost been out of my belly as long as you were in it... almost...

I can't believe how quickly you are learning new tricks and how fast you are growing.

You know, every parent we ever chat with always says how fast you baby types grow up... and they're right. It still seems like only yesterday we were setting up your room and getting ready for your arrival, and now I'm already thinking about your 1st birthday party... crazy!

This week, we celebrated our first Valentine's Day together...


Of course, Clover's Mommy and I decided to take the two of you to the mall, dress you up as cupid, and take lots of photos...

So, when you're in high school, and you're being a complete teenager, I'm going to bust out these photos and show all your friends...

Another new trick on your roster? Scooting around on your belly... almost crawling... for now, you can only go backwards or do log rolls to get where you want to go. Last night, you were so frustrated that you couldn't figure out how to go forwards... Don't worry, I know you're going to make it happen and I'm sure it will be soon... guess I need to look into those baby gates after all...


Yesterday, you, me and Daddy went over to the Kerbey Lane and had breakfast for dinner... for Valentine's...

A little fun fact about your Mommy... I LOVE breakfast for dinner - specially when it includes pancakes... you didn't take to the pancakes as much as I thought you would, but you did enjoy watching all the other diners come in and out of the front door...


Happy Valentine's Day, my littlest Valentine! I can't wait to see what you figure out in month eight!

Love,
Mommy

7 Months Old!

Dear Chuy,

You've been 7 months old for a couple weeks now, but, I'm a bad bloggy mommy and haven't gotten around to documenting it until today... oh well...

It's only because we've been so busy enjoying ourselves, I haven't had much alone time with the computer, but I'm not complaining about that!

So, what have we been up to?

Well, first up, we made the executive decision that you are too big a boy for your sweet little baby swing. We donated it to your escuela so that the smaller babes in your class can swing in style. Since we were down one large baby item in the living room, we all headed over to the Babies R Us and picked out a Jumparoo!

OMG - you so totally love this crazy thing. You do this little jig everytime we put you in it. Squeals of delight, whomping with the purple hippo whomping stick, turning around and around - this was such a good decision - way more fun than your swing!


We had quite a cold snap a couple weeks ago - it was colder in Austin than it was in parts of Alaska - that's cold! (and not just "Texas cold"). I worried that your coat situation wasn't going to keep you warm enough - what about your baby legs and baby feet? Thankfully, they sell these full body snow suit situations. You seriously hate being put into this get up, but once you're in, I'm sure you are roasty toasty warm and ready for the walk to the car.


I finally wised up and realized that if I turn the flash fill light off on the camera, I can almost catch you smiling! You're such a happy giggly baby, it's a shame you do the cold blank stare face in all of your pics.

I can't believe you're almost 8 months old. I feel so lucky to have been blessed with such a happy, smart, cute, easy going, super awesome little dude.

I'm excited to see you do your new tricks like rolling over and over, scooting around (on your back, which is kinda weird... you should try it on your tummy), making kissing noises, waving bye bye (to yourself), eating new and different foods, saying Dadadadada when your happy and Mamamama when you're super pissed.

These milestones are bittersweet - you're so much more interactive, but you are no longer my little tiny baby boy - you're my big strong monster baby boy... at least you still like to hang out in my lap and suck your thumb when you're sleepy...

Love,
Mommy

Happy New Year!

Dear Chuy,

Happy New Year! Can you believe that it's 2010? I'm still getting used to the idea that we're starting a new decade... not just a new year.

2009 was one of the best years of my life, thanks in no small part to your arrival. I'm so excited to see how much you grow and develop in the coming year - you'll be crawling, walking, talking, celebrating your 1st birthday - all sorts of incredible stuff!

So, today, while you nap, I'm gonna make us a black-eye pea and sausage stew - for good luck, and Daddy and I are going to take down the Christmas tree.

Your first holiday season is complete - I think you had fun - it's too bad you won't remember any of it, but I took about a million pictures that I can bore you with when you're bigger.

Happy Happy New Year, baby boy. I hope that 2010 brings you all sorts of new adventures, lots of love, and many more good times with your Daddy and I and all your friends.

Love,
Mommy