Twelve Months - Happy 1st Birthday

Today was Nolan's first birthday, he is one!  I can't believe it, but a whole year has gone by since he was welcomed into the world.  My little baby is growing up and he's getting so big, but he still has that same little face that I looked into when he was placed in my arms that first day.

It was a great day today.  Nolan and I cleaned the house to get ready for his party on Sunday, we did wash, and we wrapped and put together his birthday gifts.  He was teething and getting his second bottom tooth so he was a little moody this morning, but all and all he had a great day.

I tried to wrap his big gift but he was just too into it, so I opened it and put it together for him.  He loved it.  I didn't take him outside to play with it because it was close to 100 degrees out there.  We will take it out later this week.  I was concerned that he was going to be too small for the sand/water table, but after putting it together, he was the perfect height.  He loved the box the table came in.  I was putting the table together and he was sliding down the box.  Amazing, should have just gotten him a box.  LOL

I decided to ask my mom to come for dinner for Nolan's birthday.  We had hamburger and hot dogs, opened gifts, and had cupcakes that Mommom brought.  Nolan has a homemade honey pot cake in the fridge, but that's for pictures with Aunt Heather tomorrow.  So, Mommom was thoughtful and got cupcakes!!!

I couldn't believe it, but when the gifts came out for Nolan he actually knew what to do with them.  He started pulling the tissue paper right out of the bag.  It was like he was a pro at opening gifts!  He loved his Chuck the Truck toy!!!  Daddy looked so happy while Nolan opened his truck.  We searched everywhere for the perfect truck and this was what we decided on (it wasn't exactly what Daddy wanted, so it was good to see that Nolan loved it).  He also got a VTech story book pad and a Little People farm.  

As for the cupcake, he ate two.  I should say, he played with two and fed most of them to the dogs.  He loved it!  I can't wait to see him on Sunday with his cake.

Here are photos from the day:

Birthday morning.... yikes he spotted it before I could wrap it... 

"Mom!  Look at me, I'm sitting on the table!"

"A boat!!"

And I thought he was going to be too small for it.

"Sliding down the box while Mommy was putting together the table.

"Here boat, you take a turn down the slide."  (and why didn't we buy him a sliding board?)

Teething....

Frozen wash cloth??  It worked.

"For me?!"  He knew just what to do.

"There's something in there"

"Wait, let get in the and show you"

"SEE!"

"You're taking it out?"

"Oh what is it?!"

"This truck talks!!!"

"And it moves"

"What's this stuff?"

"It's strange!"

"Paper?"

"I can open my gifts, thanks!"

"What's this.... a farm."

"Let me get it"

"Mommy, see it makes noises"

"Another present"

"What does this do?"

"Hurry and open it Mommy"

"Oh...  that's neat"

Singing Happy Birthday

Holding his farm animal while eating his cupcake

Cupcake number two

"Here Mommom, I will share"

"Mmmm"

"It's raining on my birthday?!!"  

Yes, there was a terrible storm that came at the end of the night.  Severe storms for several parts of our area.  But it left as quickly as it came, thank goodness.

Fifty-two weeks

I just can't believe it.... fifty-two weeks.  My baby is a year old and the time went just way too fast.  This past week we spent getting back into our routine since we were at the beach and sick the past two weeks. We also did a lot of party planning.  Almost everything is complete, the house is cleaned, and we are 80% ready for the BIG party on Sunday.

Uncle Ryan was home from the service for two weeks and this past weekend we had crabs with him.  It was good to see him since we hadn't in awhile.  We also had cousin Avery's birthday and baptism this past weekend, so Nolan got to play with some of his cousins.

Nolan is now climbing on everything.  He has gotten himself totally inside the dryer while I am folding wash.  He gets into the cabinets (I know, I need to put the locks on them).  His favorite... the bathroom cabinets.  He gets into the trash bags and the pads, all while he thinks it is just so funny.  He has a thing with my bras also.  He carried them around all week, from room to room, it was actually pretty sad.  His second bottom tooth is starting to come through also, the bottom left.  Poor guy, you can tell this one really hurts him.  He now has both top teeth and almost both bottom.  His hair is really growing in the back, but not so much on the top of his head.  (Just like his Daddy on that one)

Oh, and how can I forget, the kid now sits on the door of the dishwasher.  Scary, yes.... but he thinks it is so much fun.  He fell down the steps again on Tuesday.  I had a gate up so he wouldn't fall down the steps to the basement, but I forgot he had learned to climb up the step to upstairs.  While cleaning the bathroom I realized it was silent, which means someone is up to no good.  I turned and looked and he had climbed up to the landing.  When I gasped, he fell.  Then we come home and he falls off the recliner.  Poor kid, it just wasn't his day.  Luckily he wasn't hurt in either fall.

Well, here are some pictures from the week:

Bath time

Standing on his own and not too wobbly

"Cheese!!"

Aunt Heather

"Oh, so you are my Uncle Ryan!"

Sliding with Grandpa

"Again!!"

"Here ya go Shelby"

"Cheese!!!!"  (He now poses for pictures)

Loving his speghetti

"I made a mess Daddy!"

"Daddy, you can't hide, I see you!"

"New shoes??"

"They feel okay!"

Fifty and Fifty-One weeks

Yep, did it again.  Totally missed a whole week.  Well to be honest, I didn't miss it, I was busy living life and had no time for the computer.  We did some much the last two weeks and Nolan is no longer a baby, he is officially a toddler.

I remember reading a post on FB of someone asking when a child is considered to be a toddler.  In recalling the comments, one still lingers in my mind.  It said, "When the child has a neck."  I found it odd at the time, but in the past two weeks I have come to realize the statement is true.  Nolan has gone from a baby to a toddler in a blink of an eye.  It was like he started pulling himself up, standing, and walking while holding onto  things and then BOOM.... he is now a toddler.  I looked at him last night and thought about the comment from FB about the neck.  I realized that his neck was very defined and that my little baby had officially become a toddler.  SNIFFLE...

Yes, so much has been done in the past two weeks.  The fourth of July, Uncle Ryan is home from training for a two week leave, a trip to the beach, a birthday party that was so much fun, and the planning of Nolan's first birthday celebration.  Additionally, we have had two trips to the ER (one for Nolan and one for Mommy), two bottom teeth are coming through, and we discovered that Nolan loves to jump the waves.  LOL

Oh and how can I forget, Nolan is now standing on his own.  Like not holding anything.  He can't stand for long, but he does do it.  No first steps yet, but he is almost there.  He is getting really good at crawling up steps.  Thankfully we don't have any in our home but other homes that we visit frequently do.  He is good going up, but he can't get down them (my biggest fear).

Nolan is basically eating everything.  While at the beach he ate what we ate.  Grotto's pizza, pulled pork, chicken nuggets.... he loved it all.  Oh and might I add, he enjoyed ice cream at the beach twice.  The kid packed away breakfast.  He would eat his baby food and cereal, plus eggs, ham, and hash browns.  Yes, the kid can eat.

He enjoyed walking the boardwalk and the beach.  Nolan rode this little train at the arcade and loved it, he continued to want to ride it time after time.  The beach was just so much fun with Nolan there.  My days of sitting and reading a book no longer exist, but playing in the sand and digging holes have replaced them.

Since so much happened in two weeks, I will just go ahead and post the pictures:

"Get Freedom?"

Happy 4th of July

Daddy and Nolan 

Silly boy

The whiney cry

First time with his own ice pop

Yes, it was on the ground in no time

Second ice pop.... still on the ground

He settled for the stick

"Daddy, I can drive it myself!"

First time at Grotto's

"Um, I am not eating that stuff!!" 

What a stinker

"See my silly face?"

"Any thing to get to Gabba"

First time on train

"What is this?"

Beach baby

Teething

Jumping the waves

"The beach is AWESOME"

Sitting in his own chair

Love him

"This cone rocks!"

Junior firefighter

Visiting the fire station

"Here birdies.... eat some animal crackers"

"Here you go"

The crackers were gone

Playing with Daddy in the waves

Mommy and Nolan

"Are you really going to leave me like this?"

Eating hush puppies

He loved it!!!

"I'm a cool dude"

Free spin.. and he won a prize!

Best game ever

My little ticket hunk!

Yay!!!  Daddy finally came to the beach

These kites are cool

"Stop girls... now come this way."  LOL

Beach 2012