Puppy Party!

Michael is a whole year old!  It has been such a fun year watching him grow and change.

We had a great celebration with family and friends on Sunday.  We had a puppy-themed party and I think Michael loved it!  Of course he won't remember any of it, but it was still a special time to celebrate his first year of life.  He was surrounded by people that love him and he got some new cool toys including a sit 'n spin, a blow up pool, a talking puppy, a vacuum, books, and puzzles.  Here are some pictures from the big day...

Here is the entry way where guests could sign the book, "Charlie the Ranch Dog" by Ree Drummond for Michael.  There was also an "Adopt a Puppy" station for guests to take a (toy) puppy home.



The spread...



Including... Puppy Chow... of course!



The cute cakes from Ms. Piggies...



Me and the Birthday Boy!  He had just given me a big kiss!  I think it was his way of saying, "thank you for the great party!" (That's what I think anyway :-)



The happy family!



Mikey with the grandparents...






And some cute puppies stopped by...



The Birthday Boy!!



The cake eating... Michael was pretty careful at first. He kept taking little pinches of frosting and then he started to back for more and more and more.  He seemed to like the frosting and ice cream the best.  He liked to stick his thumb in the different frosting colors and then see what it would pull out.  A little frosting got up his nose and had blue boogies for a few days.  A little bath was in order afterwards, but then he got right back to partying...







Happy Birthday sweet boy!  It has been so wonderful getting to take care of you and watch you grow.  You are so loved and I feel so blessed to be your mom every single day.

11 Months!

It is the last month of Michael's first year of life.  It has been a great year.  Michael is such a fun little guy. This month Michael has become quite the talker.  We can't pick him up with out him pointing at everything and saying, "dat! dat! dat!"  He is very curious and wants to know the name for everything.  Sometimes he will pause before moving on to the next item and I can tell he is trying to think about how to say the word.  Sometimes he comes close, but mostly it comes out as "baba or dada."  Here are some other highlights from the month...

• I don't have his updated stats.  Our scale is out of batteries and it takes one of those fancy batteries so I keep forgetting to get one when I go to the store.   But I can tell you that he is long and big!
• He is still not walking but he has learned a how to scoot around on his knees pretty good.  We keep thinking he is going to walk any second now...
• He is saying, "bye bye, hiiiiii (hi), nana (don't know what this one really means), momma, dadda, dat (that), uppa (up), bites (food),  bumpa (grandpa weiler's name), babba (this is a word for many things),  side (outside), onomatopoeia (j/k)"
• He is still dancing but now he puts his hips into it.  It's a little more groovy.
• He loves food and has a great appetite.  His favorites are avacados, cantelope, teething cookies, black beans, and meat.  I stopped nursing just a couple days ago because I just was not producing enough to satisfy this growing boy.  It was sad because it seems like just another reminder that he is growing up and going to be heading off to college soon (ok, not that soon, but it does go by pretty fast).  
• He loves being outside.  He is already attracted to rocks and dirt.  Go figure.  
• He wiggles out of everything.  I have to strap him in or he will figure a way out.  We put him in the stroller because we were getting ready to go for a walk and when we turned around he was crawling at our feet.  He had wiggled out of the bottom of the stroller.
• He is a little timid about new textures and will look like he is going to touch something several times before he actually goes for it. 
• He is a little shy in new surroundings.  He gets a little clingy when we are in new places, but at home or other familiar places like his grandparent's houses he is quite the explorer. 
• He is very easy to put to bed.  He has been signally us when he is ready to sleep by crawling over and resting his head on us.  We can just put him in his crib with a soft blankey (that he now likes to rest his head on) and he will roll over and go to sleep. 
• His schedule is bed by 8:30, awake at 7:30 (sometimes later), nap from 9:30-11 and nap from 2-3:30 with some variations.

I think that's about that!  We love you our sweet, noisy, silly little monkey face!  I got to go plan your 1st birthday party... I can't believe it!

10 Months!

Only 2 months left before he is a whole year old, I can't believe it!  This month has been fun.  We have been seeing a little more of his personality come out and he is becoming a more vocal but most everything is "da."  "Michael, look at the light." "Da." Michael, it's Jared." "Da." "No, Jared" "Da." And that's pretty much how our conversations go.  There are not a whole lot of milestones this month but we did go to Arizona this month where Michael met lots of family for the first time (more details in a post about our trip.)  Here are some other 10 month details:

• He officially weighs 22lbs according to the Dr.'s scale.
• He is talking more and making more sounds.  He makes a monkey and cow sound, he says, "ba" for ball, "buppy" for puppy, "bababa" for Bumpa (grandpa's name), dadda, momma, bye bye.
• His top teeth still have not come in.
• He is standing more on his own and I think he may have taken one step today.  It was kind of a step, but we won't count it as his official first steps because daddy wasn't there and he was kind of falling into my arms when it happened.
• He liked swimming with Bumpa in the pools in Arizona.  He did not like being splashed, but he did like doing the splashing.  

And that's all I can think of.  He is a great joy and all his family loves him!  Happy 10 months Mr. Sugar Face!




And he found the sign...

9 Months!

I can't believe it has been 9 months!  I could have had a whole other baby by now.  Michael is growing big and strong by the day.  He is into everything and especially things that are not toys such as remotes, cabinets, coasters, lamps, iphones, dog kennels, dish washers, etc.  It must be exciting to discover the world for the first time.  It is fun to see his curiosity and his little wheels spinning.  Here are some 9 month facts:

• We haven't been to the dr. since his 6 month check up but according to our rough calculations he weighs about 23lbs and his height is unknown.  He wiggles too much to get a good measure.
• He is wearing mostly 12 month clothes. 
• He graduated from his infant car seat to a convertible seat already.  What was I thinking getting a 22lb limit infant seat?  He blew threw that one!
• He is crawling like a champ, pulling up, he stood up once on his own, and he can climb up stairs.
• He can turn some of his toys "on" by pushing a button and he can put (toy) balls in the right hole to watch them go down a maze.
• He likes to eat!  I can't sit down to eat without him crawling up to me for a bite.  He has liked pretty much everything he's tried, maybe not always initially sometimes, but he eventually warms up to it.  
• He still nurses for every meal except dinner.  
• He said "mamma" for a couple days and now everything is "dadda," "dad," or "dadadada."  He also says "ba" when I hand him a tennis ball and he tries to to make a "moo" sound but it sounds more like a low "ooooooooooo"
• When I say "no" and shake my head he shakes his head back at me sometimes (cute).
• He likes banging on stuff and making loud noises.
• He still only has his bottom two front teeth, but I think the top two may be coming in any day now. He has an "eruption cyst" on the top right which according to the trusty internet is pretty harmless but sometimes happens before the tooth comes in.  
• He has some separation anxiety from me, especially when we drop him off at the church nursery.  They say he calms down after a couple minutes but it is hard to leave him when he is crying like he is going to die if I leave him (I think I might be projecting my feelings).  He usually does a lot better with his grandparents and people he sees more often.  
• I'm afraid to say it because I don't want to jinx it, but he has been a healthy boy.  He has only had a couple colds and those pretty much just go away on their own.  

You are a sweet, curious, wiggly, silly, loud, little man and you have captured our hearts.  We love you very much Mr. Michael! 

I couldn't decide on which pic, so I put both :-)

He doesn't stay in the sitting position very long these days...

8 Months!

I have not been very good about keeping up with this blogging thing.  I am now at a one post per month pace.  I hope to post more in 2012, but I'm not making any promises that I will more than likely break.  December is a busy month!  We celebrated Christmas here with my parents, Gabe's family and Gabe's Grandma.  There will be a Christmas post to come... soon... I hope...  but for now I will tell you about Michael's new accomplishments/milestones...

• According to our scale he now weighs 22 lbs and looks to be about 28 inches long.  He is passing up many 1 year olds that we know.
• He is sleeping pretty consistently from 8:30pm-7:00am and he takes 2 nap 1hr-2hr naps during the day, one at 10:30 and one at 3:30.  
• He is crawling everywhere, pulling up on everything and walking while holding on to stuff.
• He can give high fives.
• He is starting to ham it up a little for the camera (see below).
• He dances all the time.  Anytime there is music, singing, clapping, etc it is as though he can't help himself, the music takes over and he just can't help but rocks back and forth to the beat.  It is pretty cute.  This may be due to playing a lot of "Just Dance" on the Wii while I was pregnant.
• He tolerates pretty much any food (so far), but rocks back and forth when he is eating something he really likes.  (His dad did this too when he was a wee one, which is kind of strange.  Is there a happy food dance gene?)
• He will roll the ball to Hugo (brother dog) and Sadie (his auntie dog)
• He loves... doggies, his grandparents, his uncles and aunties, puffs, carrot souffle (discovered this on Christmas), eating, talking Carl (its an app), his talking bear, any toy that he can stand up to play with, his mommy and daddy, music, dancing, and baths.

That's all I can think of at the moment. Everyday his personality comes out a little more.  It is a joy to go into his room after a nap and see his little smiling face.  His curiosity and unabashed emotions are a wonder to watch.  He is a precious gift from above and I am so grateful that I get to be his momma.  We love you Mr. Michael!

Here he is hamming it up for the camera...

7 Months!

This post is a little late.  I blame it on the turkey coma I have been in since Thanksgiving.  That and I had a 40 page group proposal to write for my class that was due last week.  I am thankful to be done with that!  Here are some other things I am thankful for...

Our little turkey is 7 months old!  We tackled quite a few milestones this month.  Here are some highlights:

• He is officially mobile!  He started crawling about a week after his 6 month mark.
• He is eating his veggies!  After he got over experiencing a new texture, he has begun to enjoy his veggies.  Which brings us to the next milestone...
• His first solid poopies!  Your welcome.  I know you are glad I shared.
• He now has 2 teeth!  The bottom right one came in and then over Thanksgiving his tooth got a neighbor.
• He started pulling up to a standing position.  Now, nothing on the coffee table is safe.  Just today he pulled a whole cup of tea off and onto his face.  Luckily, the tea was cold.  I'm super thankful I could learn this lesson with cold tea!
• He's started saying "dadadada" and "babababa."  
• He likes to yell and wave both of his arms in a helicopter like motion.  
• He is overall a fun and happy little guy.   

Here is our little 7 month-old turkey...

And we are off...




Go turkey, go, gobble, gobble, gobble...




This cute turkey outfit was made by his auntie Beth.  He actually got 2 turkey outfits because his other Auntie Kristen saw the idea on Pinterest too. She made him another one without knowing his other Auntie had the same idea.  Great Aunts think alike!

Here we are in our other turkey outfits right before we ran in the 8 mile Turkey Trot!  We all ran the whole thing, finished under 1 hour and 30 minutes, and none of us trained.  Needless to say we were all a little stiff later, but we earned our turkey dinner!

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!  We have lots to be thankful for this year.  We are especially thankful for all our friends and family!  Much love to all of you... you know who you are... yeah, even you.

6 Months!

Michael is already a half a year old yet, he is only a half a year old.  The time goes by so fast, but there is still so much to enjoy.  I have to remind myself not to wish for the next stage, but to enjoy the fleeting, precious moments that I have in the present.  It has been a joy to watch this boy grow.  Here are some highlights:

Weight: 19 pounds, 3 ounces

Height: 28 inches

He is sitting up on his own, but occasionally falls over.

He gets up on all fours often and rocks back and forth.  He is about to crawl at any moment!

He grabs for everything!

He tried a couple bites of avocado and rice cereal.  Neither seems to be his favorite, but it causes him to make really funny faces so we will keep trying :-)

He is sleeping pretty regularly from 8:30-5:30, feeds, and then goes back to sleep until 8:30.

He is very vocal and has learned to turn up the volume.

His go to sounds are "bob bob bob" and he has said "mommmama" which I'm pretty sure is a coincidence, but I can pretend he's saying, "mom."

He gets very giggly when tired.

He is interested in everything that is going on around him.

He loves watching Hugo get the ball.

He flew for the second time and he played peekaboo with the neighbor on the way there and slept the whole way back.  He is a great little traveler.

And here he is, the moment you've been waiting for... the man of the hour... the piece de resistance...

Mr. Michael Skypala!!

5 Months!

Watching a baby grow is so entertaining.  Every day there seems to be little changes.  Michael is already five months and here are some highlights of his life so far:

• He is grabbing things like a champ!
• He is rolling over which has resulted in him now sleeping on his stomach.  
• He is sleeping pretty regularly from 9:00-7:30 give or take a half hour.
• He loves his bouncer and looks like he is riding a wild bull when he really gets going.
• He loves watching the doggies and laughs when Sadie catches the ball.
• He is interested in everything and is looking around constantly.
• He gives shy smiles and big smiles.
• He is a mostly happy, easy going baby.

Here he is in his grown up 5 month old outfit :-)

We love you Mr. Michael! These last five months have been the best!

4 Months

I am a little late on this one, but Michael is now 4 months and 8 days. Here are some 4 month stats:

• Weight- 17 pounds, 8 ounces (95th percentile)
• Height- 27 inches (90th percentile)
• His eyes are still blue and he is mostly still bald.  
• He is sleeping from about 11 pm - 7 am and has a couple naps during the day.
• He slept his 1st night in his own room last night and did great!
• He has discovered his toes and likes to grab things.
• He likes to blow bubbles.
• He likes to squeal in a high pitch and makes several other funny noises.
• He likes to smile at people especially mommy and daddy.
• He laughs when he gets sleepy.
• He is ticklish.
• He is the cutest baby in the world!

3 Months!

Michael is 3 months old! Everyone says that it goes by fast and now I believe them! He has been such a great baby!

Here are some Michael 3 month facts:

• He likes his naps and his milk and is fussy when he is needing either, but other than that he is usually in great spirits.
• He likes to smile.
• His favorite word is "agoo."
• He has began to bat his toys with his hands.
• He is sleeping pretty consistently from 12am-4:30, 5-8, and sometimes 8-10. Then he takes naps about every 2-3 hours during the day.
• He is holding his head up like a champ.
• I think that now he knows that his hands are attached to his body, but sometimes looks at them and his expression seems to say, "where did those come from?"

It is amazing how much babies change so much in their first year. I wake up every morning thinking, "what new thing will Michael do today?" And every day I thank God that I get to be his mom and take care of this precious gift!

Happy 3 months Mr. Michael!

2 Month Check Up

We went to Michael's 2 month check up on July 7th and my fears were confirmed, he is growing way too fast! He weighed 14 lbs. 8 oz. and was 25.5 inches long! He is off the charts in height and 95th percentile in weight! Even though he is growing so fast, he is healthy and the doctor is very pleased with how well he is doing. I happened to look at my baby book where my mom used to record my growth and I weighed 14 lbs. 8 oz. at my 6 month check up! I think he is taking after his dad in size.

He is a whole 11 weeks old today!

The Incredible Growing Boy!

I can't believe Michael is already 2 months old and he is getting so big!

I guess we should have expected him to be a big baby, but it seems like he is growing way too fast! He was supposed to be at his birth weight (8 lbs., 3 oz.) by his 2 week appointment, but when he got on the scale he weighed in at 10 lbs. 4 oz.! Then for his month appointment he weighed in at 12 lbs. 3 oz.! I almost cried. This growing boy is averaging a pound a week! His 2 month appointment is in a couple weeks and I'm kind of scared to see what the scale will reveal! I am thankful though that he is a healthy boy and that he likes his milk!

Here are some pics of the growing boy:

About to go home from the hospital.

Future Basketball Star!

Swinging Away (1.5 weeks)

Swingin' at 8 weeks

Looking cute in his daddy's arms.

Reading the Kindle before bed (2 weeks)

"Zero Emissions" -yeah right! (4 weeks)

Getting ready for hunting (8wks)

Sittin' tall in his bumbo (8wks)

I improved my signage a little bit. :-)

Gotta go... gotta watch a baby grow!