Almost.....

So, each day brings something new and amazing from the Lil Dude. Michael has been shuffling around the furniture for quite a little while now, but he's been tentative to move forward...Until now!




We cannot believe that we are about to have a walker on our hands :)

I love how, when he's done...He is done! "I'm NOT your trained monkey!!!"

Ellie's 1st Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Ms. Ellie Skye!! She turned 1 on the 24th of July and Amy and Gary gave her the most precious 1st birthday party! Michael had a blast too, enjoying her company and toys, but not the cupcakes so much :)

Ellie got so many wonderful presents! From a walker/rider thingy to a learning purse, she was captivated by it all!

Michael apparently loved Ellie's bday gifts too...

Ellie's Aunt Tara made some magnificent cupcakes... little pink piggies! They were adorable and so tasty! Ellie kinda got into the cupcake but seemed to enjoy mamma and dadda licking the icing off her fingers more :)



So Michael was not all about the cupcake. We had an incident in daycare a few months back where he was given a cupcake that had blue icing. He had broke out in hives but we figured since Tara's little cakes were homemade, including the icing, lil man would be ok! Good thing we brought the Benadryl! Here are the results...


Overall, the party was a success! The little ones played together, both laughed at each other as well as cried :) They were super cute and you could tell they just had a blast!


Michael gave everyone kisses goodbye... even the sliding door :) That is our little man! He is one of a kind :)

We love and miss you all!

The countdown is on...

Little man is really 11 months old? Seriously? Michael has grown like crazy over the past month. As we continue to prep for his 1 year birthday party and deal with our crazy busy lives, we still just sit back and watch him as much as we can. It is truly amazing how quickly they grow. Here is an update on the little guy...

*We aren't sure of his exact stats right now. We took him to his PCP 2 weeks ago and he weighted in at 24 lbs 2 oz and was 28 1/4 in.

*Michael is pulling up on anything and everything. Us, his high chair, couch, ottoman, baby gate... whatever he can find.

*He is constantly walking too but is having to hold onto to something, ie furniture, toys, etc. It won't be long before he's walking without assistance. Oh boy...

*Little man has learned how to crawl... up the stairs!! Gates are now in place after a little accident :)

*Michael gives us kisses! On the forehead, nose, cheeks and lips :) He has learned to close his mouth and pucker but most of the time he gives us his nice, open-mouthed wet kisses!

*Food... where do we start! This little man decided a few weeks back that he would REFUSE all baby foods. Great... an entire cabinet of baby food... anyone in need of stage 2 and 3 foods? Anyways, we have had to alter his diet. He is all about egg yolks for bfast. He will have vienna sausages, salmon, mashed potatoes, saltine crackers and spaghetti for his other meals. We also give him the Gerber Graduate foods like puffs, biter biscuits, lil crunchies and the lil sides. As you can see, he still loves food :) Sippy... still in progress...

*Michael is able to carry on a conversation with us or the TV at length, with us having no idea what he is saying. Convo consists of entire paragraphs full of different consonant and vowel sounds as well as inflexion and emotion. When Michael decides he wants something, he says our name "mama" or "dada." When he does not get what wants, he will redirect his conversation to the other parent, saying their name over and over again... :)

*It's time for bed and... he no longer cries! We put him in the crib. We give him his puppy to snuggle with as well as his blankie and off to sleep he goes! YES! Bed time around 8:30... and up anywhere between 6:30 and 7:30 am. It's wonderful...

*Most important... he is healthy! We had do deal with that MRSA thing earlier this month but he is doing amazing.

We are currently in the process of birthday planning :) Hard to believe we have 1 month to go before he is 1!!!

Michael sends kisses to you all :)

TV anyone?

Our little man is not into TV all that much but there are 3 shows that will keep his attention... Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune and... SHREK! Michael will watch Jeopardy and WOF every night from 7 to 8! We have learned that he also likes Shrek as it was on TV one afternoon and he was glued. Good thing we own it! It really only holds his attention for 10 minutes at a time as the little guy wants to crawl and practice walking every waking moment! Here are a few random shots we got of the little guy indulging in television!


Jeopardy...

Wheel of Fortune...

and Shrek!!!

Little Day Trips!

Michael has not been spending much time at home this summer. Between trips to Sarasota, St. Augustine and Jacksonville, he has also been able to visit me at work in Leesburg, attend Volleyball conditioning with Daddy at WPHS and spend a morning at Eckerd Academy in Brooksville(where mommy and daddy met!) Here are some snapshots from his little day trips (most taken with our cell phones).


He LOVES watching the girls practice!

Daddy and Michael after a morning of Vball conditioning.




We went down to E-How-Kee, now known as Eckerd Academy, for a morning to visit with some old friends of ours. Not many people remain but some of our favorites are still around, including Ms. Frankie and Ch. Dan! Daddy took these pictures... the famous boardwalk coming into "community" where all the groups met before meals. Lots of "huddles" took place here as well (my group one night until 2 am!)

Last but not least, Daddy as brought little man to visit me at work! YAY!!! My co-workers LOVE to visit with Michael. We went out to lunch with my supervisor and another co-worker and then spent some time around the office. He found a picture on my desk that fascinated him... Pic of him a few days old!

11 month blog to come along with Ellie's 1st birthday party!