Happy 1st Birthday Nicholas!

Dear Nicholas,

Happy 1st Birthday baby! I cannot believe that one year has already passed, but it has been the best year of our lives. It’s hard to believe that a year ago, you were this teeny, little baby in our arms, and now you’re this amazing little man, crawling around, taking your first steps, and talking!

This month was full of special moments. You got your top two teeth, you added new words to your vocabulary, you stood up all on your own, and you took your first steps!! You are on your way to walking, little man! You now tell us what a cat says (your “meows” sound very realistic!), and what a dog says (“a-ruff, a-ruff”).

You have so many adorable, precious little personality traits and things that you do, so I want to dedicate this letter to telling you what some of the things are that I love about you. It would be impossible to list all of the things I love about you – there are too many to count!

- I love your happy, easy-going personality. You have made this past year so happy for us, and we couldn’t ask for a better son.
- I love that when you laugh really heartily, you snort…just like I do.
- I love listening to you laugh when your Daddy tickles you. The bond between you two is amazing to witness, and I smile every time I think about how lucky I am to have both of you in my life.
- I love that when we put you to bed at night, you roll onto your tummy, stick your butt up in the air, and tuck your hands under your tummy…it’s precious!
- I love that you love dogs. You exclaim “dog” every time you see one (whether it’s a live dog, or just a picture), and you get so excited to see them. But I especially love how much you love Wingnut. Over the past few days you’ve started crawling up to him and giving him big hugs. I hope you two will be best friends.
- I love watching how excited you get when you see people or things that you like, and you start flapping your hands up and down and bouncing up and down with excitement.
- I love that when you want me to hold you, you crawl to my feet, point at me, and then outstretch both of your arms up to me.
- I love that you have just started hugging people this month, and you’ve been super snuggly and huggy the past few days, and it’s so incredibly sweet.
- I love our routines, especially our night-time routine. We start out with a bath, Daddy takes you to your room and starts getting you dressed for bed, I come in a few minutes later with your bottle, and recite “Pajama Time!” while you listen and laugh. When I’m done with the story, you always clap at the end. Then Daddy picks you up, and jiggles you and makes engine sounds, and plops you in my lap in the glider. I feed you while Daddy reads to us, and then you get sleepy in my arms, and I sing to you (“You Are My Sunshine” and “Arrorro Mi Nino”)
- I love how even though you’re not a great eater, you LOVE your veggie puffs, and get so excited when you see them.
- I love going to Music Class with you every Sunday, and seeing how much you love the music, love playing instruments, and love when we dance to the songs.
- I love how much you’ve changed over this past year, but when I look at your baby pictures, I still see you! And when I think back to what a happy baby you were, I still see that happy baby in you.

But most of all Nicholas, I love you. I love everything you are and everything you do. As one of our favorite bedtime books says, “I love you any way you are, I love you because you’re you.”

We love you, Nicholas, and can’t wait to embark upon this next year in your life!

Here are your month-by-month pictures, starting with the day you were born.

First Steps!

Nicholas started walking today!! When I dropped him off at daycare, I put him down standing up and squatted behind him. He stayed standing up all by himself, as he has been for the past few days, and all of a sudden took a step forward, before he got down to crawl.

Tonight he practiced some more and was showing off his new moves:




We are SO proud of you, Nicholas!!

Happy 11-Month Birthday Nicholas!

Dear Nicholas,

It is hard to believe that you’re almost a year old…less than one month away as I write this letter. This month you proved what a little boy you have become. You are mimicking, learning, talking, and moving around just like a little boy!

Your first big accomplishment this month was pulling up all by yourself. You were a little hesitant and unstable at first, but now you pull up on just about everything and can even walk along objects after you have pulled up. Then you combined this skill with crawling, and can now successfully make your way all the way upstairs by yourself (with one of us immediately behind you just in case, of course)!
Here you are the very first time you pulled up by yourself



Your second big accomplishment this month, which has completely changed the way you communicate with us, was learning to point at things. It is so much fun seeing you point to things you want, point to things you’re interested in, and point to things and identify them verbally at the same time. Yes, you’re talking more and more this month too, but more on that later. Earlier this month, I asked you to point to the monkey on your wall in your room…and you did!



When you want us to pick you up, you now crawl over to us, sit at our feet, and point up to us. When you see the dog, you point to him and say “dog.” It is so much fun being able to communicate with you on this basic, but oh-so-important level.

You’re also talking so much this month. You now have a repertoire of about 10 words: dada, mama, hi, buh-bye, baba (for bottle), dog, ball, uh oh, go and agua (water in Spanish). You’re also big on the exclamations, like: whoa, wow (and often a combination of the two – wow-whoa), hey, heya, and hiya (like the karate-chop sound). On top of these words, you babble constantly and it’s so much fun to listen to.

Your favorite ‘toys’ are books, and the best part is, you seem to know that they are filled with words. While sometimes you just like to sit and flip the pages, a lot of times you sit down and babble to yourself, as though you’re actually reading.

You also love the dog’s toys, and seem to find them much more interesting than your own. We’ve learned with you that the best toys are the books, dog’s toys, shoe boxes, laundry baskets, empty water bottles, and so on – nothing that you’d find at Toys ‘R Us.


You mimic everything now, and it’s so cute. You copy us when we talk and often try to repeat the words that we’re saying. You especially like to mimic us when we’re singing, and love to dance and sing along with us. At Music Class, the teacher even noticed that you were mouthing “la la la” along with one of the songs that we sing. But the cutest thing you do is mimic us when we laugh. Your laughter is the sweetest sound in the world, and I wish I could hear it all the time. The funniest part about it is that you snort when you’re laughing really hard…one of the few things that you get from me.

We’re also making slow, but steady strides to eating like a big boy. You started eating veggie puffs this month and you love them. You want to eat them more than anything now (which makes getting more nutritious food into you a bit of a challenge, but at this point, we’ll take anything we can get). You also mastered the sippy cup this month (the kind with the straw, and without). Although you often just suck the water out of the cup and then like to spit it out all over you. You’re still not big on eating many other solid foods, so we’ll be going to food therapy this month to see if we can help you with that, but we are so proud of the accomplishments that you’ve already made. Here’s a funny picture of you making a sour face while eating your apricots.


Some of your other big moments this month included getting your THIRD haircut! I think your grandfathers are a little jealous of all the hair you have. You also learned how to blow bubbles in the pool, which shocked me because I didn’t know babies your age could do that. We taught you at swim lessons and then one day at our neighborhood pool, you stuck your face in and out came a bunch of bubbles. You practice in the bathtub at night too and love it. We introduced you to the baby pool this month and you love it as much as the big pool. You have so much fun splashing and crawling around, that even Wingnut joins you on occasion.





We ended the month on a sad note, though, with the passing of your great grandmother, Mamaw. But we’re so thankful that you got to meet her a few times, and she always remembered you as St. Nick. Here is a picture of you two together when you first met.



Here are some other sweet moments from this month:

Riding in Daddy's Jeep
Looking so handsome on Father's Day
Pensive in the pool
So happy to be standing up

Beautiful blue eyes!

Happy 10-Month Birthday Nicholas!

Dear Nicholas,

What an amazing month you’ve had!! I think I say that every month, but this month truly was amazing. You have learned so much, you are mobile now, you added some words to your vocabulary, and you remain the best and happiest little boy. That’s right – you are definitely more of a little boy than a baby now.

You started out the month doing a whole bunch of new things. You learned how to clap (as in, applaud) and you love to cheer yourself on at any opportunity. You had been clapping your hands together for awhile, but not in adulation. Now whenever we say “good job” or “Yay, Nicholas”, you give yourself a big round of applause. It’s adorable! You learned how to do this after you went from tummy to sitting for the first time, and we were so happy that we were clapping for you and taught you how to clap for yourself.

You’ve also started officially saying “mama.” You’ve said it here and there in the past, but it’s now officially part of your vocabulary. You particularly use it when you’re hungry or sad and need a hug, which makes me all the more happy to give you one! And “uh oh” is now part of your vocabulary as well. Sometimes you say it just for fun, but you’re actually using it in context as well, and it’s very cute. Whenever you drop something, you look at Daddy or me and say “uh oh.” Over the past few days, it seems like you’re trying to say “dog.” You drag it out and say it real’ Southern like and say “daa-oohhg.” Tonight you said “doggie” a few times, so I’m thinking this is your new word! You babble all the time, and pretty much spend most of your time either talking or making other noises with your mouth. You’re a big fan of making raspberries, clicking, and sticking your tongue out and moving it from side to side as you hum. As the pictures below will demonstrate, you are big into sticking your tongue out these days.

At the 9 ½ month mark, you started cutting your first tooth. It’s your bottom left tooth (your central incisor, to be more precise). And just a few days ago you started cutting your bottom right tooth. This just adds to the fact that you are more and more of a little boy. And you got your second hair cut, just in time for the summer and your helmet (another story for another day).

You are now MOBILE! And it has been so exciting to watch you learn how to crawl. You started out just figuring out how to get from sitting to tummy, and from tummy to sitting. And then you started crawling your arms out as you would move out of a sitting position, and – voila – you were on your knees. Then came learning how to start moving your little legs and arms once you were on your knees. Physical therapy has definitely helped, but you learn so quickly. A week and a half ago they showed you how to crawl at PT, and that night you started doing it all by yourself. The first few days you would just crawl a few feet, and now you’re all over the place. You like to follow us around, crawl to the dog, and more than anything, you like to crawl to the dog’s toys and play with them (or chew on them). I don’t know why you find them more fascinating than your own toys, but you do.

We also started swimming lessons this month, and to say that you love it might be the biggest understatement of the year. You love the water, you love to splash, you even try to paddle and kick when I put you on your tummy, and you don’t mind going completely under water. We went to the neighborhood pool yesterday for the first time and you had a blast. We figured we’d only be there for about half an hour, thinking you wouldn’t last much longer than that. But we were there for 1.5 hours with you in the water the whole time. My grandmother, Lory, used to say that I was a fish, because I spent so much time in the water every summer, and it looks like you are going to be Mommy’s little fishy!

We love you more than words can say Nicholas. Every month I think, “this was the best month,” and then the next month is even better. You are the love of our lives, and bring us more happiness than we ever could have thought.

.....................

Lots of pics of you sticking out your tongue...even when getting into the dog's bowl

10 Months Old!

Happy 9-Month Birthday, Nicholas!

Dear Nicholas,

It’s really hard to believe that you’re already 9 months old today. The time has gone by so quickly, but we have treasured every moment (and I have probably captured just about every moment on camera too).

You are really showing off your big boy skills this month, and you amaze your Daddy and me every day with your curiosity, your memory, and your ability to learn new things. You weigh 20 lbs 8 oz, and you’re 29 ¼ inches long.

You started waving this month. You’ve been making the hand motions for a few months now, but this was the first time that you put it together with people coming and going. You like to do it so much that you often wave indiscriminately, but you definitely understand the concept of waving to say “hi” and “bye-bye”…and you actually do say “hi” and “ba-bye” on occasion [in fact, I just read this blog entry to you and your Daddy out loud, and as I read the word “bye-bye,” you piped up and said “ba-bye”]. It’s amazing to hear those first words come out of your mouth and to realize that, before we know it, you’ll be talking in full sentences. Your teachers at school told us that you’ll sit on the playmat and just wave all day as people come in and out of your room, and you’ll sometimes be so involved with what you’re playing with that you’ll wave to people without even looking up. You’re too cute!

We taught you how to make the “so big” arm motion last week, and it was amazing how quickly you picked this up. You basically picked it up after me showing you a handful of times. Daddy is excited that we can teach you what he calls ‘stupid human tricks,’ so I think it’s on to knucks (fist bumps) next! You learned how to clap yesterday (and now cheer whenever you do something fun or cute), and today you did the sign for ‘more’ for the first time.

Your memory is also amazing now. We have a basket of squirt toys in the bathtub, in the shape of different sea creatures. Your favorite is the yellow coral, and every night when you get in the bath it’s the first thing that you reach for. Once I caught on to this, I started hiding it at the bottom of the basket to see if you’d find it. And you did! You will actually remove each toy individually, picking it up, staring at it, and tossing it to the side until you find your beloved coral. So smart!

You hadn’t really made any signs of wanting to crawl up until last weekend, when you actually got up on your knees all by yourself, without even having something behind you to press your feet up against. But you still prefer standing over being on your knees. If we try to help you to get on your knees, you just straighten your legs, bend at the waist, and end up in downward-facing dog. Maybe you’ll excel at yoga one day! Tonight you made it from your belly to a sitting position for the very first time! Congratulations my little man!

You are still talking up a storm and it’s so much fun to listen to. Sometimes when you’re playing by yourself you just babble in a way that it sounds like you’re putting together full sentences of baby syllables. You still say “dada” all the time, and often call Wingnut “Daddy.”

You’re also very helpful these days. You help us dress you by pulling your shirts over your head and helping to stick your arms out of the arm holes. You also help me flip the pages when I read you books. Maybe it’s the newness of being a first-time mom, but it’s just so cool and amazing to see you catching on to these things.

Food-wise, you’re still struggling a little bit, but we’re making strides. You’re not a huge fan of solid foods, and definitely prefer yogurt or strained foods. But you’ve taken to the Baby Mum-Mum crackers, and today you drank water from a cup. Not a sippy-cup, but a big boy cup! It’s hard to believe what a big boy you’re becoming, but it’s amazing to be a part of it and our love grows for you with every passing day.

Here you are showing off some of your new tricks (and looking as cute as can be):


Here are some fun pictures from this month:

Happy 8-Month Birthday Nicholas!

Dear Nicholas,

Happy 8-month birthday!!! You have become quite the little boy this month (although you will always be our baby). You’ve been sleeping on your tummy all this month and now sleep about 11-12 hours straight every night! And we no longer need to rock you to sleep at night – you fall asleep all on your own once we put you in your crib. Some nights you stay awake for a little bit, but you just jabber to yourself and eventually fall asleep on your own. Another proud moment for us!

You have also started to play with your hair at night to soothe yourself to sleep. It’s adorable! While we feed you your bottle at night, you start running your fingers through your hair, and on your really tired nights, you fall asleep in Daddy’s lap with your hands gripping your hair. We also discovered that this leads to some adorable bed head in the morning!

You also started holding your bottle all by yourself this month…well, when you aren’t distracted by your feet. They discovered at daycare that if they just take off your socks, you’ll keep feeding yourself; if your socks are on, you get so fixated on removing them, that you drop your bottle. You’re a funny little dude!

You started scooting backwards on your tummy this month, and you discovered standing up. It started in the bath one night: you put your hands in mine and all of a sudden you were standing. You were so incredibly excited to stand, that every time I sat you back down, you’d lean forward toward me and stand back up. And you love it when I stand you at the edge of the tub so you can bang your hands on it. And ever since then when you see me, you reach for me, and when your hands are in mine, you stand up. It’s adorable, and I love seeing you discover what a big boy you are!

You’ve been talking even more this month, and have gone back to saying “Dada”, “Daddy,” and – our favorite – “Dad.” Yes, you say “Dad” with a hard emphasis on the second “d,” and it’s hilarious to listen to. You love talking and babbling all the time. You’ve also started dancing when we sing to you or you listen to music. You and I started music classes on Friday mornings, and you absolutely love it. You love listening to everyone sing, you love playing the instruments, and you love when I pick you up and we dance and march around the room. A few months ago, Daddy started doing the thing where he puts his finger across your mouth and moves it up and down while you go “ahhh,” changing the sound to an “abababa” sound…hard to explain, but you know what I mean. Well, this month you figured out how to make the “abababa” sound all by yourself, by popping your wrist in and out of your mouth. You do it a lot and it’s so cute!

You also love ‘clicking’ with your mouth, and do that a lot too.

And the last part of the transitioning from baby to big boy…? You got your first haircut at the end of this month. You were so good too! We showed up and found out that there was a long wait, and you were already due for a nap. By the time they were ready to cut your hair, we figured we were doomed to a fussy, unhappy, tired baby. We were wrong! You were super excited for this new adventure, and were as happy as can be the whole time. And you look incredibly handsome with your new ‘do!

Here you are shrieking with delight at Wingnut right after your haircut appointment. He is definitely your best friend!

You also got to spend time with all of your family on Daddy’s side this month: