Dear Waylon: 13 months

My little man,

Month 13.

You are:

Independent.

Hilarious.

Smart.

Curious.

We made a lot of fun memories this month.

We played with birthday toys a lot.

And spent a lot of time outdoors.

You kept me laughing with your hilarious sense of humor.

I love to see you crack yourself up.

Or if you get really excited and start acting silly. My favorite.

You took your first trip to Trade Days at Tannehill.

We pulled you around in your wagon, which you loved.

So many people stopped to say how cute you are.

We even had a couple of ladies request to take your picture. A little strange, yes.

Anyway, we found some great buys.

new tupperware sippy cups.

an Alabama checkerboard.

a HUGE watermelon.

tools for Daddy.

You've discovered the art of messiness.

You like to "finger paint" with milk when Mommy's not looking.

We took you to the zoo for your birthday.

You loved it! Even though it was hot, you were such a trooper.

We talked about the animals, what they were named and the sounds they make.

You aren't walking yet, but you are oh so close.

You can stand in the middle of the floor without help.

You have a lot more steadiness and confidence with your balance.

You will take steps if you're holding someone's hand.

I suppose you're just not ready yet. And that's okay.

I know you'll take off when the time is right for you.

You are quite the talker.

I love how you raise those blonde eyebrows. That's when you know it's serious talk.

In other news....

You are learning to be a good listener. You mind really well.

You respond to commands and word clues, like "off limits" or "stop".

You are so flexible. You don't flip out if we get off schedule sometimes.

You are not a picky eater and you sleep really well.

Quite honestly, you are such an easy baby I'm a little nervous about having another one.

Not to worry, you will have at least one sibling (more if I can convince your dad ;)

I'm just enjoying you right now. I'm not in a hurry for baby #2, although I get asked about that often.

Not anytime soon people. Unless the Lord decides otherwise.

We went to your one year doctor appointment. You weighed 22 pounds 7 ounces and were 29 3/4 inches long. You've grown right at 8 inches this year. You are spot on with the average for both categories. We still get comments about how big you are, but I think it's just those sweet, juicy cheeks that fool everyone.

You are wearing 12-18 month clothes for the most part.

You can still wear some 9 months and some 18 months are too big.

You don't wear shoes very often, but you are in size 3 now.

You are still wearing size 3 Huggies.

You have 4 teeth.

You like:

outside

morning jogs

throwing the ball

playing peek-a-boo

our puppies

books

singing

dancing

bathtime

silky blanket

I am so grateful that your daddy works so hard to allow me to be at home with you. It's the hardest job but I love it with every ounce of my heart and no amount of money could make me any happier than I am taking care of and playing with you. I cherish this time with you, sweet boy.

I love you to the moon and back.

Mommy

He only turns 1 once

My baby turned a year old on July 8th. I love a good party and I love to plan so this occasion was heaven for me. I started jotting down ideas and planning his birthday party months in advance. I had a lot of fun creating my vision and seeing it come to life. Hubby thought I went over the top, but I say there is no such thing when it comes to your first baby's first birthday.

I decided on patriotic sailboat decor. I wanted to incorporate red, white, and blue since 1) his birthday is so close to our nation's birthday and 2) my patriotic heart cannot resist an opportunity to stir up some patriotic creativity. I used a nautical theme because it's cute and Waylon is loves the water.

All decor was homemade. I listed references at the bottom of the post.

birthday boy

birthday boy's attire

Guests signed their birthday wishes for Waylon in a book. I love that he has a

keepsake from his first birthday that he can enjoy for many years.

Pictures of Waylon from newboarn to 11 months hung with ribbon

Smash cake

Nothing says patriotic like a good ole bottled Coke

The menu included food you might take on a sailing trip - sandwiches, chips, dips, fruit, and cookies

Little man was a tad overwhelmed by all of the people.

He was not sure about the smash cake.

Uncle Cody pushed his head into the cake when he wouldn't try it himself.

When the crowd dwindled after singing happy birthday he started to get a little messy.

Guess he didn't like being the center of attention in front of a lot of people.

Check out the cake in his hair. Ha!

Riding with Eli in his new wagon

Our sweet friends, the Roddens, drove all the way from Memphis to surprise us.

We didn't think they were going to be able to make it. Such a sweet surprise.

C-man & Waylon

Waylon's friend Anna Banks. He loves her.

Waylon playing in the homemade sailboat.

I love that almost everyone is wearing red, white, & blue. That wasn't planned.

Thank you to all of our friends and family for helping us celebrate Waylon's first birthday.

Having each of you there made it so special.

Invitations: scrapbook paper, skewers, and ribbon - from my craft supplies

Party hat & bow tie: homemade - used this tutorial for the bow tie

Cake/Cupcakes: a dear friend made them for me

Cupcake wrappers & topper: found them on this blog

Smash cake topper: paper straws I had & chipboard number from Michaels

Guest "book:" Toy Boat by Randall de Seve from Amazon

Pennant banner: twine and scrapbook paper from my craft supplies

Large Engineering print: ordered print from Staples and taped it on foamboard

*note: Staples website says not recommended for photos but it worked for my purposes.

Cardboard sailboat: tutorial in Parents' magazine

Dear Waylon: 12 months

My little lovie,

Man alive, the past 366 days (leap year) have been the fastest, sweetest, busiest, and most treasured days of my life. I can hardly believe you are a year old. It is bittersweet. Bitter because your baby days are behind us and the evidence you are now a toddler grows with every passing day. Sweet because I love who you are as a one year old. I have enjoyed watching you learn and grow and become the sweet, sensative, smart, handsome little boy you are today.

Floss anyone?

Your 12th month was slam full of fun. We were busy people.

We welcomed baby Abel on 6.12.12

We visited Daddy for Father's Day weekend 6.16 through 6.18

We had a small case of hand, foot, & mouth right before we visited Daddy (on 6.14.12). That is the first time you've been really sick. You've had a cold here and there, but nothing serious. You just did not feel good and you were not yourself. You ate very little. No wonder, the doctor said you had blisters on your throat. You cried a lot. And you ran a constant fever between 101-103. Thankfully, it only lasted 24 hours and we were still able to make the trek to Nashville to spend Father's Day with your daddy. You were such a trooper and bounced back really quickly.

Waylon & Abel

Country Music Hall of Fame

12 month highlights:

You can follow instructions - "get the ball" "come here" "say duck"

You are officially a cruiser. You are experimenting with standing without help.

New words/phrases: "hey dad" "hey hank"  Hank is Meme & Pop's pup.

You attempt to repeat what we say and sometimes surprise us with your ability to.

Your sense of humor is so funny. Your expressions are priceless.

You are learning body parts (nose, mouth, eyes). Instead of just touching, you like to wedge your finger up or into the body part (i.e. up the nose hole or in the mouth). You always surprise me with your timing and I can't help but laugh.

You've figured out how to play peek-a-boo using furniture.

Your 'drag-a-leg' crawl has gotten MUCH faster.

We weaned you off the bottle in just a couple of days (while we were at the beach)

And you LOVE whole milk.

You are beginning to assert your independence big time. You will push our hands away if you think you've got it handled.

You weigh 22 pounds and 7 ounces and are 29 3/4 inches long. You are cruising right along the 50th percentile in both categories.

Let freedom ring

I am so thankful to have such an even-tempered, laid back, happy baby. You have spoiled me. You entertain yourself so well. When you get too quiet and I check on you, I frequently find you looking through books or quietly playing with toys. And you aren't just this way at home. It makes me really proud to know you behave with other people, too. Your Sunday School teachers brag about how well-behaved you are every Sunday. Speaking of well-behaved, we have not "baby-proofed" our house and really don't plan to (with the expection of poisons & toxins which are already kept out of reach for the most part). We are firm believers in teaching you what is off limits so that when we are in other people's homes you know your boundaries. We have to keep a closer eye on you but I think it will pay off in the long run. You already know certain things are off limits, like electrical sockets.

LOVE that smile

We went to the beach with Granna and Grandaddy. Although it wasn't technically your first time, you were only 2 months the official first time so we were excited to see your reactions to the water and sand. You weren't sure about either at first. By the end of our stay, we probably could have buried you in the sand and I think you would have taken off into the ocean if you could have walked. We also tested out a "big pool" and you loved it too. You swam like a little fishy. I dunked you under water once to see how you'd react. You didn't cry, but you weren't a fan. We had such a great week relaxing and playing with my family. Your daddy didn't get to stay with us the whole week, but he was able to come by several times because he was working in the area (divine intervention).

Beauty

Waylon with Granna & Grandaddy

with Daddy

Look at that hair - blowing in the breeze

got it made in the shade

somebody loves the water

My fam minus Ash, Matt, Abel. We sure missed them.

Hubby is taking the picture.

football time w/ Granna & Uncle Kyle

jumping waves with Daddy

Your birthday was on a Sunday.

You woke up in a great mood and we brought you into our room sang "happy birthday."

While Daddy got ready for church, I found a YouTube video and we sang "happy birthday" a second time. Then at breakfast,  we stuck a candle in your banana and sang "happy birthday" a third time.

After all of the birthday singing, we headed to church. We planned to go to the zoo, but it rained. So we played in the rain instead - your choice - and it was so much fun.

Birthday banana

Playing in the rain

Your first year has come and gone. I wish I could slow down time, but I sure have enjoyed every minute as your Momma. Your sweet little smile can wash all of my cares away in an instant. Snuggling with you melts me into a puddle every time (and I love that you still want to so I take advantage of every opportunity). Hearing you call my name makes my heart skip a beat. There is nothing in the world like being a mommy and I am so glad the Lord blessed me with a handsome blue-eyed baby boy with sweet cheeks and the cutest nose. You've absolutely stolen my heart and I love you a million times a million. 

love,

Momma