Today Lewis learned to say “bow wow” like a dog, and tried to put his shoes on by himself. He’s growing up so fast, I have to remind myself to savor the moments when he still needs me. Nap time is here, and he’s still my baby right now.

Sweet new hat, kid!

New car seat doesn’t come out of the car like the infant seat did. So if I feel like a nap is precious enough, I end up sitting in the driveway playing on my phone while the child sleeps. What a funny life.

A year ago today, we came home from the hospital. Now, we’re in a new house, the kid has outgrown that carseat, my hair has grown out, and I’ve gotten significantly less puffy. My goodness, how I’ve enjoyed reliving the memories of a year ago the last few days.

Cupcake was a hit!!!

Getting ready for kiddo’s party, and starting a new tradition. Every year, we’ll take a picture with last year’s picture. Here’s this year’s result! Happy birthday (observed) munchkin!

One year old today! I can hardly believe it!

The aftermath. We do not like being sticky.

First haircut! Just trimmed up the mess. He was a wiggly little trooper.

We went out for dinner for husband’s birthday yesterday, and despite being out until over an hour past kiddo’s bedtime, we had a wonderful time. (Could have been the later-than-normal nap that kept disaster at bay)

Child dressed in his bow tie for the occasion.

We went with Kyle’s mother and stepfather, and it was very lovely. Kyle’s mom loves her grandkids so much, and she and Lewis had a great time together playing games with the food and laughing.

At the end of the evening, she let Lewis try some of Kyle’s birthday dessert. I thought about asking her not to, but in the end I allowed two bites of ice cream. Lewis reacted adorably. At first he was upset because it was cold, then he was very happy (for obvious reasons). And the sugar rush was immediate and hilarious.

After we made it home, kiddo went to sleep very easily. And other than a brief wake-up about 2 hours later, he slept all night. Good sleep seems to be the new norm. Hooray!

It’s a silly picture, but look at the circles under his eyes! Seems a little weird to me…

I made the coolest block-tower of my life. Lewis is unimpressed.

Yesterday we went shopping for Lewis’ first walking shoes. Kyle’s mom (aka the Shoe Queen) sponsored the purchases as Lewis’ birthday gift. He got two pairs and looks adorable!!! They’re really good quality, which means the soles are semi-soft and perfect for walking. Now kiddo is free to get serious about walking whenever he wants. So far we still just stand and take a couple steps here and there. But it feels like he’ll be running around any day now.

Lewis demanded an early bedtime tonight. Who am I to argue?

One of my requirements for our new house when we were shopping was that the neighborhood had sidewalks. And this is why. This evening the weather was springy and lovely, and we were able to get outside and enjoy a nice 30 minute stroll. That’s something our old neighborhood lacked. I’m so happy we didn’t compromise on that.

Still rocking the fever. Favorite place to manage that? Mom’s chest.

Whoooooa. That’s a big “ba”! (This joyful moment brought to you by tylenol. Bye bye fever)

My baby boy is 11 months old today! I don’t even know what to say. One month from now he will be a year old. He is less and less a baby every day, and more like a toddler. My heart hurts and swells with pride at the same time.

Not a good night of sleep. At some point we were so tired that we just gave up and brought kiddo to our bed so we could at least lay down, even if we didn’t get to sleep. Eventually, he fell asleep. And now he is adorable and I have to wake him up to take him to school. Seems cruel for everyone involved.

Happy baby in his new jammies lounging in the big bed with mommy. 🙂

In the spirit of valentine’s day, Lewis is wearing pink… pink eye, that is. In both eyes now.

This is how Lewis feels about pink eye.

It’s a blurry picture, but the action is very clear. That’s my baby trying to stand up without pulling himself up on something. First time he’s done that!

Reading our new book from Great Granny. Thanks, Great Granny!

My boys got some good snuggles in this morning before the chaos of the day took us away from each other.

First trip to the park today! First time in a swing and first time on the slide! Let’s hear it for 60° days in February!

Happy 10 month birthday to my sweet baby! Lewis is very adventurous, always exploring and cruising and trying to stand without support. Life is full of head bonking and falling during this learning phase. But nothing will stop this kiddo from trying new things!

Lewis’ new favorite spot. He had so much fun playing piano earlier that he kicked his shoes right off!