Through the Months

Oh, how he's grown!

One month old:



Two months old:



Three months old:



Four months old:



Five months old:



Six months old:



Seven months old:



Eight months old:



Nine months old:



Ten months old:



Eleven months old:



One year!

Party like it's your Birthday

(all right, so it's edited, but you get the idea :))

We all had an awesome time at Russell's birthday "beach bash" at a local park shelter on Saturday!

After 2 good naps for the birthday boy, the party started at 3:30 was supposed to start at 3:30, but when the first guests arrived the birthday boy was not yet awake and balloons were still being blown up :) Oh well!

Once Russell got there, he had a great time. He was so good! I was warned that babies can be very crabby at their party (all the attention can get overwhelming), but he had lots of fun.

Russell is my grandmother's 4th great-grandson (no girls!)



A little QT with Mimi:



So many of Russell's little friends joined us at his party. We laid outdoor blankets and toys on the ground in the hopes that the crawlers would stay put (ha). At least in this pic, Parker (and Eliza in the foreground)are still on the blanket:



Jason's grandmother and dad:



And the singing! Russell was smiling and happy to hear "Happy Birthday" - I don't think he knew everyone was singing to him, but he liked it!

Do you think he's had too much sugar lately?



Family photo (with the cupcake):



Opening presents was great - he loved everything and didn't mind (too) much when a couple curious babies walked over to try out his new toys :)

He was fascinated by this singing birthday card!



Side note: I didn't get my first laptop until I was 18! Kids these days... ;)



What a fabulous party for a fabulous little boy! Russell, I can't say enough how much you are loved. So happy to be your mommy.

Unveiling...

Century Photography!

Thanks to my support system - friends, family, fellow photogs - you know who you are! Love you all so much :)

Click me

One is Fun :)

What a fun birthday Russell had! (Or at least I thought so!)

To start, he had a big boy breakfast: eggs and strawberries. (Two foods babies aren't supposed to have until one year old - although Russell had actually had both before.)

And now he's eating small pieces, with the pincer grasp!



Continuing with food, Russell had his first cup of whole milk today! (Yes, we made it to 1 year of only breastfeeding!)

Yeah, this was about the only sip he took - looks like we'll have to work into milk.

And what is a birthday if you don't have cake? Jason and I sang "happy birthday" to Russell and gave him a cupcake - he knew what to do this time :)



Russell also got to see both sets of grandparents today! He especially loved my parents' new dog, Bogie. From the time Bogie came in, Russell only had eyes for him. He kept saying, "dog...dog." When he was allowed to pet him, he was very gentle. I was so impressed!





Then, Paw Paw and Kacki came over to give Russell his first birthday gift! Once he was able to see past the ribbon...



...he opened it and loved it!



By the time he got to bed, he didn't make a peep! He had a great first birthday. We can't wait for his party tomorrow!

12 Months Old!

Happy birthday!

This feels like as much of an accomplishment for Jason and me as for Russell :) We've all arrived at the one-year mark relatively intact!

At 12 months, Russell is:

~20 lbs, 5 oz - 29th percentile

~51st percentile in height

~61st percentile in head circumference

~in between clothing sizes - 12 month size is getting a little snug while most 18 month things are still a bit big

~wears size 4 shoes

~diapers are size 3, but we're about to move to size 4

~has 2 bottom teeth and 2 top teeth (and 2 more coming through on top)

~still taking 2 naps a day, but the morning one has gotten shorter and afternoon one is longer

~still loves to be held - but only if you're walking around, not sitting (he's been that way since birth!)

~testing his boundaries and getting disciplined for it! I guess that could be a post in itself!

~pulling up and taking just a couple steps along furniture - not even enough to call it cruising

Favorite:

~foods: yogurt, cheese, and all fruits

~drink: he's not picky - likes water and juice equally

~words to say: okay (sounds like mmmkay)

~outdoor activities: swinging at the park, going down the slide, sitting on grass and plucking it

~songs: The Wheels on the Bus; Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes

~toys: Busy Ball Popper, LeapFrog learning table, My Pal Scout, stacking toy, and this toy with a bunch of gears that lights up

~books: Goodnight Moon; The Very Hungry Caterpillar; Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? are just a few of many he loves

It really has flown in a flash. If they all go this fast, he'll be in college tomorrow. So today, I choose to cherish all that he is, and everything he's so quickly becoming.

Happy first birthday, Russell Micah!

Your daddy and I love you more than you could ever know.

Wordless Wednesday

Father's Day Weekend

Father's Day is a very special day for our family:

*Father's Day 2004 - Jason and I met

*Father's Day 2009 - Russell's due date

This year was one of the less eventful Father's Days - except, of course, that it was Jason's first!

So we had a very nice time this weekend as a little family of 3. On Saturday night, we went to a little festival in town (finally, something we didn't have to drive 30 minutes to!) It was actually really fun: there was a free petting zoo that Russell liked, some rides and food, and one of our favorite beach music bands!

(I only took cell phone pics - I love photography, but it's like cooking - some days, when you don't have company, you decide to make hot dogs instead of a gourmet meal :) )

Russell and Jason swinging before the festival really got started:



Jason watching the band and Russell playing with the grass:



Tonight, we went to dinner at our favorite pizza place, and Russell ate his first pizza!



Jason entertaining Russell:



Happy couple:



Happy Father's Day to all dads - especially ours, and my wonderful hubby!

Cake Smash

In 7 days, our baby will be one!

We celebrated a little early with Russell's first taste of cake!

Digging in:



What is this stuff?



Frosting toes:



Yeah, who wouldn't be happy with a cake all to themselves?



This was super messy, as you can probably imagine - Jason took Russell straight up to the bath afterward! But I'm so glad we did it :) Let the celebrating begin!

Wordless Wednesday: Naptime

Brynn's Birthday Party

What a weekend! We've had more than our fair share of friends, food, and fun.

(True to form, Jason absolutely loved all the get-togethers, while Russell definitely got tired of all the people and needed space toward the end.)

Anyway, today was Brynn's first birthday party!

Doesn't she look the part, in her pretty pink birthday shirt? (And just like a one-year-old, paying not a bit of attention to the camera?)



So many babies, so many toys...but funnily enough, they are always after the same ones:





(side note: Russell l-o-v-e-s this alligator xylophone!)

(Cole's hand and Russell's hand - you might think they're sharing nicely, but you can't see their faces ;))

I do so love seeing a man with a baby:



(especially my handsome man with our sweet baby)



The birthday girl had lots of playtime with little-baby friends and big-person friends:



And then the time came for her cake. Sweet little cupcake for a sweet little cupcake of a girl ;)



Happy birthday, Miss Brynn! We had a great time celebrating with you!