Parker's Second First Birthday Party

Parker's second party had a baseball theme and we all gathered at Mike's house to celebrate with a bbq. The food was all set to the theme - peanuts, cracker jacks, burgers and dogs. Very cute!

Nathan had fun playing in the yard for a while with baby Brooke.

Parker loved all the attention and really enjoyed smashing another birthday cake!

My boys, hanging out

Our little family

It was fun to have more baby friends gathered to play! Maggie was born two weeks after Parker so these three are only separated by two months.

Who would have thought a simple folding chair would provide the most entertainment? Everyone practiced their balancing and taking (assisted) steps. Parker even walked a few feet all by himself! It won't be long before everyone is cruising along.

We were so happy to be able to celebrate our little buddy with even more friends. Hard to believe it's already been a year and our own little one will be a year old just around the corner!

Busy Weekend...and we christened the pool!

We decided on a little family adventure this weekend and walked the 2 miles from our house to Park Ave to check out the Winter Park Art Festival. It's a seriously popular event, bringing in hundreds of thousands of people from all over the country. How fun that it's so close to our house!

N fell asleep in his stroller on the walk back (a first!) and we enjoyed the stroll through local neighborhoods on the way home. It was a fun way to spend St. Patrick's Day since we really didn't do anything else to commemorate the holiday.

N got a fun surprise when we got home and Ryan built him his very own Cozy Coupe. Long story, but we've had it at my parents' house since Christmas and just got it home so the monkey got to test it out. He loves cruising in it!

We also (finally) took the plunge and tested out the pool for the first time! While it may be hot, hot, hot here (in the 80s already!) the water is still a little chilly so I was happy to stay on the steps and take on the role of photographer while N and R tested the waters.

The bubs was a bit unsure to start but once he got the hang of it we saw some smiles break out.

He even tried out a new float and seemed to enjoy it! We have to keep a close eye on him, though, because he likes to dunk his face in the water. I can see all sorts of trouble with this!

Our little bathing beauty, drying out after a fun dip in the pool!

Brevard Zoo

Parker's actual birthday fell on a Thursday so after singing and dancing at music class that morning, Lindsay and I took the boys out to lunch and then headed over to the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne to check out all the animals. I was hoping N would nap on the way there but he was content just talking to himself the whole drive over so he started out pretty sleepy but caught a second wind and had a great time.

No lions, tigers or bears, but we did see cheetah, jaguars, rhinos and monkeys! The boys had a blast riding the train and seeing all the big animals "behind the scenes".

It took a little over two hours to see the whole zoo and get all of our photo opps. We had such a fun time celebrating P's special day and showing the little fellas something new. I think both of them were asleep before we even left the parking lot - it was a big day!

Backyard Fun with Breakfast Club

Fallon and Brinkley invited us over for lunch rather than breakfast last week so we could get some sun and let the babies play. We put on our bathing suits and lots of sunscreen and headed over. N seemed to really like splashing in the baby pool, watching as the other kiddos ran around.

He also enjoyed exploring the taste of grass and anything else he could get into his mouth. Oh, that boy!

We missed Dory, Henley and baby Brooks! Hopefully we'll all get to hang out again soon - it's been a while since we've all managed to make it to breakfast club!

Parker's First First Birthday Party

Our little buddy Parker is turning one tomorrow! Lindsay and I were pregnant at the same time and we've shared so much raising our two boys so far. It's been so fun to watch our guys grow together!

We had the pleasure of celebrating one of two first birthday parties for Parker on Saturday. Lindsay had a sweet party honoring the birthday boy with an adorable whale theme. The kiddos got to play while the grown-ups chatted and snacked on yummy treats.

At first P was a little unsure of the smash cake but after we sang and he saw that yummy icing, he dove in and never looked back! He seemed to really enjoy all eyes being on him, too. By the end he was sporting a very handsome icing goatee and had managed to eat quite a bit of cake. Way to go Parker!

We played a bit more before it was time to head home for all babies to get naps. I love seeing these boys interact and it's become more and more entertaining as they've gotten older and are more aware of each other. While I hate seeing them grow so fast, I am so thankful we have good buddies to do it with and I look forward to seeing how much they change in the year to come!

Sickies

While we were in Atlanta, or maybe even before we got there, some crazy, nasty bug found its way to me and Nathan and we both ended up being sick. It always seems that we pass germs between the two of us and this time was no exception.

Poor guy was so congested and snotty the whole time we were there. His fever spiked at 102.4 and was pretty high for two days or so. Through it all, though, he laughed and played, always the good sport. We took him to the doctor when we got home and it turned out he had a double ear infection and pink eye on top of his yucky cold. I felt so bad for him!

I ended up feeling like I got hit with the flu the Sunday we were up there and it progressed into the weirdest sickness I have ever had. My symptoms changed everyday and by Wednesday I was miserable. I finally got a doctor's appointment Thursday morning and found out I had an ear infection on top of a sinus infection. How does an adult even get those?!

I'm still battling, waiting for this ear to clear up and be able to hear out of it again. I thought N was on the mend until he woke up yesterday with H-I-V-E-S!!!

I used to get them all the time so I wasn't too alarmed but when he woke up today with them even worse and covering his whole body, I took him back to the doctor. We've stopped his antibiotics, thinking it's an allergic reaction to Augmentin, and he's on Benadryl round the clock until they clear up. I just hope he gets better quickly! I hate seeing my little guy out of sorts!

Ten Months

Nathan, you are ten months old today!

I really can't believe how much you've grown this past month. You're so much closer to a little boy now than you are a baby! Not only do you seem so much older, you are getting so big! You're outgrowing all of your clothes and it's getting hard to cradle you because you're so long. I'll keep trying though!

You're a little rolly-polly now and easily go from belly to back and vice versa. You get such a kick out of it! You've made some progress with crawling, getting up on all fours now and even making some forward motion. But you still hate it and fuss the entire time you're on your tummy. You much prefer to walk instead and constantly reach for my hands to pull you up and guide you. If, by chance, I steer you clear of harm or in a different direction then where you want, you get very frustrated. You love standing at the ottoman in the family room or at your activity center and you even let go every once in a while. So daring!

You've been such a trooper this month, putting up with a really bad cold bug (the worst so far), pink eye and a double ear infection. My poor buddy! You smile through it all, though, and no one would ever know you weren't feeling well. On top of all that, you have four new teeth popping through on top which can't be fun. Aside from a few sleepless nights and a few struggles at naptime due to these discomforts, you sleep really well and most nights I don't have to get up at all. You take two naps, anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours long, depending on the day.

You still eat like a champion and amaze me at each meal by shoving fistfuls of food into your mouth. I have to pace you with once bite at a time. We've tried all sorts of things but you still love cheese and pasta most. You take four bottles a day, about 4-5 ounces each, but you've started pushing it away when you think you've had enough. I guess you're starting to wean yourself?

We started music class this month, which you seem to enjoy. You love to shake your noise makers (and they seem pretty tasty, too!) and even "dance" a little when you hear music. You're great at banging a drum, too. When we play at home, you still love your blocks, along with a Little People Noah's Ark from Lolly and  anything that lights up or "talks". You're a terror in your walker and zip around the house like it's your race car, clipping our heels and running over poor Jax. I can't take my eyes off you now because you love opening drawers and cabinets. When I catch you, you run off and giggle. It's a funny game but I probably shouldn't be encouraging it.

You are such a flirt and make eyes at all the ladies when we're out. You're going to be a heartbreaker! You stare in awe at other kids and love to watch them wherever we go. You babble all day long and have little conversations with yourself when we're in the car. "Ma-ma-ma", "ba-ba-ba", "da-da-da" and "ya-ya." It's pretty fun to listen in! I think you know you're a ham and you seem to understand how your cuteness can get you attention. Oh, trouble!

My heart overflows with love for you each day and it gives me such joy to watch you grow. I cannot believe you will be one in two short months. What happened to our deal about you not getting any older?! I love you my sweet boy and I'm so happy to have the privilege of being your mama.

xoxo

Ten Month Stats:

Weight - about 22 pounds

Diapers - size 4

Clothes - totally depends on brand but anywhere from 9 months (which I need to retire) to 18 months

Carter and Spencer's Birthday Party

Carter turned two! And we had twice the fun celebrating because he had a party with his buddy, Spencer, who was born two days before. Kelly and Shari did an amazing job creating a firetruck themed party, from the adorable details to the giant firetruck that came!

We got to Shari's house on Saturday morning to help with the final details before guests arrived. I can't say I did much to help, but I tried to keep the boys' entertained while everyone else worked!

They are pretty silly together and it was so cute to see the two friends interact. Quite a change from Nathan's age! N was under the weather and had a rough night the night before so he was a bit subdued but he was a trooper and kept smiling despite missing a nap and feeling quite sick.

Everyone took a turn sitting on the firetruck that came. The "older" kids could tour the full truck and even got a ride around the neighborhood. N was a natural and grabbed right on to the steering wheel, ready to head to the nearest emergency and save the day!

When it came time for cake, the boys knew just what to do. We sang for Spencer first and then Carter and then the smashing began! So as not to get dirty, C did most of his tasting with his hands at his sides like he was bobbing for apples. So silly! Mom and Alex baked the smash cakes and they were the hit of the party - dalmatian-themed to go with the firetrucks.

It was a great party and so fun to celebrate these sweet boys together. Kelly and I went for pedicures the next day to give her some birthday pampering after all her hard work and we had a smaller celebration for just our family Sunday night. We were so glad to be there for the weekend and wish Kelly and Carter a happy birthday in person!

On a side note, the Friday before the party, we got to experience a real scare as bad weather and tornadoes blew through the area. Growing up in Atlanta, I slept in the basement a few times and remember my mom's severe weather radio keeping us up to date on any activity. I've never, though, seen our town or a landmark as close as the country club next to my parents' neighborhood listed as a point of contact for an actual tornado! We were closely watching the radar as poor, sick N slept upstairs, slowly gathering supplies in our "shelters" in case we needed to take cover. As soon as the siren went off at the golf course next door, I darted up the stairs, grabbed a still sleeping bubs and headed to the downstairs bathroom to huddle until it passed. He slept through the whole thing (raging fever and all) and we ended up all being fine but it definitely had my heart racing and I could tell Ryan was panicked. Scary stuff!

Georgia Aquarium

After a visit in February (more on that to come), we went back up to Atlanta for a long weekend to celebrate Carter and Kelly's birthdays. On Friday we decided to take the boys to the aquarium for something different to do.

We headed down right at Nathan's nap time so I was hoping he would snooze in the car but he ended up not falling asleep until we got to the parking garage so after only a fifteen minute nap, I was a bit worried that he would be a crank pot all day. He was great, though, and seemed to love looking at all the fish and other kids.

Kelly, Lincoln and Carter met my Mom, Alex, and our little family down there. We all took turns passing the boys back and forth and showing them the sights. It was so fun watching both boys' eyes light up as different fish and sea creatures swam by in the tanks. Carter is talking so much more now so he pointed all sorts of things out. Nathan just stared, wide-eyed, sometimes at things as simple as the emergency exit signs. I forget sometimes how new this world still is to him!  

We had a bite to eat in the cafeteria in between exhibits and were off again to see the penguins and whale sharks. We didn't even make it through the Georgia section where you can actually "pet" things before our time had run short and the boys' lost steam. Nap time! This time N fell asleep before we even left the garage. It had been a long but very fun day!