One Year Old!!

Birthday Party, originally uploaded by allthingssara.

Dear Beckett --

Today you are ONE. We had a party a few days ago on a Saturday to celebrate, and it was fun. I made a lemon cake for you -- Hank picked the flavor -- and covered it with candy sprinkles, and stuffed it full of raspberries. I think you liked it!

You are coming into your second year as a little one who loves to play the drum, tinkle the keys on the piano, tumble with his big brother, touch the cats even though they sometimes scratch in response. You babble up a storm still and have uttered a few words. Words that you've said, but not repeated very often are "kitty" and "Hank". You say "Mama" a lot, and "Dada", and occasionally you say "HIIII!" and "buh bye." Did I ever write down for you that your first word was "Hi"? You once looked down at Munchie, who was circling my feet meowing up a storm, and said to her, "meow??". You have a penchant for sneaking cat food into your mouth when we aren't looking, and you love toy cars.

Hank is a remarkable big brother to you. He relishes watching you grow and is so excited that you are big enough and strong enough to pay in forts with him and tumble all over the house with him. He helped pick out a play tent as your birthday present this afternoon, and watching the two of you enjoy it was a joy for me. And it was actually Hank who, this afternoon, noticed that your third tooth has finally decided to start coming in!

It was hard for me to admit that your birthday was coming up so quickly. I feel like I have been a bit protective of your precious babyhood, and I felt sad when I realized that this year was coming to a close. However, now that your birthday is here, I feel nothing but joy when I think about all the wonderful things I am going to get to experience anew through you. I say this to you a lot, but I hope you will always know that I am a very lucky mama.

xoxoxox,
Mommy

time for a haircut

time for a haircut, originally uploaded by allthingssara.

A few weeks ago I finally had to admit that it was time for my beautiful boy's hair to be cut. It was down to his upper lip in front, and he had the long (lovely) tendrils that would curl under his ears. So lovely. Taking him for that haircut was so, so hard. I cried for two days leading up to it, and all the way there in the car. My little baby has just gotten so big, so fast, and the impact of the passage of time was swift. Of course, in the end, getting his hair cut really was the best thing for him. He looks so grown up and happy, and I think those long locks were getting in the way of his vision, because when we got home that afternoon he went from pulling himself along the furniture to taking actual, unassisted steps. So grown up!

Semi-Monthly Facebook Status Dump

Dinos vs. Cars, originally uploaded by allthingssara.

Here's another periodic round up of facebook status updates since the last time I made a blog post.  

MAY

Poll: Beckett's 1st birthday is coming up. What kind of cake should I make for him? Chocolate? Lemon? Strawberry? Vanilla?

          How can my baby be nearly one year old?  Little Baby Bear, Bub, Bubba, Mr. Bubble, BeckettyBoo, BeckyBoo, Boo, BooBear, Buddha Baby, sweet little Bucket... At nearly twelve months, Beckett's hair reaches down to his lips, he takes a small step here and there, waves hello and bye bye, can say HI!, bah bah (bye bye), kiggy (kitty), Mama, and look at the cat and meow like a cat.  He loves to eat all kinds of food, but goes bananas when he sees a container of yogurt. Just in the last week or so, he's gotten so good at feeding himself.  He is so smiley -- I get comments all the time about how downright pleasant he is, and he just is.  Hank plays so well with Beckett -- they roll around the living room, play in couch cushion forts, wrestle.  His favorite toys are blocks and hotwheels, and he usually has one clutched in his hand, no matter what he is doing.  

who knew front loading laundry machines would be so exciting?
          

          Now that Beckett is super mobile, he's starting to discover "new" things about the house -- like the laundry machines.  Fascinating!!  They go round and round!  He also discovered all the instruments in the living room -- drums!  bangbangbang!  piano! dingdingding!  Discovering the piano was the cutest -- he pulled himself up as tall and long as he could, and barely reached his fingers up and over the keys and "ding!!"  Now he loves to play the piano.

Is anyone else completely burned out by spending more time setting up and tearing down activities for a four year old than the time said four year old actually spends engaging in the activity (including the time spent by said four year old berating you for helping in the exact manner that he asked you to help)?

on my way to the pool with both kids by myself for the first time. Please wish me luck.

          This had a lot of potential to be scary and awful, but it was truly great.  We stuck to the baby pool, everyone had a good time, no one got sunburned, no one drowned, and Hank even agreed (finally) to take swimming lessons!


APRIL

What an amazing weekend. Brings to mind the old Girl Scouts song "make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold".

Step! Step! Bucket took a step!! (April 25!)


Even on a day like this, with a storm threatening, I just love my backyard, and I'm so glad I chose to put what little gardening time I've had in the last couple of years into the back, instead of the front.

Totally irritated by the abundance of typos and spelling errors on the Disneyland website.


          We are planning our first trip to disneyland and it is pretty overwhelming!


Goodness, Beckett is loud.


          Especially at 5:46 am which is about the time he and I start the day almost every day....


while observing the sunset, Hank exclaims, "it's beautiful! Beautiful!! I made it for us! I just threw all the pink stuff up to the sky and it got all stuck up there so we could have the beautiful sunset!"


Dear Client -- contrary to popular belief, it is not your attorney's job to agree with everything you say. Nor is it your attorney's job to rubber stamp every hare-brained plan you hatch. It is your attorney's job to protect your interests, even if you don't like what your attorney has to say to you.


It's been a kaiser kind of day. Spent all afternoon getting antibiotic for hank, getting me checked for steep throat, and now I'm at the rapid clinic with Beckett who was bit by munchie while I was cooking dinner. I think that's enough for this month.


MARCH


Yesterday evening I got home from my ceramics class to find that Henry had organized an impromptu surprise party to celebrate my looming birthday. He and my parents had collaborated on a lovely dinner, he baked a cake with Hank, and even took both kids to trader joes. I had no idea, and was so touched and surprised :) #besthusbandprize