THE BEACH HOUSE

Spent a week in Encinitas, CA in a beach house a block from the ocean. We visited with Shamu, got a taste of sand, got smart at the science museum, and spent a lot of time in the pool. Everything was perfect. Here's a glimpse.

E.R. VISIT

Not even a week after you turn one, we find ourselves at the hospital again. Your Auntie Steffy describes it like a murder scene, screams, bloody hand prints, a shirt soaked in blood. Turns out those two little teeth that barely made their way to the surface sliced through your lip upon slamming your face on the edge of the tub. Fortunately the cries were over when I held you, and you seemed happy as can be, no pain. However, the fact that half your lip was dangling off was a little concerning so we made our way to the ER for some stitches.

They gave you a shot of Ketamine to consciously sedate you, and 6 minutes later you drowsy. They numbed you lip with a shot of lidocaine to help with the pain. You immediately started licking your lips and wiping your face. Seeing as the nurse couldn't keep you still enough for anyone to stich up that lip, I hopped onto that table and helped with the pinning. Three stitches was all it took. We waited another hour for your drugs to wear off and we headed home. It was nearly midnight and you had fallen asleep by the time we made it to the parking lot. Fortunately for all of us it only took roughly 72 hours fro your lip to heal.

12 MONTHS

On May 2nd you took our first steps. It wasn't anything special, just letting go of a cabinet and reaching for my reach int he kitchen. Its more than a month later, and you still prefer to crawl, often with your bum in the air. You only take steps when prompted to walk to momma or daddy.

You LOVE food. You eat everything. You love avocados and quinoa like your momma, and you can't get enough of ice cream and grilled cheese sandwiches like your daddy.

For a whole month you had one little snaggle tooth. Just a few days before you turned one the little tooth next to it came in.

Your favorite toy is a spoon and a cup. It serves two purposes, you pretend to eat and you play music. Who knew i had wasted so much money buying toys?

You like to do everything your brother does. If he gets in the stroller, you have to be in the stroller, if he splashes in the tub, you add to the splash and create a tsunami, and if he grabs a camelbak water bottle, you have to have to same one.

You HATE cold water, only warm pools for you.

You are totally off the bottle, and you only use you binky for bed, or on the rare occasion that Gage finds it and gives it to you.

You have become quite the tantrum thrower. If you don't get what you want, or we in any way try to distract you, you throw your whole body on the ground and scream. Very single minded, and stubborn.

Now that Gage has learned to open the fridge, you have moved from pots and pans in the cupboards to pulling everything off of every shelf in the fridge and bringing it to me with pride.

You have discovered how great going up a slide is.

You say hi to everyone, but you are selective with your waves.

You refuse to keep shoes on, and no matter how tight I tie them, no matter how many knots I put in them, you find a way to pull them off.

You have become an independent, mobile, opinionated little person, that is resembling a baby less and less, and transitioning to a toddler more and more. I expect this to be a great year!

TURNING ONE

It seems like just yesterday that your dad was handing you to me for the first time. I remember the moment i laid eyes on you thinking you looked identical to Gage. Dark hair, cheeks for days, cute button nose, pointy chin, arms rolls. You looked like one of my babies. You WERE one of my babies! I recognized your strong kicks in my arms. I have a feeling you weren’t so sure you were ready to come out of your hot tub. I held you close and kissed you to remind you I was still right there.

A lot like the day you were born, on the day you turned one, I found myself holding you even closer, and kissing you more. I wasn't ready for you to grow up. But regardless, the party must go on. We celebrated in the park, under our favorite tree. Your grandma and grandpa came, along with your aunties, uncle jake, and your cousins. We ate bratwurst with chimichurri sauce, you had a bun and seemed pretty happy. You refused to leave your daddy's side, but he loved it. 

After finishing your frosting on your cupcake, we headed home. It was on our way home that I noticed some dried red blood in your ear. My heart dropped. We ran you to Urgent Care immediately. A few hours later, it turns out those fevers you had had the last few days were not from teething after all. Your 104.7 fever could only be explained by two ear infections and a burst eardrum. I felt awful. You hadn't shown any signs of pain, nor indicators that your ears were uncomfortable. You are one tough baby. Here's to being One! lets hope it only gets better from here!