12 Month Pictures

Boo at the zoo 2013!

Enjoying the fall leaves

We love our little lion baby!

our little pumpkin! cant wait to see where he stands next year...we he be as tall as dad?

About to dig into his Birthday Cake!!! Yummm :)

12 Months

This month our sweet baby turned 1!!!! I still can not believe that i have a 1 year old toddler. He has grown so much over the past year, from just 6lb. 3oz. to 23lb. 4oz. and bessed our lives more than he will ever know. He has taught me to not sweat the small things and a mothers love is like no other! I can't even being to explain it & it brings tears to my eyes to think about. I know i have not been a perfect mom but we have developed a love and a bond like no other. With the help of god and my family i have made it though this year. Of course there were ups and down but we would not trade it for ANYTHING!!! We celebrated Max's 1st year of life with a PUMPKIN themed party!!! It was a great time to reflect and spend with friends and family. Max loved his cake, i am sure that you can see by the pictures but didn't quite know what to do with the gifts. There was no better way to close out the year than with family and friends celebrating out little angel!

Fun Things We Did This Month:
- We went to Boo at the Zoo. Max was a lion, I was a minion, and Brad was something from star wars?
- Max visited me at work and went trick or treating at ADM - he loved sitting at my desk and i think would have been happy to take my calls. He LOVE the phone!!!
- We went trick or treating to a few houses... just family! We even went to see my 100 year old Aunt Deloris and she loved seeing Max in costume!
- We celebrate Max's 1st Birthday!!! YAY :)
- We visited the pumpkin patch as a family! Max enjoyed the trip and loved seeing all of the animals. He kept calling everything a "dog"....it was beyone cute! We got a few pumpkins, letting max pick out his own!
- We had friends over to carve pumpkins on Uncle Rusty's birthday. We had dinner and cake to celebrate and everyone that had kids to bring did ---so we had a little play date!!! I love that we have friends with children and some that are so close in age, not that age really matters. We always have a blast and seriously have the best friends anyone could ask for.

Mommy Must Haves:
- I said that car-seat last month but scratch that because you need more than one! When you switch to the bigger seat and don't have a base it is no longer easy to move from car to car!
- snack cups that don't spill - they have some sort of lid on them that the child can get their hand though! These are amazing for the car and at home...for sure a must have!

11 Month Pictures

11 Months

This month really put us thorough the ringer! We successfully had two surgeries and are now healing up! Max had his tubes put in on a Monday and Brad has his ACL surgery a day later. Max did amazing with his surgery and it was done in the blink of an eye. We have already gone back for our followup appointment and his hearing should be improving at time passes. This means more talking for Max and hopefully some new words!!! I am soooo sick of hearing "da da" all the time. Bradley's surgery was a bit more complicated as he has a full tear to both the meniscus and the ACL in his knee. The doctor took a graft of his hamstring and that is how they repaired the torn ACL. The surgery seemed like it took forever! It was over an hour, way longer than Max's 15 minute procedure. Brad was completely loopy after coming out of surgery and if you haven't....check out the video that i took of him - it is posted on my facebook page! Funny stuff :) Brad has a long recovery ahead and wont be putting weight on his leg or driving for at least a month. He has been going a little stir crazy, but should be getting his brace off soon! I am so surprised by how well he is doing with the therapy and recovery. It is a time like this when i am thankful for the flexibility that both of us have with our jobs. It is hard taking care of Max with no help and sometimes frustrating but we have had wonderful family support. I am so ready to close the door on this month and push towards OCTOBER!!!

Fun Things We Did This Month:
- We went to a Birthday party at the Children's museums - This may be Max's new favorite place! It was a perfect place to have a party for kids! Max loved the bubbles and the train table the most :)
- Despite the knee we still went to some football games, including a Dallas Cowboys Game!!!
- Max went to yet another wedding out of State. This time is was off to Texas for Megan & Keith's wedding. We had a blast and Max even made a new friends in Keith's nephew.
- We started back at our school year babysitter & i know max was more than thrilled to see all of the kids again! His eyes light up each and every morning when we drop him off. Such a loving environment. I ABSOLUTELY could not ask for a better sitter!!! We love CoCo!!!
- I took my first trip for work, ironically to Dallas, Texas. I left just two days after we got back from the wedding. Everything went smoothly and my parents kept Max while i was gone, being that Brad was not 100% with the knee - and Max is FAST!!!

Mommy Must Haves:
- Ergo Baby carrier - i have used this more than ever while on outing to football games or wherever
- Boppy highchair cover for taking out to dinner - have had several but this one WORKS!!!
- Convertible Car-seat: We just bought one to switch Max over to next month - we got a Britax Boulevard and so far i like it! I am sure i will post more about this later 

10 Month Pictures

10 Months

This month was supposed to be OURS as we prepare for the start of high school season and the start of FALL!!! We planned on attending most games, as Brad runs the video board at home games and the camera at away games.  Well things took a turn for the worst when Brad tore nearly everything in his knee during the first play of the Alumni football game. We have spend much time at doctor's appointments are we prepare for surgery come September. We have chosen a doctor in St. Louis, Missouri that a co-worker recommended. He has been the team physician for the NY Mets, St. Louis Rams, and now the St. Louis Cardinals. We are confident after meeting with him that he is the man for the job! he is working on his speed each and every day  and we are just waiting for him to take off walking....but then again why walk when you can crawl so fast. He love getting into things now, kitchen cabinets with pots and pans are his favorite! We are now starting the planning process of his 1st birthday party. I can hardly believe it has been a year already!!! Time flies when you are having fun. We have our theme all picked out but you will have to wait for the big reveal on that one! It is super cute if i do say so myself. We are working a lot on talking this month but Max doesn't seem interested. He is still mostly saying "da da" and "ah gee". We are going to get though this challenging time and come out better than ever!

Oh....i almost forgot to mention that max is having surgery on his ears the same week as Brad's knee surgery, in fact we only have a day in between the two. The doctor has assured me that this is no big deal and will take no longer than 15 minutes. I feel terrible and my heart breaks for him as a mother but i know it is in his best interest. He is a happy little guy and i know that he will do amazing! 

Fun things we did this month:

- Run...run..run - we are continuing to run now up to 8 miles - getting ready for the shorline in just 2 months!
- We watched Dad play and then get hurt and the Maroa-Forsyth alumni football game. OUCH!
- We started planning for your 1st Birthday Party!!! Them has been chosen and invitations have been ordered.
-We introduced some new food including: noodle, peas, and carrots that are diced. So far so good :)

My must haves for moms:

- Multiple diapper bags that are packed and ready to go! As we are traveling and on the go more, i find this a MUST! Better to be safe than sorry -- if you think you may need it, thow it in the bag. Also, we are liking the backpack more than the diaperbag! Sounds strange but it is much easier to carry and you can fit a whole lot in it!
- Noisy toys! In fact the louder the better :) Max loves it :)

5 Month Pictures