The past 14 months of your life have been the most amazing, rewarding, scary, challenging, emotional and happy days of my life. It's crazy to think how much we've been through since the day you were born, and even crazier to think how much we have to look forward to in the future. As you read this, ten plus years from now, I want to thank you for all the things you have taught me and for giving me a life full of joy. You have changed my life in so many ways and I wouldn't change that for the world.
As you grow up from a little boy into a young man, there are a few things I want you to keep in mind - a few things that will help you get the most out of life:
Be kind. Treat people with respect. Take care of yourself. Believe in God. Dream big.Smile. Love yourself. Take risks. Play hard. Be honest. Laugh everyday. Believe in yourself. Follow your dreams. Have fun. Be patient. Fight for what you want. Learn from your mistakes. Know who your true friends are. Fall in love (and love with all your heart). Get married. Have babies. Work hard. Save, save, save! Travel as much as you can. Call your grandparents, but call your mother more. :)
Most of all, live each day to the fullest. Life is to short to be anything but happy!!
Love, Mommy
"I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always. As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be."
Well, here are we -- the final month of your first year! And as Aunt Coll mentioned, the final month of formula!! I don't know which I'm more excited about! :)
You are growing leaps and bounds and surprising mommy and daddy with new things every day. Teeth 4, 5 & 6 made their debut early in the month, and we've gotten a little break on the teething since then. Your favorite words are "dada", "ut oh" and "ba" (ball). You have a new found love for any type of ball, point it out when you see it, and can find one any time we ask where your ball is. It's funny to watch you take Cooper's tennis ball away from him. Thankfully he is very gentle with you, but as soon as you drop it, he's quick to pick it up.
Playing with Cooper's ball
You have mastered cruising furniture, pushing your push toys, and are learning to stand on your own. Each time is for a few seconds longer than the previous. You are also very interested in going down the stairs, and are practicing very hard to remember to turn around at the top and go down backwards. You still need some reminders, but you are getting very good at it and it's so cute to watch you turn sideways and lay on your belly and then swing your legs around. You have also mastered waving this month, which entails flailing your entire arm up and down, and you also love patting your hand against your mouth while making noise (mommy calls it 'the little indian', especially when we say 'yay!', confusing it with clapping.
I think, in the past, I might have mentioned that you love to eat. You have become quite the independant little eater and love to feed yourself. New favorites include cheese, spaghettios, chicken nuggets, applesauce, hot dogs, nutri-grain bars, tortellini, vanilla wafers, ritz crackers, and kale. Our biggest challenge, new this month, is figuring out how to get you to stop throwing your food on the floor. Nothing seems to phase you - saying "NO" firmly with a deep voice tone, removing the food from in front of you, taking you out of the high chair, giving you only one piece of food at a time, etc. We are desperate for suggestions on how to nix this habit!
You celebrated your first Valentine's Day this month. Due to an ear infection, you spent the day with your favorite Valentine (Mommy), but we made a stop by Miss Dawn's to drop off your Valentine's to your girlfriends at daycare. Everyone loved the special treats you gave them and you got some great stuff in return, including your new bath book from Leah.
We had your first clinical trial follow-up appointment since surgery with U-M Pediatric Oncologists this month. Routine checkups for the next two years are every 3 months and will include a chest, abdomen and pelvic ct scan and/or ultrasound along with blood work to check for any abnormalities. We met with Dr. Mueller a few days later to go over the results and were beyond relieved to learn that everything looks great and there are no concerns! Now mommy and daddy (and everyone else) can breath!!
Best (and cutest) patient ever!
Well, we survived nearly 11 months without ever having to pay for a babysitter. We are so fortunate to be surrounded by such wonderful people who jump at the opportunity to watch you when needed, but it was inevitable - the time for a babysitter had come. I asked around for referrals and found a great babysitter right in the sub. The only problem -- we're competing with all the other young families in the sub for her time, but no worries, we've got a few dates on her calendar, and we can't use her too much or Grandma will be sad!
And last, but certainly not least, we welcomed some beautiful little ladies into the world this past month. First up, a new little girlfriend for you - Miss Emery, who not only lives right down the street, but her mommy and I happen to be great friends, which means, you'll be seeing lots of her! And mommy's cousin Ellen had her baby girl on your 11 month birthday -- your second cousin and first girl on the Young side in over 13 years - Baby Mia!! You already have so many of your own little friends, with some still on the way, and you don't even know it!
Likes:
Veggies Straws
Balls
Mommy's glasses
Splashing in Cooper's water bowl
Being chased - you crawl fast and laugh hard!
10 months old already? That means only two short little months until somebody's 1st birthday!!! And at the rate times been flying, it'll be here before we know it. I'm holding back the tears just thinking about it. Perhaps I need to get planning. I can't wait to celebrate YOU!
We have been having lots of fun lately. You are quite the busy body and love to explore. You crawl fast everywhere, nothing is slow with you. As soon as you think nobody is watching you, you make an escape for Cooper's water dish. And you've found your way behind the couch a time or two, too. You are already outsmarting mommy and daddy!
This month you took your first steps with your push toys, and have started working your way along furniture. You are gaining confidence and starting to reach for things beyond your range. It won't be long before you're walking on your own!
Your first winter has been a mild one. Don't get used to this! The weather has been warmer than average and we've had the least snow we've seen in years. It's not over though. Heck, chances are it's just beginning. And being that we live in Michigan, there's a chance we could see snow until May. We have however, made the most of it and are taking advantage of the snow when we get it. Daddy took you sledding for the first time, and to be honest, I'm not sure what you thought of it as you didn't make one facial expression. Or maybe it was the snowsuit that you weren't too sure about. :)
You're eating habits continue to be phenomenal! You are becoming a very independent little boy and love to feed yourself. Mac n' cheese, hot dogs, bananas, chicken nuggets, veggies straws, cheese and crackers are just a few of your favorites. Baby food is so 2011 with you that I have to sneak it in between bites to make sure you get a good balanced meal with fruits and veggies. Oh, and you LOVE Grandpa Bill's chicken n' rice soup, and it's one thing that you don't mind that mommy has to feed you. You are also a pro at the sippy cup now and love drinking water!
I'm usually not one to brag, but this past month you've really been favoring your mommy. Dropping you off at Miss Dawn's has gotten more and more difficult as you have learned that I sneak out when you aren't looking. The best part about it is how excited you are to see me at the end of the day. I barely walk in the door, you hear my heels on the floor and are racing to find me. It's definitely makes my day!!
Your physical appearance is changing everyday. You now have 3 teeth (2 bottom and 1 top) with 4, 5 & 6 on their way. I am hoping that is the reason for your early morning wake ups these days. And your hair has really started to grow in. It's darker and longer in the back and looks super cute when you're wearing your ball cap. You are the absolute happiest baby, always have a smile on your face and you just love to laugh. You are so ticklish and your laugh is beyond contagious.
Likes:
Cooper's water dish
Throwing your food on the floor for Cooper
Mommy and Daddy's iphones
Mac n' cheese
Sippy cup
Reading
Blowing raspberries
Your giggly monkey
Mommy :)
Dislikes:
Having your diaper changed
Diaper rash
When mommy leaves you
9 months....39 weeks....275 days...you are growing so big, so fast!
Let's take a quick look back down memory lane to mommy at 39 weeks pregnant...
And boy oh boy do I miss remember those days. Feeling huge and uncomfortable with swollen feet, anxiously yet patiently awaiting your arrival. Little did we know you would be here just a few short days later.....
On to more important things, you had a very busy and active month! On December 8th, just 2 days after your 8 month birthday, you crawled - for real! Not an army crawl or a bear crawl, but a REAL crawl. This made mommy so happy, as she was worried your little setback in November would delay you developmentally. But you proved me wrong, strong little guy! You were sitting on the floor when mommy picked you up from daycare, and you instantly turned yourself over, plopped right up onto your hands and knees and crawled to me! I couldn't believe it!!! Miss Dawn was certain you had done it before as you were doing it all day. Lucky her got to see you move for the first time. I took you home and we were so excited to show daddy. And he was so proud - I swear his smile went from ear to ear. Here is a quick look back at those first moves. You have been perfecting the crawl all month and have really picked up speed. Mommy can hardly keep up with you!
Now that you're mobile, you are very curious. Something catches your attention and you need to check it out. You love finding your way to the cable box, the fireplace, your cd player and anything you can pull yourself up on. Yes, that's right, you are pulling yourself up onto everything, including the stairs. You even try pulling your little leg up onto the step. It's officially time to baby proof the house!
You continue to be a fabulous sleeper, both at nighttime and nap time. You must get that from your daddy! You definitely let us know when you're tired and most of the time, you go down like a champ. And the times you aren't so tired, we watch your little self standing up, babbling away, walking along the rails of the crib. Oh, how I love my video monitor. I can spy on you without you even knowing it. And I thouroughly enjoy coming in to get you after a nap and seeing you like this:
Eating is another one of your favorite activities. You love everything and are a great eater. As soon as you see your food, you get so excited and your little legs move a mile a minute. Sometimes, we just can't feed you fast enough. New foods this month were baked mostacholli, mashed potatoes, asparagus and brussels sprouts. I think your all-time favorite is pancakes though. Last weekend, you had 2 1/2 for breakfast and another 2 1/2 for lunch! You've really gotten the hang of feeding yourself and I can't wait to try more finger foods this coming month.
This month we also celebrated your first Christmas, which was super special. We have so many wonderful Christmas traditions and look forward to creating our own traditions with you, for our family! And as fun as this Christmas was, I can't wait for next Christmas because you'll have a much better understanding of what's going on.
Santa came!
Likes:
pancakes
crawling
watching Spongebob
still loving your jumperoo (and getting quite good at it, too!)
banana mum mum's, a.k.a. "surfboards"
nose aspirator (random)
squirty toys in the bathtub
Dislikes:
having your diaper changed
And the 9 month photo shoot - which was nearly impossible to take:
This month has been both the worst and the most eventful of them all!
We started the month by welcoming 2 teeth, within 2 days of each other. That explains the late night wake ups, fussiness, diaper rash and puddles of drool. I'm glad for both of us that that is over with -- for now!
Next up, sitting like a big boy in the shopping cart! Not only did you like this, but mommy did too! I have a feeling we'll be doing this a lot more often.
You have mastered the 'scoot' and are working on perfecting the crawl. You put yourself on all fours from the sitting position and love rocking back and forth. You are so close to grasping the concept of crawling. It's just a matter of time!
We have a talker! You love your 'dada' and you aren't afraid to say it! Now, let's work on 'mama'.
You continue to be a great eater. You have mastered finger foods. Raviolis, chicken terrazini and ham and pineapple are new on the menu this month. You also got table food for the first time this month -- Saturday morning pancakes and you loved them! Nursing came to an end this month during your hospital stay (more on this below). We were down to 2 nursing sessions a day (morning and night), and it was just too much for mommy to worry about pumping, etc. while in the hospital and taking care of you. This was bittersweet for mommy - while she was sad that bonding time had come to an end, she was happy to have been able to do it for 7.5 months, and was glad it wasn't a decision she had to make on her own. She is also excited to be able to have some drinks and not have to 'pump n' dump'! :)
This past month has been life changing for us. On 11/22, our worst nightmare came true - you were diagnosed with a cancerous Wilm's Tumor on your right kidney that mommy found. On 11/23, you had major surgery to remove the kidney and a 2/3 lb. tumor. Doctors were very pleased with the outcome of surgery and were fairly confident that the tumor was completely encapsulated and that chemotherapy would not be needed. We spent 4 days in the hospital recovering and went home on 11/27. Two days later, pathology reports confirmed Stage I Wilm's Tumor, in which doctors felt chemotherapy was not needed, and close observation would be the best course of treatment. We have never felt so relieved and thankful! You will be monitored by University of Michigan's Department of Pediatric Oncology and Children's Oncology Group every 3 months for the next several years. This is a huge relief to mommy and daddy (and everyone else for that matter) and will help minimize our worry with recurrence or relapse knowing that you are being closely monitored.
The doctors and medical professionals at U-M were outstanding and were everything we could have hoped for during your care. And the support team we had behind us pulling for you -- WOW!!! There sure are a lot of people out there that love us. And while the onset of this tumor was nothin' but bad luck, we sure got lucky with the best possible outcome!! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you for being such a strong, brave little boy!
1st day home, happy as can be!
Nine days post surgery, you had your first vomiting episode. This scared mommy. Since this was new to us, mommy called the pediatrician who suggested we call the pediatric surgeon at U-M who performed the surgery to let them in on our status. Little did we know they'd tell us to come in, but they did, so to Ann Arbor we went. An x-ray showed constipation, blood work showed risk of infection and urinalysis showed dehydration. Thankfully the CT scan crossed out possible infections, but being that you are a renal patient who just underwent major surgery, they wanted to monitor you. 2 days later we were sent home.
So here we are, 2 weeks post surgery and one would never know what you've been through. They say babies are so resilient and you proved them right. We have our happy, playful, smiley baby back!
And we're ready for the holidays! We have so much to celebrate this year. :)
Likes:
puffs
yogurt melts
Daddy
pancakes
peek-a-boo
reading books
taking your socks off
Dislike
blood pressure cuff
being tired
sippy cup
8 month photos - despite everything you've been through, you're nothin' but smiles!
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
