Halloween Style Preview!

You guys.  This is the day I've been waiting for.  Halloween outfits are starting to pop up everywhere.  I am drooling over all the baby cuteness and can't wait to show off a little of what's out there right now.

cat hat // broom onesie // boo! pajamas // doggie devil costume // spiderweb onepiece

Halloween costumes are out!  I scored Xavier's Halloween costume last week and can't wait to dress up the little babe!

Here's a recap of some favorite pics from last fall.

Game Day at the Pumpkin Patch.

10 minutes of Trick-or-Treat and he was out.

Husband looks hot in this pic.  ;)

I cannot wait to watch Xavier enjoy the holidays this year.  Thinking about him bopping around during Trick-Or-Treat and opening presents on Christmas Morning (along with all the screams and laughter) puts a giant smile on my face.  I live for making holiday memories with our family.

Have a nice, long, football watching Labor Day weekend!

Meet Jasper

We talked about getting a dog ever since Xavier's first birthday party.  He spent the last part of the party chasing his friend's dog around the house, laughing the whole time, laughing when the dog ran away from him, laughing when the dog licked his face.  So, to keep the laughter going, we got a dog.

Jasper is a 3-year-old toy poodle.  We searched petfinder.com and craig's list and narrowed it down to a few pooches.  We really lucked out with him.  He seriously spazzes out when we come home from work, like jumps from the floor all the way up to my face!  He even gets excited to see Xavier and shows it by licking his face.  Xavier smiles and buries his head which is adorable to watch.

We got Jasper groomed right away.  The groomers said he need to get a full body shave to get him good and clean.  So all that adorable curly hair is now gone and we are anxiously waiting for it to grow back out!  But, we think he liked the shave and he seems happier from it.  All of this furry hair is gone now, but we have plans to shape it like a teddy bear when it grows back out.

We are working on getting Jasper potty trained.  He seems to think our kitchen floor is a pool of grass and we are greeted by his presents (and presence!) when we come home from work.  But, if this is the only thing we have to work on, it's not so bad.  He rarely barks.  Just when he needs to go outside or if Xavier starts crying in the middle of the night.

Xavier is starting to act like a dog himself.

The Most Celebrated Birthday Boy

Our sweet baby boy has officially turned one.  He has brought us joy, many laughs, and loads of entertainment.

Since Xavier's birthday party and stuffing of the smash cake in his face was the week before his actual birthday, I wanted him to have something special on the day of.  So, I opted for DONUTS!

Xavier had a big day.  It started at daycare where the girls got him a birthday cupcake.  He ate his cake, while his little daycare buddies played with balloons!

One of several gifts from the girls at daycare.  You can see girlfriend #1 and girlfriend #2 - haha!

They even got him presents!  We adore the girls who watch him every day.  It makes it so easy for us to drop him off because they really do treat him like he's their own!

Steve and I went round and round on a birthday gift to get him.  He got so many toys from his birthday party (which he adores!) it seemed he had everything he could possibly want.  So, for our present to him, we let him watch unlimited Baby Einstein videos and have unlimited use of our phones and the TV remote.

The big gift came a week later.  We got Xavier a dog!

Jasper is the most wonderful dog I've ever met.  He's a three-year-old toy poodle.  He's already house broken and crate-trained, he has yet to bark (this is unreal!), is so snuggly and soft, and is great around Xavier.  I never thought owning a dog was in the cards for me, but Xavier loves them too much for us not to have one.  The day we got him, we took him to a dog festival and he fit right in with the other dogs.  I'm excited to watch Xavier and Jasper grow up together.

Xavier has been celebrating his birthday for two weeks now and we are certain these have been the best days of his life.  Thank you to everyone who made it out to celebrate with Xavier at his party, the girls at daycare for throwing him a special day of non-stop birthday festiveness, and to everyone who couldn't make it to the parties we/other family members had, but sent cards and presents.  Xavier would like to eat a donut for each and every one of you.... as a thank you of course!

One Year Recap

Xavier's one year check up was last week.  If I remember the doctor's words correctly, it was something like, "Dang, baby got back."

Xavier is 31 inches for height (84th percentile) and 26 lb pounds for weight (86th percentile).

I see this pic hanging from the ceiling at daycare every time I walk in the building.  It cracks me up and it describes his personality to a T, fun-loving, go with the flow, making people laugh.

I wasn't sure if I was going to do one of those "one year stats" posts, but I decided I have to because I think it would be fun to look back on with Xavier.  So here we go:

Age: 1
Stats:  26 pounds, 31 inches, 18.5 inch head circumference
Favorite Foods:  Grilled cheese, plantains, edamame, lima beans, sweet potatoes (omg obsessed), grapes, carbs, meat
Favorite Toy:  The LeapFrog Learn & Groove Play Table and Fisher-Price Musical Pop Dino (crazy because he's had both of these toys for months and they are easily still his favorites)
Favorite Activities:  Clicking his tongue, high fives, chasing puppies around the house

Least Favorite Activities:  Diaper changes, getting hair brushed and dried

Signature Moves:  When we tell him "No", he stops what he's doing, looks at us with a big smile, and shakes his head while laughing.
Some other recent one-year shenanigans:
He has a thing for opening and closing doors.  The other day, I was in my walk-in closet and Xavier closed the door with me in it.  I nudged the door open slightly to ask if I could come out, but he quickly shut it again and plopped all 26 pounds of his weight in front of the door.  I could not get out.

At day care, he gets uber excited at meal time.  When he hears the squeaky lid lift on the high chairs he stops playing to look at it.  He crawls up to the gate (even if it's not his turn), and bangs on it until he gets some!

This face?  My heart.

Well, that and the other Monthly Posts and Daily Routines sums up the first whole year.  We love our little guy so much and every day gets exponentially better than the last.  It's going to be weird to respond to people that he's a year old, instead of however-many-months-old.  We are so excited to watch him grow and can't wait to see what the next year brings (though it doesn't have to go so fast, does it?!).  Walking, talking, messing up his words, haha - it's going to be fun!

Xavier's First Birthday Party!

We had a blast celebrating Xavier's first birthday with family and friends and this sweet birthday boy enjoyed himself as well.

His birthday extravaganza was so much fun!!  I'm excited to share some pictures.  I made everything myself, including the blue ombre smash cake!



For the photo banners, I had one banner with his monthly pics (on the table) and another banner of his firsts (first Christmas, first glimpse of snow, first Halloween, etc.).

We made a time capsule for Xavier not to be opened until his 10th birthday.

Xavier and his bestie from daycare threw a joint birthday party at her house since their birthdays are 9 days apart and they have the same little friends.  We had an all out feast!  There were shrimp tarts, pigs in a blanket, and fruit/veggie trays for appetizers.  The main course was burgers, chicken, mac & cheese and tons of other delicious foods.

We went to town with our blue ombre theme, well at least it was my vision!  Having the party at an offsite location sounded good in my head, but in reality, not as easy as I'd hoped!  My treat cups fell out of the car on to the pavement, most of the balloons deflated overnight, and I was too tired to set up half the decorations!  But, from the way the pictures turned out, you can hardly tell!  I think it looked great overall and Xavier had a blast!

He didn't waste any time on his smash cake.  As soon as the cake was put in front of him, he dove in for a taste test.  We just skipped the lighting of the candles and let him go to town!

I had to sneak in and cut out a piece of the cake so we could finally see how the blue ombre turned out.  We made the cakes ourselves the night before.  I used two store bought white cake mixes for this cake and added blue food coloring, starting with the darkest layer on the bottom.  I bought two jars of white frosting and mixed some drops of food coloring to get different shades of blue and tried to frost it perfectly.  I'm pretty impressed with how it turned out!  It's my favorite decoration of the whole party!

He could not get enough of this cake.  He leaned his head back, stuck out the tummy, and shoveled it right in to his mouth!

Of course we were all dying laughing watching him indulge in the cake... and you better believe when Steve jumped in to show Xavier how to really smash it, Xavier swatted at him and got blue frosting on Steve's shirt and pants.  Don't mess with the boy's cake.  He will fight!

At the end of the party, our guests took home bags of kettle corn and cotton candy.

All in all, I'm very happy with how everything turned out and had a blast planning it.  It was a lot of work, but I love how great of pictures we got!

And finally, a little collage of the monthly photos of Xavier's first year of life!

11 & 12 Month Favorites

As Xavier gets older, he is becoming less interested in his own toys and more interested in our stuff instead.  He'd take Dad's sunglasses or the TV remote over his favorite toy any day.  It's the weirdest thing how all of a sudden I am worried that I should be teaching him his colors or that I didn't read enough to him today.  He seems to pick up everything I am saying now and imitates what we do constantly.  It's fun to watch this little guy develop his own preferences on things he likes and dislikes, and to watch his reaction as he takes in sights and sounds for the first time.

Fisher Price Door Toy - When we get home and I set him on the living room floor and he sees this toy, he gets a big smile on his face and speed crawls over to it.  His favorite parts are to ring the doorbell, turn on the light switch, and open the mailbox.

Vans - stylish shoes that he and Uncle Tyler have in common.

Diaper wipes - Now that Xavier is eating more on the go, we have a major amount of these stashed in the diaper bag and car.  You can never have enough of these!

Big Bouncy Ball - You know the giant bouncy balls guys like to bounce around like children while you're shopping at Target?  Xavier loves it!  It looks so big when he wraps his arms around it and holds it with his tiny hands!

And some recent pics to share...

First time riding in the car.  Not so sure about this driving thing!

Santa beard

See all monthly posts on the Monthly Favorites page!

The First Year: Things We've Learned

Let me just start by saying thank you to Starbucks for passing out samples of their new chocolate croissants that will always be served warm.  OMG, it's like heaven in my mouth!

We celebrated Xavier's birthday over the weekend and cannot believe he is almost one year old.  He only has 17 more of these years left in our house (major sad face).  So crazy to think about.  It seems like we just got the nursery put together and the drawers and closet organized.  With the first birthday just around the corner, I thought this would be the perfect time to reflect on things we learned with our little guy. 

1.  Be open to new routines.  The first three months are, hands down, the hardest.  Then it gets easier, then harder, then easier, etc.  It seems just when we have a handle on a new routine, something happens a week later to mess it all up.  Whether it be a new skill picked up, new teeth, or a cold, the baby's routine is always changing and you have to change with it.  Just when we got the sleep routine down, we started battling ear infections.  Ugh!  We are looking forward to the days they will go away so things will get easier, but we have to expect another problem will take it's place (like temper tantrums!).

2.  No matter how much money I spend on fancy baby toys or clothes, the baby would trade it all in for an iPhone or TV remote of his very own.  The first year was an expensive year.  I did so much research on baby gear, the best swaddles, best feeding utensils, the best this & that.  But now, I'm kind of over it.  Xavier just doesn't care and having the fancy things only matters to the moms.  I mean, he regularly licks the bottoms of my shoes (so gross!).

3.  It's okay to leave your child in other people's care.  For your own sanity, you have to do this.  It took us 3 months to finally go out on a date by ourselves, and I was thinking about the baby the entire time.  Not because I didn't trust someone else watching him, but because I thought I was supposed to.  I thought what mom just forgets she has a baby for a few hours.  But, as the months passed, I realized how thankful I became for other people to watch him.  That point where I could get away from the baby and actually enjoy it took me somewhere around 6 months.

4.  Google with caution, or just don't google at all.  Especially things like HFMD, MRSA, and other big named infections.  It can be gross (and might scare you) based on what images you might find.  And some people who write on forums are a bunch of crazies!  Everyone is going to have an opinion on how to deal with your baby's problems.  Listen with a grain of salt.  This holds true even for doctor's advice.  Sometimes Xavier's pediatrician hasn't been available and the new doctor recommends something we know our pediatrician wouldn't recommend.  You just have to listen and make your own decisions based on what's worked in the past for your baby.  You'll get that confidence to make your own decisions with time.

5.  Babies grow and soon they aren't babies anymore, so make as many memories as you can handle.  I don't consider Xavier a baby anymore.  He's becoming so independent now.  But, I have been tucking away ideas for making the first year special for a long time - some ideas were from watching my brother as a baby, some from reading baby blogs and books, some from watching my friend's kids.  I started celebrating every holiday to its fullest during his first year, dressing him up for every occasion.  Even during those first few months when I was exhausted and dealing with post-partum issues, I still made every effort to update his baby book and photograph/video as much as I could.  Those memories are the greatest to look back on and I'm so glad I have them.  I'm sure he will enjoy looking back on them too.

Our Weekend

Just another weekend recap.

We battled the start of Xavier's 5th ear infection since we started counting in April.  Xavier was fussier than usual, especially around nap time.  Lying down was the most painful position.  He refuses to take a bottle unless he is on the verge of starving, but does eat a little bit of table food.  We also saw a few upper teeth fighting their way through.  Oh, and while all this was going on, he learned how to pull himself up.

Xavier was fussy with the ear pain on Saturday morning.  He responds well to going outside, it's sort of like a calming effect, so I took him on a walk to the park to swing for a bit.

We came home and swung on his new swing that we mounted to the front yard tree.  He likes to go high and fast!

Wind-blown hair.  haha!

That afternoon, we grabbed dinner at a burrito shop, because even though we have eaten burritos a lot lately and are having them tonight, I could eat Mexican food every single day.  After we put X to bed, I got a chance to work on some birthday decorations.  Only 4 more days to go!  I am still trying to reach my goal of making everything for this party.  Check back in with me in a couple days.

On Sunday, we made muffins and eggs for breakfast, then headed to the State fair.  Xavier gave us his best fair appropriate pose, as you can see.

While there, Xavier made a friend.  This little girl played with Xavier for 20 minutes, just enough time for Steve and me to enjoy our lunch in peace.

He totally wants to grab those glasses.  It's written all over his face.

We saw the revered butter cow in all its glory, came within 2 feet of a 1,000 pound pumpkin, and I got to eat a giant hot-dog on a stick.  All in all, it was a successful fair trip.

On a side note, I don't know what it is about toddlers and Puffs, but when I pull out the bright yellow container from the diaper bag, Xavier sees it and goes nuts.  He flaps his arms and breathes heavily, like he just finished running.  There's nothing even in these things!  It's literally, just air!  He grabbed the container out of Steve's hand and ripped off the lid himself.  Nothing stands in his way of Puffs.

Happy early hump day.  The week is almost half over!

Xavier's Personality

Some babies are born to sit quietly on the sidelines, observe their surroundings, and take everything in.  Not Xavier.  He is loud, loves to be the center of attention, and finds no one a stranger.  He has a warm sense of humor and finds amusement from the simplest things, like balancing a toy ring on his finger.  At Steve's best friend's wedding, Xavier met/was held by at least 5 different people, and he found all of them interesting, especially the feel of their lips (and tongues!) on his fingertips.  He will play his game of laughing while shaking his head "no, no, no" with anyone who tries to tell him "no."  He is warm, friendly, and per the girls at daycare, the most fun (we all know this means their favorite!).  Here's a post dedicated to the many facets of Xavier's personality, from the itty-bitty baby days up through today!

He's wise:  "You see, since I can't talk, we get to play a game over the next year or so where I won't tell you exactly what I want, but I'll make your life rough until you guess."

He's bold:  "Hahahaha, you thought taking care of a tiny person was going to be easy!"

He's thoughtful:  "Hmmm, pondering how many times I want you to get up tonight to hold me and rock me back to sleep."

He's ornery:  "Here's what I think of you and your request to show you my biggest smile."

He's loving:  "Watching Law & Order with Dad - a favorite past-time."

He's playful:  "YAAAASSSSS, look what I've got."

He's studious:  "Gotta study up for daycare finals."

He's innocent:  "Whatever it is, I didn't do it."

He's energetic:  "Eeeee, AAhhhhhh, EEEEEEeeeeee...!"

He's photogenic:  Showing his best mean model face.

He's amiable:  "This is my best buddie, Chase.  When the teachers aren't looking, we team up and climb into the infant swing."