Birthday girl

So what do you do exactly for a one year old's birthday. It's more for the parents than anyone, because seriously, the baby's not going to remember. So, we decided to make it a fun, layed back day! We did portraits in the morning at Portrait Innovations. Lily did great and we got some really nice poses. Then, we Zoo-ed it! It was fun to watch Matteo run around and Lily is actually able to see a lot of the animals now!

After a quick trip home for a nap, we packed the kids up and did dinner then went to Build a Bear so that Lily could pick something out... ok, so mom could pick something out for her. I think we did a good job adding a bunny to our family. She even has cute flower ear bows and a Happy Birthday shirt so we can remember when we got it! Saturday was our big party. It was just close friends and family and we did pizza and cake. Lily did classic with her cake, getting it all over her face and in her hair. Too cute!

Then it was onto presents, which she got a ton of cute clothes and toys. It was a great way to spend our little girl's birthday!

Happy Birthday Lily

It's been one year in the making. Our little sweet pea is turning one in a few day. I look back on the year, and it seems to go by so fast, yet living it there were times where things were standing still.

Lily is now her own little person. A drama queen, a momma's girl, a laugher, a cryer, an ok sleeper, a great eater and a little sister who loves playing with her big brother.

She's crawling up on all fours everywhere now, after months of "army" crawling. She's got 5 teeth with one more on the way. She says mama, dada, kinda dogie and will even sign "all done" while she says something that could be taken as the right words.

She's able to walk while holding onto things. She absolutely LOVES to take off everything she can get her hands on when shes in the car, no shoes or hat is safe.

She's a big laugher and the sound is contagious. She loves to laugh at dad and Matteo. She's actually getting to the point that she's "playing" with Matteo, and he does a good job playing with her.

She fulfills all of the cliches, we wouldn't know what we would do without her and I can barely remember a time where she wasn't with us!!

Happy FIRST Birthday Lily!

Matteo Yr. 3

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Matteo turns the big 0-3!

Ok, I know it's cliche to say this, but my little boy is growing up. He's no longer a baby anymore, he's a little man with a real personality. He's able to not only form real sentences, but put some tone into them. Not always the tone I want to hear, but there's tone none the less. He not only notices things, but he's able to remember them. He knows, for the most part, what' he's allowed to do and not do, although he chooses to not always remember.

We're still fighting the potty training battle, but I feel we're close. He goes on the potty, just not all the time. It's a slow process that was interupted my Miss Lillian's arrival, but I feel we're back on track, so hopefully soon we'll be ditching those diapers for real big boy pants.

He's has fallen into the roll of big brother perfectly. He loves to play with Lily on her playmat, and brings her her pacifier when she cries. He's not too rough with her and will ask to hold her and talk to her when he does.

Matteo is also his own set of challenges. Terrible two's have been replaced with terrible threes. I now understand moms who said they would take the two's over the three's anytime. Somedays he's fine, and other days the tiniest little thing will send him into a meltdown. He's really big on not doing what he doesn't want to do, and good luck talking him into doing it. There have been several a night where mom or matteo or both are in tears because of a "book, no book" fight.

His "slight" spiderman obcession has given way to a Toy Story obsession, which timed out perfectly because Toy Story 3 came out just before his birthday, although we still have to find time to go see it.

Overall, our little Booga is quite the little man! I think we'll keep him!

First trip to the beach!

Our first trip to Schnipke's is in the bag, thanks to the heat spell we had this week!

Milestones

Milestones... it's a word you never used very often until you became a parent. Then, you live by them. Each time your child surpasses a milestone, you're proud and immediately compare them to other children (Even your own). Some milestones are so major, you remember when and where you were when they happened, like the first step or the first word.

I remember where I was for both with Matteo. Heck, for Matteo's first step, I even remember the date off the top of my head, July 22nd, 2008... don't ask me why. (BTW, I was at work and Sean was at home in the living room when Matteo took his first step. I got a phone call from a very proud papa, and witnessed the feat for myself the very next day).

Little Miss Lily is starting her own set of milestones. It's one of the first ones a baby can do, but it's also one of the most special because it means that your newborn (aka bump on a log) is becoming a real person with a personality... it's the first time they SMILE at you. Lily has been giving smiles that were questionable to both Sean and I for the last couple weeks or so, but now, she's really blossoming. Full out smiles while looking straight at you. It's sooo cute!

I remember where I was when Matteo first started doing that (sitting on the couch while Sean and I were making faces at him... I even got a picture of one of his first ones). And now I won't forget where I was when Lily had her first smile. Yesterday, while I was holding Lily, Sean started talking to her and suddenly she cracked a full on grin, complete with a dimple on her right cheek.

Then, just to prove it wasn't a fluke, this morning, while sitting in her swing she made "friends' with her animals on her mobile and kept smiling at them. Unfortunely, no video because they were so random, but it is documented for postarity in this blog :-)

This is just the first of many milestones Lily will accomplish, but it's one of my favorites. Can't wait to see what she does next!

#32 - Spring 2010 #2

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