Doctor's Visit

Philip had his 12 month well baby visit with Dr. Hayes this morning. Phil was working the day shift today so Philip and I had to brave the trip alone. The day got off to an eventful start, to say the least, when we left the house in preparation for an 8:30 appointment only to remember once we got on the road that our appointment was in fact at 8:00. I tried calling the office during the entire 30 minute ride to let them know we'd be late only to repeatedly get a busy signal, which never happens as they have an answering service that gets all of the calls. Then we show up 20 minutes after eight o'clock and there are patients waiting outside who can't get in because the doors are locked. A few minutes and much confusion later, we're inside checking in and learn that the phone line had gone out. Thankfully, we didn't have to reschedule our appointment despite being almost half an hour late because of the mishap with the downed phone lines, locked doors, and oblivious receptionist staff at the front desk.

Unluckily for Philip, this meant his appointment would take place as scheduled!

Philip did a great job at the visit and is developing and growing beautifully. He weighs 20 pounds, 14 ounces, and is 30.25 inches tall. Today he received two shots: MMR and another round of pneumococcal. I hate his vaccination visits and normally have Phil stay with him during the shots because I can't stand to see him in pain, let alone have him think that I am content to idly standing by while a stranger inflicts it upon him. He got the first shot in the left thigh and his cheerful, sunny face went from sweet and pleasant to beet red immediately. Then, before he had a chance to exhale the large breath he was inhaling, he got the second shot in the other thigh. Finally the cry broke loose and the tears began to flow. After several minutes of crying, he settled down and resumed his happy munching on Cheerios. We scheduled his 15 month appointment for December 4 when he'll receive the chicken pox vaccine and another round of HIB. This means he has two and half months before his next encounter with the needle, which, hopefully, is just enough to time to forget to be suspicious of nurse Becky and her silver tray.

First Tricycle

Philip got a Little Tikes 3-in-1 tricycle from mommy and daddy for his birthday. He now enjoys going on rides around the neighborhood on his big boy tricycle instead of in his stroller which, coincidentally, he is enjoying less and less lately now that he has mastered walking!

Here's a picture of our handsome little guy on one of his recent rides.

Wagon Ride

This morning we took Philip on an early morning ride in his new wagon that he got from his Grandma Nettie for his birthday. The balloon (one of his favorite "gifts" so far) was all his idea!







Thanks for the sweet ride, Grandma!

Happy Birthday, Philip!

Milestones this month:

• Walking!!! Philip is a bonafide toddler in every sense of the word. Our big boy took his first real steps this past month and hasn't looked back. He's getting faster and more proficient as his new method of mobility every day and running can't be too far behind. We're so proud of him!
• First word! Philip has been making the "da-da" sound for months now. While he still says it, I'm not quite sure he's associating it with Phil. However, we're pretty sure he knows "ba-ba" to mean "bottle!" When asked if he'd like his bottle, he often responds by looking at us or looking for the bottle and saying "ba-ba!" The boy is all about his food!
  
• Top teeth! As of his first birthday, Philip's tooth count is up to four: two on the bottom and two on the top. His new matching set of chompers come in handy for things like eating Cheerios (a new favorite snack), trying out new and exciting big people food (like pickles!), and biting mommy. Mommy is not so thrilled about this last one and we're working on correcting this naughty behavior. One of Philip's birthday gifts today was super cute book called Teeth Are Not For Biting!
• Big boy car seat. We purchased a convertible car seat for Philip a couple of weeks ago and he now rides in style in his comfy cozy Graco My Ride 65. Although we miss the ease and convenience of the infant seat, we certainly don't miss lugging that extra heavy seat around with our 20+ pound boy strapped inside of it!
  
• Big Boy Baths. Philip has graduated from the baby tub and now splashes up a storm in Mommy and Daddy's big tub. Especially enjoyable for Philip (and frightening for mommy) is standing up and walking around in the tub.
  
• Switching it up at naptime. In the past few days, Philip has decided to throw us for a loop at naptime. Sometimes he boycotts his morning nap altogether and takes one big (3 hour!) nap during the afternoon. Sometimes he takes two long naps in the morning and again later in the afternoon. Some days (like today!) he strikes from napping completely! He's definitely becoming a bit less predictable in his sleep schedule. Thankfully, he's still sleeping 10-12 hours straight at night. For which we are very grateful!

Reflections On a Year Gone By Too Soon

Today was our baby's last day of being an 11 month old. Tomorrow we officially begin counting his age in years. I can't begin to express my amazement at how much Philip has changed and grown over these past twelve months. To think that one year ago today we didn't even know the sweet little boy sleeping serenely in his crib upstairs. I can hardly remember what our lives were like without him in them, and that doesn't bother me one bit, because our lives are infinitely improved, just by knowing him. I can't think of a single part of my life that hasn't been enriched by Philip's presence in it, and every day just gets better.

This past year has been such an amazing ride. Full of ups and downs, and highs and lows as we felt our way, often blindly, along our journey into and through parenthood. We survived the sleepless nights and the colic (although there were nights and days when I was quite convinced a person actually could die from sleep deprivation). The three months of breast milk jaundice and the agonizing, multiple doctor's visits that accompanied it. Purchasing and moving into our first home with a two-month-old in tow. A first cold this past winter. Vaccinations. Teething. First falls and other boo-boos as Philip learned how to crawl, stand, and eventually walk. But amongst the days that have tried our patience, and sometimes our sanity, there have been countless more days full of awe and wonder. I could never find words eloquent enough to express the joy and pride that wells up from the depths of your soul from witnessing your child discovering the world and learning his own place in it. The love for your child is truly like no other love in the world.

And so tomorrow and on Saturday at his first birthday party we will celebrate Philip's first year on this planet, and we, the people who love him, will give him gifts to show him how special he is to us. But no gift in the world that I will ever give my son could hold a candle to the gift he gave me one crazy, wonderful, joyful year ago: the gift of becoming his mother. A gift for which I am forever grateful.

I love you so much, sweet boy!

Here are some pictures from Philip's last day of being eleven months old.

A little light reading in the morning.

Off to the store in the afternoon. He still fits in his infant car seat, although not for much longer! What a contrast to the tiny little bundle we brought home from the hospital. He was so small I thought the seat wouldn't safely hold him! Click here!

Carrying Monkey around the living room. The same monkey who visited him in his infant bed in the hospital when he was born, and was considerably larger than newborn Philip! Click here!

More reading in the evening! Philip received this book as a gift from his Aunt Diane for his first Christmas when he was only 3 months old. It has been a favorite since then! Click here!

My beautiful little boy.

Looking more like his daddy every day!

He loves his stacking rings from his Great Grandma G! A favorite activity is crawling with one in each hand and banging them together in the air while walking.

Our little cutie pie.

Loving his big boy bath! No more baby tub!

Deep in conversation with Officer Quack Quack.

A Beautiful Day to be Outside

I can't help but notice when reviewing the hundreds of photos that I've taken of Philip over the past year that 90% of them were taken in our living room. Contrary to what you may see here, we do leave the house! It's just that we almost always leave the house without the camera. Thus, my plea to Phil for a more purse-friendly digital camera for Christmas!

So, the past two days have been especially gorgeous. I attribute this entirely to it being wonderful, beautiful, long-awaited September. Can you tell I'm relieved to have August behind me? It is by far my most dreaded month. Nothing special happens in August except for stifling, rotten heat and humidity and high energy bills. But I digress!

Today the weather wasbeautiful, probably somewhere in the upper 70s and sunny, so Philip and I decided it would be fun to get a little outdoor adventure in and take advantage of these fleeting late summer days.

"We're going where?"

Outside!

To discover the grass!

And watch the kids get off of the school bus

And try walking in the grass!

Even blankie came out to play!


Then it was off to the playground!

For swinging and sliding!

I think he enjoyed it more than he let on!