MJ's last day as a baby

I cant believe my baby boy will be 1 tomorrow. This has been the fastest, most exciting year of my life and as I am sure its to no ones surprise I am not taking it well. I cried this morning as Mike left to take him to daycare for the last time as my baby. I know it sounds silly but doing things like shopping for him in the toddler section of the Gap kills me. People used to ooh and ahh over how tiny and cute he was and now they remark on how big and strong he is. How can so much change in just one year? Mike and I like to think back on what we were doing exactly one year ago and its funny to think about how nervous we were and what expectations we had of ourselves and of Little Michael. I swore he would never watch a second of tv, I would make all of my own baby food, no way would he ever get to have a cookie or chicken nuggets, all his toys and cds would be educational, my perfect parenting plan was endless. Well as much as I tried I didn't follow any of it. MJ came out with his own personality from the start and knew exactly what he wanted from Mike and I. I don't fret over the occasional Sesame Street viewing or the trips to the McDonald's play land because I have learned being perfect is not how you show your son your love. Instead its by just loving him unconditionally, an intense love I didn't even know you could have for a child. When I was pregnant everyone told me about this special love but I couldn't grasp it until I held him for the first time. The one thing they were wrong about was how my marriage would have to take a backseat and how Mike & I would have to be parents first and spouses second. I haven't felt like that for one second. The overwhelming love I felt for Little Michael the first time I held him was only matched by the rush of emotion when I saw Mike hold him. The idea that the guy I had a crush on at work years ago was now holding our child was almost too much to bare. Our marriage didn't have to take a backseat to being parents they were one in the same and still are.

I am so incredibly blessed to have both of my Michael's in my life! I am really sad to say goodbye to Little Michael's first year because I cant imagine his next could live up to the ride of the first. How he could go from just laying there and staring at you to smiling to rolling to crawling to walking is beyond me. I have to remember that I have a summer of swimming, playgrounds, and running through sprinklers ahead of me. Little Michael will always be my Little Michael whether he is 2 feet tall or 6 feet tall.

Our Little Fishy

A lot has happened over the last month but the most exciting has been the start of swim lessons. For Valentines Day Mike planned the perfect family day starting with a trip to the YMCA for swimming and ending with chicken wings at Flamin Joe's, my favorite place by far. We had so much fun , Mike especially loved taking MJ down the water slide, at the Y that Monday I called and signed MJ up for swim lessons. The lessons are at 9:30 on Saturdays which a year ago would have sounded like the break of dawn to me but now its almost the middle of the day, its funny how much changes. MJ is a natural in the water and the best looking baby there by far... that could just be the mom in me... but he does look quite adorable in his Hawaiian swim trunks. No suprise that his favorite part is jumping into the water from the ledge. Note: He doesn't actually jump he sits on the edge and throws himself forward when you yell jump. We also sing songs but MJ is usually more interested in watching the other kids and trying to play. Mike is a natural in the water too and although he was the only dad in the water during the first lesson 3 more dads joined him the next week. Nothings cuter then watching Mike sing "Do you know the Popcorn man."

MJ hasn't only been busy in the water in fact if he isn't busy its because he is sleeping. He has crawling down to an art and I swear breaks sound barriers with his speed. He can also pull himself up onto anything and everything, and can get just about anywhere if he has something to hold onto. We have caught him standing up in the middle of the room a couple times but the moment he sees us he falls on his butt. We also started a sippy cup last week which he has fun with but doesn't really see as a source of nutrition. In the land of nutrition he would live off of Strawberries, Cheerios, and Meatballs if we let him. At dinner we try to give him some "people food" than follow it up with a couple jars of organic baby food.

Another fun thing MJ has started is telling stories. He gets so animated when he gets into a long one that you cant help but laugh. His best stories are usually the ones he tells us when we get home about his day at daycare. Even though none of its English you can get the gist of the story by his facial expressions and tone of his voice. Once we were lying in bed and he was holding onto the headboard jumping and bumped his head. He got down, crawled over to me, and started telling me all about it. In mid story he grabbed the headboard and laid his head on it showing me where he hurt himself. He also tells great stories when he is swinging my back scratcher through the air. I have no idea what kind of things he is dreaming up but I usually ask him if he is off slaying dragons and saving princesses.

With him being such an "active" child we have been trying to get out of the house as much as possible. In the beginning of February we stayed the weekend in Moses Lake which was a lot of fun. MJ had a blast playing catch with Grandpa and loved the sink bath Grandma gave him. MJ also enjoyed a man day last weekend while the Monek women went to a baby shower. He is still mesmerised by Taylor but now that Riley is getting bigger he has fun playing with him too. Then there are the trips to Baby's R Us to play with the toys and buy goodies, Five Mile Pizza to play in the balls, and the mall which has a playground.

Mike and I often reminisce about those early months where we applauded every time he smiled even though chances are it was just gas. Now it seems as though he learns a new trick every day. Some days I wish he were a little baby again just cooing in my arms, other days I wish it were time for him to go off to college, but all it takes is one of his toothy grins for me to remember that he is at the perfect age and I wouldn't trade a second of it.

Catch-up Post

I have been an awful mother and haven't been keeping our Blog up to date but here is a quick summary of what we have been up to. MJ is a little explorer now and all boy. He can crawl at speeds reaching 100 mph, or at least that's how it feels. He also has a knack for knowing what he shouldn't get into and immediately does. Crawling isn't as challenging anymore so he loves to pull himself up on anything and everything. The first time I went into his room and he was standing up in his crib I almost fainted. He is a little daredevil so we have to watch him close because he loves to hold onto things with only one hand while reaching for something else. Recently he has also started sitting by the gate that closes off the stairs. We know he his plotting a way to get that gate open but hope it takes awhile for him to figure it out.

When he is not getting into trouble he is playing with one of his balls. He loves to throw his football and has a pretty good arm. He also likes to bounce his basketball against the wall and can chase a big bouncy ball around the floor for hours. Its funny how toys are starting to become such an important part of his life and how he is choosy about which toys he wants and when he wants them. Some nights its all about daddy and playing blocks. Mike will build a tower and MJ will delight in knocking it over. Mike and him also have this thing where they put stuff on their heads. MJ will hold a block to his head and say dada over and over again. When Mike puts something on MJ's head he sits really still and tries to keep it up there for as long as possible. He also loves a box we got from Costco, he loves to play ball in it, just hang out and have a snack in it, or have dad race him around the house in it.

Oh and music is becoming more and more important to MJ. He has a little boom box that he loves to play with. It is adorable to watch him dance whenever he hears music and its even cuter when he sings along. He also likes to play with his drum set and when all else fails he bangs random things together to make noise.

He is also becoming more affectionate. I love that when I pick him up for daycare he smiles, gives me a big wet kiss, and a hug. Sometimes we will be playing and he will stop to give a kiss or a hug or just to cuddle for a second. Those are the times that being a parent is the best.

Right now he is trying to master riding his tractor by himself. Its just one of the toys you scoot around on but he cant quite get his feet to do what he needs. Instead he sits on it and kind of bounces so it moves forward a little. Yes, he still loves to bounce and jump. I have a feeling his favorite toy will eventually be a trampoline.

Now that he is older, almost 9 whole months, its fun to take him everywhere with us. When we go to Restaurants he feels pretty cool sitting in a high chair and eating big boy food. Plus he is super social so anytime we are near children he will crawl over and demand their attention. We usually hang out in the kids area at church and play for most of mass with some of the other "bad" kids. Then we meet up with with dad in time for the Our Father and communion.

Since MJ is getting more and more social we try to fill our weekends with activities that include other children so he doesn't get bored of mom and dad. Luckily, he has two cousins just down the street that he adores. Especially Taylor who he is finally getting big enough to really play with. i have a feeling once he can walk they will be the best of friends. Riley is getting huge and more interactive now. I am so jealous of all the hair he has! We also threw a Super Bowl party this past weekend which was a blast. Michael had plenty of older kids to shower him with attention and sneak him food. i wish they would have stuck around to change that diaper!

One other thing worth noting is I gave MJ a haircut. Its pretty horrible but luckily he has white hair so no one has even noticed. It felt very mom like though to give my son a haircut and now that I have experienced it he can go to the barber with his dad from now on.

I would write an update on Mike and I's life but there is not much to say. Its obvious that we have transformed into the identity of MJ's parents and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Christmas

Spoiled! In one word Mj was spoiled this Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve over at my mom's house with the whole family including Ginger, Sam, and Sam Jr. who flew in from Ohio. MJ is the only baby in my family so he had everyones attention 100% of the time. He had a ball even though he was sick and had serious snot issues which you can see in all our photos. Grandma Patrick got him a rocking horse, big surprise, and although he is still a little small for it he loved petting it. He got tons of toys and especially loves his little boom box from Aunt Molly.

Christmas morning was the best one of my entire life. The three of us got up early and exchanged presents. MJ was actually really good at tearing open his presents, although once he got them open he still just wanted to eat the wrapping paper. Between Santa, his family in NY and California he had plenty to open. As MJ's gift to us he crawled for the first time. Daycare had been telling us that he was crawling for weeks but he waited until Christmas to debut his new talent.

The morning was pretty exhausting so afterwards we all took a family nap. Then it was off to church!

Christmas Day was spent at Julies with the whole gang together again. It was crazy with all of the kids and I can only imagine what next year will be like with all of them mobile. Plus we will have the addition of Tali and Miki's babies. MJ and Taylor were adorable playing together. Taylor would roll MJ the ball and he would bat it back. Riley is getting huge and cuter by the day but he not quite big enough to play with the big boys, yet. MJ once again got to open and eat tons of presents.

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with tons of family and way too much food. We spent the day at Julies house and the whole Monek gang was there. Cindy, Micky, and Michelle even came up from California. Little Michael loved seeing all the people and getting all the attention, especially from his three gorgeous cousins. Uncle Greg even took time out to hold both MJ and Riley (pictures of this can be found in our online photo album). Greg also took time to challenge John is an arm wrestling competition thinking had an advantage since John hurt his back. No such luck, John beat him handily (I have it on video if anyone wants to relive the moment). MJ joined in on Thanksgiving dinner by eating Gerber's "Turkey Dinner" baby food.

That weekend we also had a mini Thanksgiving for just Mike, MJ and I. We made a whole turkey and ended up with leftovers for a week. After turkey with gravy, turkey sandwiches, turkey chili, turkey stew, and a gobbler cobbler, we don't want to see turkey again for another year.