Happy 1st Birthday!

At 9:05 am Louis turned 1.

For the two days leading up to his birthday we remembered 1 year ago. Leah remembers the days leading up to his birth and day of his birth so well. Matt and our friends reminded me of where he was the night before. We joked around that the Giants had to move their game to the night before Louis's birthday just so it could be the perfect reenactment.

It still amazes me that he has been with us a whole year. It is as if he has always been a part of our family.

For now I am enjoying that Louis is still more baby than toddler but everyday I see signs of the changes going on. His toddler personality is beginning to rear its head but so far it hasn't been too bad. Leah was a easy going toddler. I don't think we could get that lucky again but I am hoping that is the case.

12 Month Milestones

Most babies should be able to . . .

Imitate others sounds and activities - Louis can spend a good 30 minutes imitating Leah
Babble different word like sounds - He has his quiet stretches and then he just babbles nonstop for a long time.
Indicate wants with gestures other than crying - He points for stuff and is beginning to use words to indicate what he wants.
Clap hands and bang objects together
Say one word other than mama or dada - Louis says much more than one word. His verbal skills are far beyond what an average 1 year old's are. It is pretty neat to have a 1 year old who is able to ask for things and verbalize what he wants with actual words that can be understood. He uses the following words regularly: hi, bye, mama, dada, Ehyah (Leah), up *uses it in the right context and expects you to do it. Will not be happy if you do not comply.*, push, this and that *pointing to things asking what they are*, cat, fish, ojos, eyes, nariz, boca, no (shakes his head), nap, bottle, milk. The latter words can be understood by most people, not just us. There are few other words I've noticed he is working on: come, sister, cup, sleep, bed, phone, remote.
Crawl well
Walk holding onto furniture well
Fearful of strangers
Pull off socks
Take a few steps - when he wants to he will let go and take a few independent steps but crawling and cruising are his preferred modes of moving.
Understand simple instructions - I can ask him to come over to me and get the phone or the remote. I can ask him if he wants to play with his toys and push their buttons and he will go ahead and do it.
Test parents responses to certain behavior - He pretends to go to sleep and then peeks out to see if I can tell he is awake. If I do he starts to clap and laugh.
Stand well
Walk with help
Shake head no
Scribble with markers or crayons - He loves to sit alongside Leah while she does her homework or draws. He holds the crayons and imitates what she is doing.
Respond to command without gestures
Babble that sounds like her or she is talking a foreign language
Drink from a cup independently -He is pretty much on sippy cups and straw cups right now but if I give him a small cup with water he attempts to drink from it properly. He has started to hold back on spilling it all over himself.

Louis is still rocking a toothless smile and I love it. Before I know it he is going to have a full set of teeth and those first bites are not fun. He eats up a storm and there are very few things he dislikes. He has eaten everything from curry pumpkin soup (a favorite of his) to hummus to the usual everyday foods we cook. We never bothered to do much in the way of baby food and baby cereals. He prefers to feed himself and most days I let him do just that.

He is a great little boy. I think we'll keep him :D

A Very Suessical First Birthday

We had a Dr. Seuss themed first birthday party for Louis. He absolutely loves many of the Dr. Seuss books so I felt it fit. He doesn't know many of the popular characters out there but he does recognize the Cat in the Hat and others from the Dr. Seuss books. Leah spends a lot of time reading to him and the books are some of her favorite.

I tried to add some details from various books to the party. Some say I went a little beyond (a lot) where a party needed to be for a first birthday celebration but it was our way of celebrating with our family and friends. I know Louis will not remember the party years down the road (or even the next week) but I hope some day he will look back on the photos and love it.

Here are some photos  of the decor:

Entry table w/Favor, "Happy Birthday To You" by Dr. Seuss for guests to leave messages in, favor bags and for gifts.

Paint Activity set up for the older kids in attendance.

Personalized Flatware & Napkins

I made up place cards for the food being served using the books as a guide. These are some of them.

The deviled eggs flew. I did not expect them to eaten so quickly. They were fun to make.

Personalized Water Bottles

I made t-shirts for the older kids and baby onesies w/the Horton Hears A Who quote "A person's a person, no matter how small."

A few banners to hang up around the clubhouse.

Flags and toppers for the cake

Personalized Centerpiece

Thing 1 & Thing 2 Cupcakes

And now for the birthday boy and his big sister:

Our birthday boy arrives

We had various Dr. Seuss books at each table, Louis took to them right away.

Cute personalized birthday t-shirt

Leah absolutely loves to dress up and this custom made Cat in the Hat theme dress was perfect!

Cake time!

Yee-Haw!

So Big!

He loves taking the floor puzzle apart. I cleaned it yesterday and with any luck the path next to it will be clear so I dont have to worry about shoes being on it. Not that I care too much anyway. Not a big germophobe. We've managed to get to 11 months without so much as a sniffle. I do however take the pieces away when he puts them in his mouth because he will eventually have teeth and I dont want him chewing on the pieces. The mat puzzle is recommended for 3+ with good reason.

Days at home

We went out for a walk today, came back and played in the almost finished play area. He played while waiting for his Grandma to take him for a little while.

He likes to look at Leah's telescope and microscope kit.

And attempt to get at her other things.

He found his basket of toys.




LET ME OUT OF HERE!

Happy 11 Months!

Louis is 11 months old today. We are the midst of party planning for his first birthday. I can hardly believe it is going to be a year already!

Off to the Circus

We went to see the Big Apple Circus today. It was Louis's first time. He enjoyed it thoroughly. I have never seen him sit still for 2 hours before. He clapped, laughed and yelled. He followed the performers and had a good time. Leah always enjoyed the circus and she had a great time sharing that excitement with Louis.



What a face. He has been making this face a lot lately. Gets a good laugh from me.

Caution: Cute Baby At Play

Louis has been doing pretty well drinking water out of this little cup.