Reid is 1!!!!

How is it possible that my little boy is one already?! I was seriously in denial that this day would actually happen.  It really does seem like yesterday when we were on our way to the hospital and the next thing we know we are meeting our son.  He is perfect in every way from his orange hair to his giant cheesy smile.  He melts our hearts in every way possible and it has been a joy to watch him grow this past year.  He has transformed my life completely and I am so glad that I could be his mom.  I wouldn’t change one thing about the past year, just that maybe it would have gone a little slower.  Well, enough reminiscing and on to the celebration!

I didn’t want to do anything too big for his first birthday so we decided to have just a family party. It was hard to coordinate schedules since so much seems to be happening in the month of June but everyone seemed to be free on his exact birthday so even though it was a Tuesday it worked out perfectly.  We invited both sides over to my in-laws house to have pizza and cake.  When I wanted just a family party I failed to realize just how many people that would be! Reid has 6 cousins, 4 and under, plus all the aunts, uncles and grandparents, we were a full house.  I’m glad that we didn’t end up inviting other friends or it would have been a zoo! The only bummer part of the day was that Reid was sick.  He had a 101.3 degree fever that day and wasn’t at his best.  He was feeling a little better later on but if he looks grumpy in the pictures that is why. I think that he still had a good time and loved the cupcakes that I made for him.  Since he never had any kind of cake before he was in heaven.  I made him confetti yellow cupcakes with marshmallow frosting.  They were delicious! For the adults I made a cookies and cream cake and that went over well also.  We had lots of pizza and LOTS of presents.  It ended up to be a great day and I am so excited for the next year and all the fun we will be having as he continues to grow!

The next day we had Reid’s 12 month check-up and so here are his stats: weight- 21 lbs (since he was so sick the three days before he lost a bit of weight so he was in like the 25th percentile.  The doctor said not to be too concerned and that he would put that back on super fast.) Length – 30 in. (He has been consistent on this measurement and was in the 59th percentile.) Head – 18 3/4 in. (He was in like the 80 something percentile. Can’t remember the exact number).

The doctor was pleased with his growth and development.  He isn’t really interested in walking yet and hasn’t mastered standing or anything.  The doctor said not to worry and that he would do it on his own time.  I’m really not concerned and I don’t know what I’m going to do when he starts walking cause he is already a handful with crawling! He does love to wave and give lots of kisses.  If you ask him for a kiss, chances are you will get a wet open mouth kiss.  He also loves to help mom with whatever it is I do.  His favorite is when I clean out the dishwasher.  He loves to pull himself up and pull everything he can out that he can reach.  Needless to say I have to hurry up and put away all the knives and stuff before he can get a hold of them!

He loves to talk and is constantly talking in his own language around the house.  He has so much to say and I swear every now and then I hear a real word pop out but I think it’s just my imagination.  Wes is still his favorite person of all and if he is in the room no one else seems to matter including me! I know they are going to have so much fun together when I leave for Europe and it settles my mind a little bit just knowing that.

Reid loves to eat and pretty much eats everything I give him which is really nice.  Some days are better than others but for the most part he is pretty good.  He also loves to sleep and will let you know when he is ready to lay down. I am probably forgetting a lot but all in all he is just so great and we love him so much!

The End of an Era

So I know this is weird but I just had to do a post on breastfeeding.  My initial goal was to do it for 6 months but since it was going so well I decided to keep on going for the whole year.  During the first six months it was hard because I was the only one feeding him and it became a little daunting.  I had to be within an arms reach of him at all times or use the cow milker (aka pump) to get enough food for him to do a few errands. But by the time he reached 6 months he was so good at it and I really couldn’t change even if I wanted to because he then refused to take a bottle.  He started eating solid foods which meant that I had to do it less and less. Over the next six months it really became enjoyable as it was my one on one time with him to snuggle. 

He just recently stopped just a few days before he turned a year.  I was surprised at how sad I was that I was no longer going to have that time with him.  There is definitely a bond there when you have all their attention and they are just so happy to be snuggled up so close.  By the end it was hard to get him to sit still even for a few minutes so I knew that it was time to move on.  I’m going to miss my little baby but I’m glad that I stuck with it and I had that special time with him.  It really was worth it.

Peru Part 3

The next part of the trip was really traveling to Machu Picchu.  It about an hour bus ride plus an hour and a half taxi ride and then a two hour train ride.  On the way there we decided to stop along the way and see the sites.  It was really nice because it broke the trip up and we got to see some really fun things.  After the bus ride we ended up in a town called Chinchero.  It was a cute little town but they had an amazing market that they put on every Sunday.  We just happened to be there on a Sunday so it worked out perfectly.  There were so many vendors and it was cool to see all the handmade items.  I’m not a big souvenir person so I mostly enjoyed just looking.  I did however love all the baby carriers that they had there and really wanted someone to put Reid in one.  We found a cute lady and she agreed to show me how to wrap him up. After she was so nice we bought one from her. It is beautiful and had become our new park blanket.

Reid didn’t really know what was going on but he wasn’t too thrilled. I love his little scowl though and he looks like a real Peruvian baby just way WAY whiter!

After going to the market we decided to stop for lunch so we found a great spot of grass and whipped together some food.  Reid fell in love with the bananas there and couldn’t get enough.  They are smaller than the bananas that we have here and I’m told that they are much sweeter. (I hate bananas so I didn’t try any) They call them apple bananas and we bought them by the bushel for Reid to eat along the way.

After lunch Reid was exhausted to we broke out his tent and set it up right at the ruins in Chinchero.  Seriously, he was the best baby in the world.  Just napping everywhere and anywhere.  I have to say it again, Love the Peapod!

After doing her exploring my mother-in-law, Donna came and relieved me so I could go look around. It is just fun to see the different locations of everything and it is just beautiful everywhere we went. 

After Reid woke up we grabbed a taxi and headed off the the next location. Reid loved not being in a car seat and getting to sit with Mom or Dad whenever we drove anywhere.  Next stop on the list was Ollantaytambo.  It was the city right where we picked up the train to Aguas Calientes which is where Machu Picchu is.

The coolest thing about Ollantaytambo was the running water.  They had the coolest fountains throughout the ruins that brought fresh water everywhere.  All the ruins that we saw had these but this site had the most ornate ones with baths and fountains.  Pretty spectacular!

Reid was such a hit here and we got so many requests to take pictures of him.  I think people were more interested in him than the actual ruins!

We had a great but very long day here and it was even longer when we got on the train.  It was pretty late by that point but Reid was great and fell asleep as soon as the train started up.  I just couldn’t wait to see Machu Picchu and I knew that nothing would compare to what was in store!