Way-back Wednesday

First off, I know it's Thursday, but just go with it people. When Matt "comes home for lunch" (for those who don't know he works from home so coming home for lunch means he just walks into the den) he always turns on ESPN and because I'm busying around it stays there until 3:00 or so when I realize what's happening. Anyway, I heard the ESPN people talking the other day, the other Wednesday, about way-back Wednesday. They talked of all things past sports. With Banks' first birthday rapidly approaching I find myself thinking of way-back. It seems like an eternity ago when I was pregnant and the memories I have of his newborn days are fleeting. I can't even remember what it's like to have a little tiny baby until I hold someone elses. How is it that you forget so quickly? How is it that my "little" baby went from this... to this????

I have been planning his first birthday party and it is so bittersweet. I am thankful that the Lord has allowed Banks to be in our lives for almost a whole year. So thankful. But, once he's one he's no longer a baby!!! I've caught myself trying to hold him like a baby lately when giving him his bottle. He looks at me like "seriously???"

He's just growing and developing so quickly and I love watching him learn and study things. He crawls like he's on a mission and boy, is he persistent (just like his mommy). He is more and more verbal everyday. I love listening to him...he just has little conversations with himself all day long. It's like he's really trying to communicate something to me and he just can't understand why I'm not getting the message. He loves to play this game where he says "ah", then I say "ah", then he says "ah" and so on and so forth. Here he is mid-"ah": He and Buford are learning to get along with one another. Well, rather, Buford is learning to tolerate Banks. I caught them in a brief moment of tug-of-war togetherness yesterday.

He's still loving bath time and loves splashing and making some serious waves:

He may also be growing weary of always having the camera in his face.

"No more pictures, please"

The beach!

Beach baby!!! We just got back from our first vacay with Banks and it couldn't have been more perfect. We went to Orange Beach with all of Matt's family (there's like 20 of them) so we had LOTS of help from Matt's mom and all of Matt's cousins. Pre-trip I had visions of spending hours in the condo waiting for Banks to get up from naps, a baby who hated the sand and only wanted to be at the pool, and constant lathering of SPF 85. Well, the SPF part was true. I am happy to say that Banks may have come back from the beach more white than he went. I'm all about the skin protection...his, not mine. I'm a sun worshiper.

First look at the sand...

And...first taste of sand only minutes later. Mind you, he ate GALLONS of sand. Didn't seem to phase him one bit...

My little crab man

How could I have been worried that he wouldn't like the sand??? He let the other kids bury him and make him into a merman. All the while he was dipping his wheat thin in the sand and eating it.
While he loved the beach he was even more happy at the pool. Our condo had a lazy river and we would just all float around and around. He is truly a water baby...I kept having to remind myself that I couldn't let him go because he was acting like he'd just swim off!
When he was in his float he would just kick his legs like crazy and splash, splash!
Best attempt at a family photo...