Banks is ONE!!!!

On Friday Banks turned one. It is so odd to me to say that I have a one year old. It was a day filled with such a mix of emotions. I am SO thankful that God has allowed Banks to be in our lives for a year; entrusting his care to us. I am so grateful that he is healthy and happy; growing, getting into trouble and learning new things everyday. I wouldn't want it to be any other way, but when I got my weekly email that said "your TODDLER, week one" I just about fell apart. Toddler????? Where has the last year gone?

The first few months of his life are still a fog. Many of our friends are on their way to having their second children and I find it hard to recollect what it was like having a newborn...and it was only a year ago! It saddens me how quickly I've forgotten things but I'm so grateful that my camera has basically been glued to my eye and we've got lots of pictures to prove that he was actually that small. We spent his actual birthday playing the "this-time-last-year" game. It was fun to recollect the days events and hear everyones perspectives. It was a whirlwind day...full of tornadoes, three hours of pushing, a c-section and a complicated recovery but I WOULD NOT CHANGE A THING (well, maybe next time I'll just go straight for the section). My mom and I have talked several times about whether we feel Banks has been an easy baby. I usually say no. He had reflux and as the doctor put it "a touch of colic." He cried a lot, spit up a lot, woke up 45 minutes into every nap until he was about 6 months old, likes to be under foot, and doesn't like leaving my side. My mom says he's a very easy baby...but she's comparing him to me and I'm an only child for a reason!!!

The last few months have been full of change...dropping bottles, drinking from a sippy cup, finishing up with baby food, learning to take steps and SAYING HIS FIRST WORDS!!! I've been thinking that he was saying "Boof" for Buford but I'm not 100% because he won't say it on command. However, last week he said "uh-oh" for the first time and now says it a million times a day (especially when he purposefully drops his food and sippy cup over the side of his tray) and "bye-bye" or "bye." His "bye" is very southern sounding and it's almost as if he's demanding you to go ahead and leave!!!

So, we celebrated his actual birthday by taking him to Gibsons for his first donut (and first taste of sugar). He was so excited!

"You're really letting me have this?!?!" He's not so good on the taking a bite thing so he pretty much shoved the entire thing in his mouth.
We had a low key day, went out for dinner that night and ordered from the kids menu for him for the first time, and opened a few presents when we got home. If you didn't know he'd just turned one you'd think he was an old man by the gifts he got: a car, a lawn mower, a tool bench, and a cell phone! "Hey girl, can I hit you back?"
Me and the birthday boy (notice the new kicks)
Our fam!

We had his party on Saturday and it was SO much fun! I think he was a little overwhelmed at first but warmed up and had a big ole time. Aside from the fact that it was hot as fire in our house I think the party was a success! Here are just a few of the almost 300 pictures I took that day!

His smash cake
Front door

Close up of the door hanger Anna made

Food table

Back yard with riding toys and ballsThe balls were favors that said "thanks for having a ball with me"Also, cookie favors
We had the most fun watching him dig into his smash cake. He was not timid about it one bit! I stripped him down and just let him dig in!

"Here Daddy, you have some"
Banks really racked up in the gift department. Aside from the things I mentioned above, he got tools, a farm, blocks, keys, a shape sorter, a fire truck, dump truck, tons of books, puzzles, bath toys and the list goes on and on! He had a lot of fun opening presents and was more interested in the actual present than I thought he'd be.
First ride in the wagon
His ADORABLE back pack

In amazement at how fun his new ride is...he wants me to push him around the house everyday now.
His other new ride
My dad's rocking chair that we gave to Banks. He loves to sit in it...if only for a minute.

He's going to kill me for this one day. He's working really hard here on something. Any guesses as to what?!?!And finally, on Sunday we had to get the wagon out for it's first lap around the block:Thanks Gram for my wagon!

Randomness...

I have nothing to blog about. I don't want to write about how I just turned THIRTY....shhhhh. Although, I will say Matt made it a great day and even had a surprise dinner for me Saturday night! I also don't want to write about how our friends the Darby's are currently packing up their house so they can move to Chicago this week. Sadness. So...since there's nothing to write about I thought I'd just show you some recent pictures!
Finally walking behind the lion:

First go with Spaghetti-O's. He looks so pleased with himself...

ALL boy...what else can I say?
Proving that real men wear pink: We went ahead and moved Banks to his forward facing car seat. He LOVES it and likes to point at things as we drive by them. Doesn't he look like a big boy???

Straight chillin...

Eleven months!!!

What am I typing? ELEVEN months? Yowza. Banks is looking more and more like a toddler these days. I'm thinking it's mostly because he has a mouth full of teeth but he's just not my little baby anymore! We had some fun trying to get his 11 month shot!

Where's Banks?

"Hmmm...I might have to touch this."

Got it!

Finally!

Outta here...

Here are some amazing baby things he's been doing:

• "talking" up a storm...we even swear he's saying Buford (although it sounds more like "Boof" or "Boo Foo") and bye bye
• exploring...I don't think there's an inch he hasn't crawled over/under/through
• claps when we say "Can you patty-cake?" or "yeah!"
• when asked "where's mommy's nose" or "where's Banks' nose" he'll point to it...occasionally
• Loves riding things
• loves putting balls, toys, etc inside things (like the trash can for example)
• opening and closing all doors
• He especially loves to play the game where he closes the door, I knock and he opens it up. He's excited every time to find it's me that's been knocking. It never gets old...for me or for him!
• hitting and biting (that's right...he likes to slap me in the face and take a chunk out of me every now and then)
• He likes to charge with his head down (usually toward Buford) and give a head-butt
• Loves to give a high-five
• Loves to "read" his books
• Likes to sit on his knees
• He has learned to turn his noise-maker on. You'll note in the picture that area has several "no touch" items, all of which he ignores and touches anyway. I'd like to say he turns the noise-maker on to indicate that he's ready for bed, but that's not the case. He only wants to turn it on because I don't want him to.
• Crawls around making kissing noises
• And his newest-as in while I'm trying to update the blog new-is splashing around in the toilet. Gross.

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...