My Independent, Biting, and Fit Throwing Almost 1 year old :-)

I am trying to get Declan completely off of his bottle before his 1st birthday. We are down to the morning and night feedings. I am mixing some milk with his formula to help transition him to milk. He now requests his "ba ba" first thing in the morning and after his bath at night, which is going to make taking it away tricky. He is definitely liking the sippy cup now and will always take water or juice out of it, but not always the milk. He is eating so much throughout the day. He was so fussy the other day and I couldn't figure out what was wrong, but Biscuit (as Jason nicknamed him) wanted more food. Mind you he had just had a huge breakfast. I will figure it out eventually I am sure...if not he will let me know.

He is also really into trying to feed himself. I put stuff on the spoon and he rips (yes rips) it out of my hands and sticks it in his mouth. It is so funny to watch him and see how proud of himself he is. He is definitely a fruit guy. We have blueberries with every single meal which are stillhis fav.

On another note...

Our little angel is still biting. I have tried to ignore it or redirect him, but that doesn't seem to be working. It is funny how I am so good at all of that and know what I am supposed to do, because I do it daily in my classroom. Should be very similar with parenting, right? Now way...completely different when it comes to your own child :-) Let's hope I figure out what to do before he goes back to Ms. Jeannie! He seems to do it only to me...not sure how I feel about that :-)

He also arches his back and grunts when I am putting him in his car seat. That's fun. I blame it partially on Jason. I have to blame it on someone...my perfect child could not be throwing fits already, right? Totally kidding. This is why I blame him though... If Declan is up when he gets home (which is very rare) he immediately picks him up and they have a little routine they do. Father and son stuff (that is what they tell me anyway) First they marinade and season whatever we are eating, then they start the grill, and finally they sit in Jason's truck and Declan gets to play. He honks the horn, looks at himself in the mirror, plays with the radio, etc. I wouldn't want to sit in my car seat either! Ha ha!

He also throws little baby fits here and there. I guess that is "normal" for 1 year olds? If not it is "normal" for our DEW. I still think he is absolutely perfect!

Faces of Declan

That tongue stays out for most of the day :-)

Smile!

With snack in his mouth!

He does this one a lot too. He was watching the cat in the loft.

Now, mom...this is enough don't you think?

I could not get enough of Declan the other day...oh wait that is everyday...but I was trying to get some shots of the various expressions he has. He definitely likes the camera!

The DEW chattin' it up

Declan has been chatting it up a lot lately. He continues to amaze me how he imitates and how much he is learning. Jason and I are really going to have to watch what we say in the near future. Ha ha! It is so fun to watch him these days. He is into everything and very curious. He does not like to be alone that is for sure. He likes being with someone at all times. God for bid I go 10 steps away to the kitchen to get a drink...he is right behind me crying. I am really enjoying the time I spend with him before I go back to work...in a week. We have had such a great time together. My favorite part of the day is getting him out of his crib in the morning. He is always standing up with the word's biggest grin and so happy to see me. Can't think of a much better way to start the day. I said I was going to be better about taking videos...so here are a couple.

The Birthday Girls!

Big Kara (also known as the child whisperer) and the kids :-)

Pop and Declan! Hey guys! I LOVE my Pop!!!

Big Kara and Gavin!

Kara and Cyn Cyn!

Declan, Aunt Staci, Uncle Peter, Owen and Pop

Owen and Declan! Owen sat by me and Declan. He picked up every single toy that Declan threw down. It was so nice to have his help!

Declan and Aunt Staci!

Holding hands in the car :-)

Declan and his Great Grandmother (GiGi)

Happy Birthday, Gigi and Aunt Staci!!!

We celebrate two birthdays on the 21st of July...my grandmother turned 86 and Staci turned 34!!! We started the day by going to see my grandmother and take her out to lunch with my mom. It was such a nice visit! Grandmama was in the BEST mood and was SO happy to have us spend the afternoon with her. After Declan's afternoon nap, we headed to the Flying Biscuit to celebrate Staci's bday with the fam. Great dinner and great family! Happy bday! Love you guys!!!

PT update

Just as I had thought...Declan has regressed with his physical therapy:-( He is going through a growth spurt, getting new teeth, and learning to walk, which have affected his torticollis. It is not the end of the world, by any means...it just means more work for us...and him. We will have to increase his exercises in hope that it will decrease the amount of PT he has to have. As much as the PT loves the DEW, she doesn't want to see him weekly. We are supposed to call if he gets worse or if there is no improvement by the end of the week. Jason and I are on it, of course, but are ready to be done with this and want to have Delcan not go to therapy and watch his very move any longer. It is nothing compared to what some of our friends and family are dealing with right now, but it has been a long 4 months!!! Please pray that D Man cuts these teeth quickly and we are back on track.

I was asked to leave the PT room and head to the waiting room today because Declan would rather play with me than work...do you blame him???

Words...

Declan has really been imitating lately and has some new words....it is fascinating to me how quickly he picks things up. I have been trying to teach him some signs, but he does not love to use them. I will keep working on it.

Here are some of Declan's words and what he is doing now... (11 months)

-He is a dancing fool and unfortunately he has my rythm

- Loves to throw the ball...he especially loves to throw it to my parent's dogs

- Can sign "more"

- Says "uh-oh" (learned that one from his Maw Maw at lunch)

-If you ask him what the cow says he says "mmmmm"

-He still does "fishy"

-He says "hi" and "bye"

-Anytime my phone rings with music he gets down and it is hilarious!

-"Ma Ma," "Da Da," and "Ba Ba" (in context)

-Loves Sesame Street and Mickey Mouse (thankfully a good friend of our's works for Disney and supplies us with a ton of videos)

-Favorite food... blueberries hands down

*If you are reading this you are probably wondering why I list all of this...

1. For our family and friends

2. This is also all of the things I want to remember at what age Declan did what. I do not have the best memory :-)

Teeth

Declan's two front top teeth are coming in. He is starting to look so different...more like a little boy! I have also noticed that his head is tilting again to the left. Our PT said this might happen as he hits certain milestones. Between trying to walk and the new chompers he is reverting back to the lean because it is comfortable to him. We will see her tomorrow and I guess we will find out where to go from there. Here are some pics of the DEW!

Fun at the Ashkouti's

Declan, Jason and Owen playing!

I love this picture! They look exactly alike. Love my boys!

Swimming with Dad!

Look at that face! So cute!

Playing :-)

New friends!

Trying to hold his hand!

Love her!

We went over to the Ashkouti's house on Sunday for a little get together. Mom and Jan have been friends since high school, and Staci and I have known Kelli and Brandon since we were in diapers! It has been a long time since we have gotten together. Kelli and Kevin have an adorable little girl, Skylar, who is a month younger than Declan. She is so laid back and too cute! Declan had so much fun playing with her and watching her walk. We will see if she taught him a thing or two. It was so nice for all of us to catch up and watch the kids play in the same pool that we did together 20 years ago! What a fun day!

11 Months...Wow!!!

Not much has changed in the past month. The top two teeth are coming in and that is about it! Give this boy a steak already! He is still the world's most perfect child, but I am a bit biased :-) Can't believe he will be a year old next month! He is enjoying going to Ms. Jeannie's everyday. This is my last week of ESY and then I am off until the first week of August! Where has the summer gone...hell...where have 11 months gone???

Declan and Rylan

So cute!!!Hey...where are you going?

Yeah... I think she likes me :-)

Friends!

Love these two!!!

Jason was out of town for part of the weekend so Declan and I headed over to the Nau's to play for the afternoon. It was so fun watching Declan and Rylan now that they are moving around. Anything that Rylan was playing with Declan wanted. He followed her all over the place. Is this a sign of what his future is going to be...chasing after Rylan? I would be more than happy with that! Ha ha! They were too cute and I was glad to see my best friend. Next time we will stay longer and catch up. The visit was too short with Declan's early bedtime :-(

"I love you more than the tongue can tell..."

Declan and I headed to Plymouth Harbour today to pick up Grandmama. Plymouth Harbour is an amazing program that is essentially a daycare for the elderly and individuals with Alzheimer's Disease. My grandmother used to run this program and now she is a participant. I had gone with Grandmama to help with Plymouth Harbour almost 14 years ago and have not been there since. We got there early because I was sure that she would want to show off her great grandson...and she did. We interrupted a game of Bingo and played what was left of the game with Grandmama and her friends. My grandmother was SO excited to see us...her face when we surprised her was priceless. It was the happiest I had seen her in a very long time. As I looked around the room while holding my almost 1 year old son, I was filled with mixed emotions and very disturbed with the "circle of life." I was feeling this way because in a matter of hours I knew my grandmother would be moving into an assisted living home.

We went on an outing to Toy's R Us where she could push Declan around and buy him a bday gift and then we headed to Kroger to buy her favorite ice cream...next stop...THE HOME. My parents, my aunts, and my uncle had busted their butts all day to get Gma's new "home" set up. We pulled up and she knew where we were because my mom and aunt had taken her by to see it. "Why are we here?" "I am not ready, Stefani," she pleads to me with tears in her eyes. Thank God for Declan! He started babbling and laughing and reaching for his great grandmother which took her mind off of everything. My mom met us out in the parking lot and we all walked in together. I don't think it was all registering with her. Bottom line is that she has moderate Alzheimer's Disease and cannot live alone anymore. This was going to be her new home. She needs safety and 24 hour care.

We walked in and the staff was wonderful! We showed Grandmama her new room which was set up perfectly by my, parents, aunts, and uncle. Honestly...it felt like home. Declan was exhausted, but it was like he knew he had to be a trooper and that we weren't leaving anytime soon. We all had dinner together in a room that they set up just for us. Grandmama was still in denial that she was staying there. Declan made his way out to where everyone else was dining and started flirting with all of the ladies...especially the ones that had wheels :-) I explained to them that my Gmama was the new kid on the block and to be very sweet to her.

As we walked back to my Gma's room she was nervous and sad. I told her it was okay to be sad, but that she had to be safe and that this was the best decision. Again...Declan was reaching for her and smiling at her making her feel better. How do kids know? Crazy!

We made sure she was safely in her room and had her cat with her before we left. I am not even going to lie a little bit. I cried the whole way home. I know she is safe and being taken care of and that this is the BEST decision for her, but it does not make it any easier. You may think that my grandmother and I are very close...not so much. She can be mean as a snake and definitely prefers my sister and my cousins over me, but none of that matters. I just want her to feel safe, be happy, have friends, and get the care that she needs...and she will get all of that now in her new home.

Thank God for a strong family who sticks together and loves one another unconditionally. Please say a prayer for my grandmother and our family as we make this transition together.

Grandmama's phrases that make me smile :-)

"I love you more than the tongue can tell"

"Yee Gods!"

"Happiness"

"Patience is a virtue, virtue is a grace. Put them both together and get a smiling face."

"God only knows what a dog will do...."

Fourth of July

So...I have been working on Declan putting things "in" his sorters or other toys for about a month...He plays with his Uncle Chris for about 5 minutes....and look what he learns...

Bam! Just like that he got it. He was very proud of himself and LOVED playing with his Uncle!

Jason and Uncle Chris putting on a sparkler show for Declan!

So excited!

I want more!

Aunt Lauren and Declan waiting patiently for the show to begin :-)

I love the 4th of July...and my dad!

Family picture...redneck style...on the back of Jason's work truck :-)

Uncle Chris giving Declan food...the way to his heart :-)

Let's do this, mom!

We stayed home this 4th of July and celebrated the holiday with Jason's brother and his girlfriend. Jason had to be up at 4:30 this morning to go to work, so we celebrated early in the afternoon. We had a ton of food and played with Declan. He is so in love with Chris and Lauren and loves being spoiled by them! We didn't do fireworks this year, because Declan is in bed by 6:30, but we did do sparklers and he LOVED them! Can't wait for him to see fireworks next year! It was a great day!