walkin' with grace

this is one of my new favorite things to watch.....donovan with his walker. he has become so confidant with it that he steers it with grace. he now uses his walker to chase buck.
it is hil-ar-i-ous. so enjoy!

gram's bday

gram was in town on her bday so we were able to do some celebrating. i tried to introduce donovan to crayons to make a card. donovan + crayons = not successful. so i made the card. next year he will be all over it.

mama still comes into town on tuesday afternoons to watch donovan, and this week she also brought gigi. mama usually also makes dinner for us both tuesday and wednesday, but being the generous people we are we did not expect her to make dinner for us that night with it being her bday and all.

i planned and coordinated the entire affair myself. after much planning and thought i had dan pick up steaks and twice baked potatoes that he cooked on the grill before i got home from work, and i had mama bring asparagus from home. we needed cake so i picked up some cupcakes from the cupcake ladies and voila a party was born.....i do love delegation!

getting a picture of mama has always been like trying to get a picture of sasquatch, but since donovan, all you have to do is throw him in her arms and she does not even notice the hat. notice the picture from her birthday last year she is in her robe and could care less.

easter

we got to celebrate our first easter with donovan. the weather was beautiful and so easter weekend was full of being outside. donovan loves being outside, and he has a new water table from gram and grandaddy so being outside is what we did.

we planted the garden, lunched outside, and played in the water table. donovan had a blast watching his parents work while he basked in the sun with a little cooling off from the water hose. and since he is a toddler now he had a picnic with a peanut butter and banana sandwhich.

the easter bunny left his basket and easter eggs in the middle of the kitchen floor. i guess the easter bunny is easy on the newbies to the tradition.

nap

today i took a nap. not because i was sick or had not slept the night before, but because it was a rainy day and a nap was something i wanted to do. i have always loved a good nap, and since having donovan i have not taken a nap just for the sake of taking a nap. it seems over the past year every time a nap is possible i have felt the pressure to wash bottles or catch up on emails or fold clothes or cook dinner etc. so, i got in my bed in the middle of the day and stayed there for 2 hours. i woke up...and went back to sleep...because i could. it was fabulous, and just another reminder of enjoying the simple things.

just to clarify the 2 our nap was taken after dan got home to be the parent on duty. and donovn spent the morning at his first class at gymboree......so i deserved it :)

12 months...we made it!

this has been by far the most eventful year of my life. i just thought pregnancy was memorable! this year has been the most challenging and rewarding year to date.

i have learned that when caring for a newborn, although it feels like as the parent you are supposed to know what your baby wants, your real job is to patiently listen and translate what your baby is telling you....and to be comfortable about not having all the answers. i have learned that just because i did not feel love at first sight with donovan does not mean that i have not fallen in love with him in a way that i have never felt before. i have learned that discussions of bodily functions, tiny smiles, food intake and length of naps can in fact be the most exciting part of most days....and by saying that i do not mean my life is boring. i have learned that it is in fact possible to believe with my whole heart that i have given birth to the cutest, sweetest, smartest baby on the planet, and know that any day now that agents will be contacting me to sign contracts. i have learned that every time that donovan does something new that it is the most amazing thing that i have ever seen....seriously. i have learned that in the context of being a mom, i can do anything...even when i do not want to or think i can. i have learned that when i get a needed break from donovan that i can miss him terribly. i have learned that you can be perfectly happy and fulfilled in life and go and have a baby and somehow be happier and more fulfilled than you knew even existed. thank you donovan for being the best teacher ever....and for being patient with our learning curve.

now for the stats:

-weighs 21lbs. 10oz.(50%) -- 31.5 in. long (90%) -- 46.5 cm. (55%)
-size 3 diapers-- most 12 month clothes .......some 18 mo.
-had his first cold....which involved his first antibiotic........which led to a month of not sleeping through the night......which took me back to a dark time in life
-he has 7 teeth
-this past month has been full of new things.....i feel like i have watched him become a toddler all in just one month. he loves crawling up and down the steps, is eating peanut butter like crazy, and cannot get enough time outside.
-he loves to do "cheers" every time he sees a cup....which can be time consuming because we don't want to leave him hangin'
-he will lean in when you ask him for a kiss....not with his mouth...but with his forehead
-he can pick out a cow, monkey and dog when asked, and can make monkey and cow sounds when asked
-he is obsessed with being outside--we are witnessing tantrums when the door is not open when he wants it open to get outside
-speaking of tantrums......he is coming into his personality (a hard headed murphy)
-he is careful in nature about trying new things, but when he is confidant it is go time....for example, he does not climb on the furniture but he does have a child size rocking chair that he is brave enough to stand up and rock in
-he is making "ca-ca" sounds to talk and pointing at everything...he also says "ma-ma-ma-ma-ma" alot
-he continues to love books

the pictures are from his birthday. the first picture is donovan having his breakfast of french toast and drinking from his new silver cup (from gigi). the second picture is donovan in his birthday suit playing with his new bath toys. we also went to get his shots on his birthday which we did not document with pictures. and we finished the day off playing in his new water table.

happy bday donovan!

we had lots of family and friends wanting to celebrate with donovan for his birthday so we had his party on april 16th. pops and bammie came into town from florida on thursday to help get ready for the party, and i am sure to get some extra time with donovan. on friday granpa and gramma came into town from ny to spend the week with us. and saturday gram, grandaddy, gigi and aunt lisa came into town ready to party. our friends aaron and geraldine also came to the festivities.

we spent the day eating, talking, opening presents, taking pictures and watching donovan show off. donovan had a blast with all the attention. he was not patient enough to open his gifts, but he loved them when they were opened. he hated his bday hat. he loved his balloons. he was interested in the strawberries on his cake, but the party was over when he got the icing on his arm. he slept very well that night.

we had cake out the wazoo due to bammie's recent 70th bday and dan's upcomming 40th bday, we had a cake and hats for each of them. you are welcome mama for saving you from this :)

thank you all for the birthday wishes, and the interest in donovan's past year!

bammie's bday

bammie turned 70 on april 9th! her children all decided to surprise her in florida for her birthday weekend. she is the mother 6 children and 2 step-daughters, and so dan and his siblings made the trip sans the "out-laws" and grandchildren. they successfully surprised bammie and had a great time.

donovan and i took the opportunity to take a road trip to burnsville for a long weekend. i got to visit with friends, including an overnighter in asheville, while gram and grandaddy...and aunt lisa corralled donovan. donovan has always been a good night sleeper until getting a cold a couple weeks ago. he has been getting up most nights since then, so a night of uninterrupted sleep was fabulous!

donovan had a blast. this past month he is really starting to show his personality. that is a nice way of saying he is getting an attitude. when told no he has been known to bite, hit or have a screaming fit....and yes i realize this is only the beginning. although i am not a fan of it, i will say i am much more confidant in parenting a temper tantrum than a colicy 6 week old. donovan spent his time convincing (screaming at) people to take him outside. he went to the nursery at church for the first time, and got to play the drums after the service. donovan only sleeps in his bed, with his nuk, blanket and sound machine. he played so hard in burnsville that during a walk he fell asleep in the backpack.

we reunited with dad on monday...and now it is time to plan a birthday party!