Lizards and Diapers and Walkers, Oh My!

I do believe that I left off with Beau turning one.  That was two months ago and much as happened since then.  Narrative writing seems far beyond my capabilities today, so I am making a list:

1.  We moved to Atlanta.  Well, technically just outside of Atlanta, though who knows where we will permanently settle.  We are currently staying in a fully furnished rental as all of our belongings sit in storage while we house hunt.  It is all very unsettling for a gal who thrives on organization, plans, and consistency.  That would be me.

2.  Beau started walking shortly after we moved.  Now he is a pro.

3.  Now that Beau is walking, I have had fun discovering all his favorite hiding spots....inside the bottom drawer of the oven, behind the computer, in the kitchen cupboards, etc.  His favorite objects to hide are our shoes and the television remote control.  Nothing has yet to top the day I found my flip flop in the bathtub and my underwear floating in the toilet.

4.  I spend most of my days playing with this orange ball.  The little boy too.

5.  Yesterday morning, I tossed the first diaper of the day into the diaper pail and a lizard skittered out of it.  The diaper pail, not the diaper.  That would have been worse.

And with that I think I will conclude for today as I'm not really sure anything else can top lizards and diapers.

Do A Little Dance....

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!!!

As promised yesterday, I am back with an entire post dedicated to Beau's first birthday.

What's that?  Posts two days in a row??  What is this, the end of the world?!  I certainly hope not because I have yet to post about Easter, moving to Atlanta, and a bevy of other exciting events.  The time.  It does fly.  

So way back on March 23rd, Beau turned a whole year old!  We were in Houston at the time and were lucky enough to get to celebrate the momentous occasion with Bret (brother) and Amy (soon-to-be-sis-in-law).  Beau was lucky enough to get to celebrate twice- once in Houston and once with family back in Wisconsin.  

We decided that a day spent at the Houston Children's Museum was just Beau's style.  Turns out...we were right!

The entire second floor is devoted to the lil' ones.  There were ball pits, blocks, big foam stairs, slides, and every other awesome interactive toy that a kid this age would love!  There was even an outdoor area for riding little bikes!

We spent the entire afternoon at the museum and Beau had an awesome time.

After a nap and some dinner, we got to dig into a special birthday surprise from Uncle Bret.  Only Uncle Bret would come up with such a weird and fun activity for a baby...

Apparently these are "water beads".  I don't know what brand he got, but this website shows something similar.  They were an absolute blast!  *Note: Adult supervision is required as you don't want your kiddo eating them.*  We even got some video of the event.  

To cap the day off, we did the traditional first birthday cupcake experience.  

I have to admit that this was a bit anti-climactic.  Beau is a really great eater and will try just about everything...the cupcake was no different.  He didn't really cover himself in frosting or go totally bananas over it.  He just kind of ...ate it.  

Bret had one more special pre-bedtime birthday surprise for Beau.  

I mean, really, who doesn't want to shut themselves in a walk-in closet with a HUGE handful of glow sticks??  Only Uncle Bret would come up with these things.... :) 

Beau had a great first birthday!  We are so proud of our little boy and can't believe what a sweet, smart, loving child we are lucky enough to raise!

(Yes, while I am at it....hats off to Sean and I for surviving one year of parenthood.  We certainly have come a long way from the days of Sean trying to drag my leg out of bed to feed it.)

Deep in the Heart of Texas....

Once again, I find myself scrambling to catch up on blog posts.  Does this vicious cycle ever end?  I am at least a little more hopeful that I can get back to posting regularly now that we have our own desktop computer back.  But more on that later.

At the end of March, we got to travel to Houston, TX to visit my brother and his fiance!  We had an absolute blast hanging out with them and got to do tons of fun stuff with Beau as well.

We walked through Hermann Park and spent some time playing in the water and watching the ducks.  Turns out Beau is cut from a different cloth than his mother and loves ducks!  Who would have thought?!  (::mumbles something about nasty quackers::)

Why is it that they both look equally confused by this duck??

We spent some time at the park....

"Whoa Uncle Bret!  I didn't know you were going to LET GO!"

We also spent an afternoon at the Houston Zoo!  In typical baby fashion, with all the amazing and exotic animals around, he most enjoyed pointing out the squirrels.  Go figure.  The monkeys did run a close second though.  

"Hey mom, just chillin' out here...putting the old feet up...no biggie..."

We were fortunate enough to get to celebrate Beau's FIRST BIRTHDAY while in Houston!  I am saving that for a whole post of its own though.  Coming soon!

Also....

A huge thanks to Bret and Amy for hosting us for the week!  Beau definitely misses you guys and can't wait for the next visit!!

Update: Part 5 - Spring Has Sprung!

This year, Wisconsin has been blessed with an unusually warm and exceptionally early Spring.  Temperatures in the seventies and even low eighties?!?!  It seems that we brought the Bay Area's weather back with us...not that anybody is complaining.  Warm weather means that we have been taking every opportunity to get the little guy outside; something that he absolutely LOVES!

A HUGE thank you to my friend, Bethany, for letting us borrow her little boys Jeep walker.  Beau has spent many afternoons cruising around in it and it gives mom and dad a nice break too!

Update: Part 4 - Eleven Months!

Right around the eleven month time was such a HUGE leap in skills and development for Beau!  

I think the biggest new thing we noticed was Beau's ability to follow directions.  Right around eleven months Beau learned how to "point to my nose", "clap", "wave", "give mama a kiss", and hand things over when asked. 

He also began to have a better understanding of what "no" means and clearly does not like its implications!  The boy may have a slight flair for the dramatic as a stern "no" often results in tears, flinging his arms up in the air, arching his back, and dramatically flopping his head backwards.  It is quite the sight.  At other times, he will woefully bury his head in this arms or fully collapse on the ground to show us his displeasure at being told "no".  Life is hard for an eleven month old boy.  

Eleven months brought a continued love of food and more opinion as to what he would like to be eating.  This little guys loves his carbs....noodles, bran muffins, bread, rolls, rice, and Cheerios are right up his ally!  He also enjoys applesauce, yogurt, black beans, tomato sauce, cooked carrots these days.  He also learned how to drink out of a sippy cup (both the spout kind and the straw kind) right around this time and was proud to show off his new skill.  

Beau loves his baths....

 ...and hates getting out.

Crawling was still the main mode of transportation around this time although one new skill did emerge; the ability to climb the stairs!!  And climb he did!  This little guy was a pro in no time, sometimes even making mom and dad scramble to keep up with him.

Being able to reach up and take things off of low tables was also a new found pleasure.  Whether it was allowable things such as books, papers, and toys, or forbidden things such as dishes, coffee mugs, and phones, he was excited to get his hands on all of it!

Life sure is good when you are eleven months old!!

Update: Part 3 - The Kid Likes to Eat

As I mention in the 10 month post, finger foods and self-feeding have been the activity of choice for the last several months.  I believe these pictures speak for themselves...

The infamous "chili over the head" incident...

Oh, there are messy days ahead to be sure!