14 months

14 months ago today, we welcomed our precious Sawyer into our lives. What a wonderful, joyous, whirlwind it has been! I fall more and more in love with him everyday. I can't imagine life without him. Our little family means the world to me! Sawyer is so much fun right now. He giggles and laughs all of the time- the best sound in the world! He walks really well when holding your hand, pushing a toy, or cruising around the furniture. He just doesn't quite have the confidence to let go, although he has taken 2 or 3 steps on his own. I guess he figures he can crawl faster. My best guess is his weight is around 25 pounds. He weighed 24 lbs, 7 ounces at his last doctor's appt a few weeks ago. We have his 15 month appt scheduled for September. He still eats very well. He has 3 meals a day plus snacks. He drinks at least 3 full cups of milk each day, plus water. The only things we have found that he doesn't like are pickles, lemons, and just recently squash and zucchini. I am not giving up though. We will keep trying these same foods. Sawyer usually takes a short nap in the morning and longer one after lunch. He goes to bed between 7:30 and 8 pm and sleeps until 6:30 or 7 am. Sawyer had his first real boo-boo on Sunday. We were at church and he leaned forward from Will's lap and banged his head on the wooden pew in front of us. He immediately started to cry and we rushed him outside of the church. I was certain he was gushing blood, but it was just a goose egg. It never turned in to much, except for a small bruise. It sure was scary for a minute though!

Lately...
A couple of weekends ago, we had some friends over for pool time and cook out. It was fun getting the boys together (little boys and their daddies (college buddies))!

The following weekend, we celebrated a sweet little boy's baptism. Will is his godfather!

We don't have much planned for this weekend- just hanging out with my boys! My mom is having shoulder surgery on Thursday, so I'm sure we will spend time helping her out with her recovery. She is upset that she will not be able to keep Sawyer her usual two days a week. It will be 6-8 weeks before she will be able to see about him. We are planning one last hurrah for summer- Labor Day weekend at Bennett's Point!

Lately...

1. Board of Directors meeting at work last week = busy, no free time

2. Sawyer turned 13 months on July 14th! I feel like it was just his birthday. He weighs just over 24 pounds. He is all but walking on his own. He just needs the confidence to let go! All four bicuspid molars have come in and he is working on a couple of his canine teeth. 

3. We spent our Saturday morning at the pediatrician's office. What a fun way to start the weekend! Sawyer sucks his index and middle finger on his right hand when he is really sleepy. Once he is asleep it falls out. Anyways, he has developed a pretty nasty blister on his middle finger from sucking. We took him in to get checked out to make sure it wasn't infected. We were prescribed an antibiotic cream to treat, and told to keep it out of his mouth as much as possible. The doc suggested we put a sock and long-sleeved shirt over it at night. Well, easier said than done. Sawyer pulled it off on our first attempt. We ramped up our game for the second go-round. We added first aid tape over the sock and shirt to secure it a little more. It stayed put, however, we had one angry, tired baby on our hands. He cried for an hour before finally giving it up and falling asleep. Night #2 went much smoother! He just whimpered for a few minutes before drifting off to the land of nod. 

Bedtime outfit - sock-on-hand! Sawyer is not impressed!

 4. Sunday afternoon, we went to the lake to spend time with Will's mom's side of the family. All of her siblings, and most of the cousins were there. We enjoyed a boat ride, and the company of course. It was wonderful catching up with family that we don't see that often. 

5. Looking ahead: This weekend, we have a two-year-old birthday party and a baby shower, both for church friends. Our August looks pretty open, hopefully we will get in some pool time and relaxation! We plan on going back to the coast for Labor Day weekend. Hope everyone is having a fantastic summer! It sure is flying by!

Edisto Beach Week 2013

It's back to the grind today after a week of vacation! After being off work for all of those days, I was definitely not looking forward to today! The day started off like a typical Monday....that was until I managed to get into a little fender-bender after dropping Sawyer off at his Nana's house on my way to work. I bumped into the back of a Moe's catering truck! The damage was not bad to either vehicle. However, the driver of the Moe's van called the police because it was a company vehicle. The nice West Columbia police officer arrived fairly quickly. Insurance information was exchanged and we were on our merry ways. 
On to the good stuff.....vacation recap! We got down to Edisto around dinner time on Friday, June 28th. We had a busy weekend of house guests and entertainment. The weather was spotty with rain and pop-up showers. After the weekend, the guests headed out and we had a nice quiet atmosphere the rest of the week. The pop-up rain storms continued most of the week, but that didn't hold back our fun! We spent time in the ocean, boat, porch, and kiddie pool! 

Picture overload...

First night at Edisto....awestruck

Beach time! Sawyer was not exactly a fan of the sand and waves. 

First boat ride of the week!

Cool Dude wearing Mama's shades!

Boat ride with the Prices....so glad we got to hang out!

Mama and Daddy Date Night ~ Dinner at Whaley's

Happy 4th of July!

Salute from the Shore flyover

Afternoon cruise on the 4th!

We came back home on Friday, July 5th. I cannot say how much we enjoyed this week! It was a much needed break from reality and our busy work/home life. However, all good things must come to an end! We look forward to a quick weekend back to Edisto in September to celebrate my birthday. We are also talking about going in October for the Bluegrass Festival. 

Wordless Wednesday: Farm Baby!

We spent yesterday evening at my dad's farm to visit with him, my aunt, uncle, and cousins. Sawyer loved watching the horses from afar, but was a little scared of them up close. 

Splish Splash!

Friday afternoon after work, I took Sawyer to our neighborhood pool. He hadn't been to the pool much before, so I wasn't sure how he would do. We loaded up and headed over around 4:00. I blew up his new float and applied sunscreen. We eased into the pool. The water was a perfect temperature. He didn't like the float at first. I think he didn't feel secure with his legs dangling and not being held. He gradually got used to it, and enjoyed splashing with his hands and making motor boat noises!

Sunday, we had more water fun at Ollie's birthday party at Saluda Shoals Park. We played at the Splash Pad. Sawyer wasn't really a fan. He was fine when the water was not right near him, but as soon as it started spraying him, he freaked out. He enjoyed watching and pointing at the water, but didn't want to get too close to it. 

We head down to Edisto on Friday for the week of the 4th! I hope Sawyer does alright around the water then. He has been weary of the ocean before, but we will try and introduce it to him again. I want him to enjoy the water, but have a healthy fear of it as well. 

12 Month Well-Visit and an Alligator Birthday Party!!

We started Sawyer's birthday weekend off with a birthday doughnut followed by his 12 month well-visit and shots on Friday morning.

12 month stats & facts:

* Weight: 22 lbs. 9 oz.
* Length: 30 in.
* Wearing 12 month clothes
* Wearing size 4 diapers
* Bottles: We are all done with bottles and formula!
* Cow's milk: Over the last few weeks, we have been slowly introducing milk to Sawyer. We eventually dropped all of his bottles and replaced them with milk. We are trying to get the milk drinking closer to mealtimes, so that he associates the food and milk together. He also gets some before bedtime. 
* Naps: He usually sleeps a total of 3-4 hours during the day
* Nighttime sleep: Sawyer goes to bed around 8 pm and sleeps until 6:30 or 7 am.
* Breakfast: yogurt, oatmeal, grits, diced fruit (8-8:30 am)
* Lunch: applesauce, diced fruit, lunch meat, pasta, etc. (11:30 or 12 pm)
* Dinner: diced table food, fruit, veggies, pasta, etc. (5:30 or 6 pm)
* Table food: Sawyer eats anything and everything we put in front of him. 
* Snacks: Gerber puffs, yogurt melts, diced fruit, plain Cheerios, graham crackers, teddy grahams, etc.
* Sippy Cup: Sawyer drinks milk and water out of the cup. He prefers the Nuby cups (with or without the handles). We have not introduced juice to him yet. 
* Teeth: 8 (top and bottom front). One just broke through on the bottom right, as well. I think these back teeth are giving him more trouble than the front ones did :(
* Crawling: He does a sort of army crawl on his belly. Every now and then he crawls a few steps on his knees. 
* Pull up on everything and cruising around the coffee table and furniture. 
* He stood by himself the other day without holding on to anything. I think he will be walking as soon as he can figure out his balance!
* Sawyer still sucks his index and middle fingers on his right hand, esp. when he is tired! He loves his lovies. He usually only has them in his crib or carseat when his is tired. 
* He babbles all day long...dada, mama, guh, other 2 syllable combinations. Sawyer says "uh-oh" when he drops something. We are working on "bye bye".
* Sawyer's newest thing is to point at objects. He often points at overhead lights and fans. 
* He also gives high fives and claps his hands. We are working on waving bye bye. 
* Motor skills: He can pick up small objects like cheerios and other small food with his thumb and index finger. He has great fine motor skills! He will also roll/push a toy car on the floor. He is trying to make the sound "vroom" for the trucks.
* Baby proofing: We have to watch him very carefully. We have added baby gates to the top and bottom of the stairs and can block off the kitchen. We try to keep the coffee table clear of objects he can get in too. We need to lock some cabinets in the kitchen as well. 

After our doctor's appointment on Friday morning, I dropped Sawyer off at my mom's so that I could run errands to get ready for the party on Saturday. Will had planned to spend time working on my car. Later that afternoon, when Sawyer woke up from his nap, we had our little family birthday time. We gave Sawyer a Cozy Truck, a Jelly Cat Alligator, and a few books. He loves riding in his truck!      

We spent the rest of Friday getting ready for the big party on Saturday. I had to finish the cupcakes and decorations.   We got up early Saturday morning to get ready for the big day ahead! Will had to go into work for a couple of hours before the party. Sawyer and I had an easy, relaxing morning. I had finished everything for the party the night before. Sawyer was in a bit of a grouchy mood. I think he didn't feel good from his shots he had the day before. After a morning nap, he was feeling much better. We left to go to my mom's to set up for the party once Will got home from work. 

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Wishes for the Birthday Boy!

Hanging out in the alligator pool waiting on my friends

Party time!

Smash cake

Done! 

Sawyer's party was a huge success! Everyone had a great time! We are blessed with wonderful family and friends who love our boy to pieces! 
Saturday afternoon, we recovered and rested at home. Andy's birthday party was Saturday night. Will went for a little while, while Sawyer and I stayed home and had some quiet time. 
Sunday was Father's Day! We got up and ready at a leisurely pace before heading to church. We went to brunch at Henry's to celebrate Will! He is an amazing daddy to our little boy!

We weren't done celebrating just yet! Sunday night, we went to Andy and Brittany's house to celebrate Andy's birthday and Father's Day with Will's family. We had a nice dinner with them. Wow! What a weekend! 

                                         

Happy Birthday Sawyer!!

Happy birthday to my sweet, joyous, curious little boy! Sawyer, you are no longer a baby, you are quickly turning into a toddler! You are constantly on the go! You want to explore and learn about everything around you. I love your little personality. You are sweet and friendly to everyone you meet. You always have a smile on your face. You love your Mama and Dada, your grandparents, aunts, and uncle. Your Nana and SaSa take such good care of you every day! You bring such joy to our lives, I don't know what we ever did with out you! In the last month, you have learned to clap, give high fives, and pull up to a standing position and cruise the furniture. We are working on blowing kisses and waving bye-bye. You also say uh-oh when you drop something! So cute! 

One Year photos ~ The Picture People ~ 6-8-13