One Year

Just a point of reference of growth in this year, here is Dax's buddy Nixon and himself from last year and this year....thankfully, Katelin and I have gotten smaller.

April 25th, 2010

April 23rd, 2011

Dax's first birthdays brought about numerous emotions on my end....

Excitement at the milestone and upcoming adventures of having a one year old

(Here just waking up for the morning, with a big morning smile on his handsome little face)

Sadness over the loss of my sweet, immobile cuddle bug.

(At the hospital the morning after he was born)

Frustration at his unwillingness to partake in his birthday as I expected.

(Here he was more concerned with playing with wrapping paper and/or balloons to open his presents; thus, I was left with the chore, along with some help from adorable little Lilli)

And calmness when the event was over and I was able to come home and take a nap with, just like I used to.

(I've discontinued napping with him since he's been re-sleep trained and haven't wanted to jinx it; this picture is from when he was three months old....)

Of course, all things considered, the party was awesome. Dax was spoiled by so many friends and family members who love him. Sometimes, I honestly feel like he may be one of the most loved babies (toddlers) in the world. Not only does he have my biological family and Ryan's biological family creating a massive fan club for him, but all of the kids at the Goose absolutely adore him. And that is no exaggeration. Any baby that either the girls or boys play with or see is immediately deemed "Baby Dax." I have not heard a baby at the Goose named anything else since I was pregnant. In fact, while I was pregnant a group of four-year-old girls were always pregnant with their own baby Dax's (one mom even sent me a picture of her little girl stuffing pillows in her nightie to make a baby Dax.) We are truly blessed to have so many supportive people caring for our child.

The most important thing of all to me though, is the fact that my son is healthy.

He is strong.

(He is constantly moving furniture- earning him the nickname "Rambo"- is starting to actually kind of run and is beginning to master climbing...Oh joy.)

He is smart.

(Basically having mastered how to turn on all of his toys and our gadgets, babyproofing is beyond us at this point. The kid has figured out how to get into everything and does as he pleases, although he is disciplined for it.)

And he CAN be independent.

(Dax can easily go off and do his own thing, however, if he needs some love he'll run over climb into our laps or arms and suck his thumb while playing with either our ear or his. It's sweet.)

Nothing makes me more appreciative of my life than knowing that I have such a healthy and happy child.

Since his first birthday- less than a week ago- he has been talking up a storm as well. Before he would occasionally say things when he felt like it, but now the kid doesn't want to stop talking.

A couple of things he's been repeating over and over this week (to my true joy):

-"Hi!" attended with a wave/hand flap whenever he sees anyone, and I mean that literally (he knows "bye" too)

- "Whas'that?" at any point he sees, hears, or touches something or someone. It's my new favorite too. He's so curious.

- "No, no" if he doesn't like whatever you are doing; occasionally he'll exchange this for a "don't" as he pulls you away from what you are not supposed to be doing...pretty sure he got that one from me

- "Duh" for dog. His favorite thing, he gets so excited and flaps his wings like he's going to fly away whenever he sees one.

- He also claps and shouts "YAY" for nearly every accomplishment reached by himself and others, it's also the only way we can get him to look at the camera and smile.

He says more things, but not as consistently as he has been saying these this week (of course he has mastered "mama" and "dada" at this point in addition to several other basic words)

His 1 Year Check-Up is tomorrow, so I will be back on to update you on his percentiles. Not to mention with more pictures.

'Nighty-nite!

Happy First Birthday

to the greatest little man alive!!!

I sure love him!

50 Weeks!

I realized today that my bouncing baby boy is now 50 weeks old, only two weeks shy of being a one-year-old....don't worry, though, I didn't get emotional over this particular realization.

Things with the little guy are starting to become more and more interesting, he is tons of fun but becoming more and more work.

In addition to his improving conversational skills and coordination, he has developed a knack for throwing fits and getting into trouble... knowing exactly what he wants and expecting it to be given to him or done exactly how he wants it

and climbing on the furniture, including the ottoman that we've had specifically placed in front of our entertainment center to protect Ryan's gaming consoles.

He thinks he is quite funny for all of this as well. Admittedly, his gap-toothed smile and dazzling blue eyes help him get away with some of his trouble.

In addition to this quick Dax Chase update I am looking for advice...

Once upon a time, several months ago, Ryan and I were successful in sleep training Dax to put himself to sleep; however, after months of being watched by a different set of grandparents (before the wonderful retirement of my Grandma Candy and Papa who now consistently watch Dax) every couple of days this habit was quickly broken. While I do understand the joys of snuggling up with a baby as he sweetly drifts to sleep, I am also the person who deals with the downside of having a child who's self-soothing has been spoiled.

Ryan and I have finally become fed up with the nightly wake-up routines, although some nights are better than others things have been getting worse, and tonight marks the first night that Dax will begin his second round of sleep training. I am going solo on this first night due to the fact that Ryan is out of town for work and am slightly terrified of what is to come. I love Dax and hearing him cry is one of the things I've struggled with most since his birth...you can ask anyone about this and they will agree.

I know it's good for Dax to be able to put himself to sleep- especially since he has begun waking up around 5 or 6 every morning and I know that I can be a better mommy to him when I'm more well rested- however, I feel like a poor mother listening to him cry rather than rushing to his aid. Nearly everyone I've questioned concerning this issue has encouraged me to stay strong, that the crying becomes more manageable after only a couple of nights, but most of the scientific research pertains to two opposing schools of thought on the issue. And trust me, I've researched the crap out of the issue.

If anyone out there, the select few that even know this blog exists, has any words of encouragement or advice, they'd be greatly appreciated about now...

Don't worry, the little guy is not going to be completely abandoned tonight to fend for himself, I will check on him periodically as I have read to, however, he's going to be crying more than he's used to. Please wish me luck.