10-11/52

10/52
Heartbreaker.

10/52
Birthday cuddles with my baby boy

11/52
The nap war ended in mom and dad's bed
The beginning of the end? (please, no...)

11/52
Such a smiley bug :)

Cullen's First Birthday Party!

Last Saturday, we invited some of our closest friends and family over for a little barnyard celebration of Cullen's first birthday!

We kept it simple with a milk-and-cookie theme and got REALLY lucky with some gorgeous weather so we were able to spend most of the day outside. (there is something magical about the first really warm Saturday of the spring, it is food for the soul!)

We are so incredibly grateful to have had my brother Josh, my sister Jenna, and her friend Lexi staying with us the weekend of the party. We wouldn't have been able to pull it all off if they hadn't been here to help us prepare. THANK YOU GUYS! 

We had a few small snacks but the focus was on the cookies! We made sugar cookies, brownie cookies, cranberry/white chocolate cookies, rice krispie treats, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cream pies, and strawberry cream cheese cookies (these were a last-minute addition and turned out to be my favorites- I highly recommend them!) 

I made a few pennant banners to hang, strung up all 52 of Cullen's weekly photos and got the kids some cute little milk bottles (with cow straws!) to fill with white or chocolate.  Justin and Josh created a super awesome obstacle course in the driveway for the kids to conquer and we pulled the sand table out of storage. The one organized activity I planned was a 'pig round-up game' that consisted of 13 kids gathering 24 pig-face balloons into 1 inflatable pool (thanks for creating such great pigs, Jenna!). It was pure chaos and pretty hilarious to watch. Most of the party I just wandered around watching all the little people laughing and running around thinking how grateful we are to share this life with such great friends.

Also - it seems we now have TWO boys who love to wear sunglasses!

And, of course, Cullen got his own cake to smash. It took a little convincing to get him to really dig in (probably because he'd already had plenty of cookies by the time we brought out the cake) but Avery showed him how it was done and he took over from there :)

Such a fun, fun day! It may be true that first birthday parties will never be remembered by the birthday boy/girl but any opportunity we have to get together with some of our favorite people and share some some cookies, we take it! It was even a big enough event to get a family photo - a rare occurrence indeed!

 Happy birthday, sweet Cullen. You bring so much joy to our days!

Cullen James is ONE!

A week and a half ago, this sweet boy turned a whole year old. Cullen is sweeter than ever and is learning and growing so fast these days I try really hard not to blink. He is in this really magical stage right now where he is so happy-go-lucky all the time and gets excited about pretty much everything. That being said, he is certainly growing into his own little personality and has a strong opinion about everything (and will share that opinion, usually pretty loudly.)

As is probably the case with most second children, Cullen sometimes feels like he gets the short end of the stick when big brother gets to do things that he can't (like use scissors or reach things on top of the counter). We try to involve him as much as we can which is also why this second child ingests far more Plah-Doh and paint than is probably recommended - but he's certainly getting lots of sensory learning opportunities!

Cullen's Favorites:
EATING. His current favorites are:
-meat
-beans
-grapes
-graham crackers
-ice chips
-yogurt
Blowing raspberries on everything (especially tummies)
Snuggling
Climbing
Chasing Avery
Mimicking Avery
Wrestling with Avery
Singing 'ba ba black sheep'
Being outside
DANCING
Bubbles
Waving
Swinging 
Remotes/cell phones 
Reading books
Drinking from a straw
Smiling and laughing
Getting what he wants. Right now. (like standing in the kitchen yelling until someone hands him his cup, or a snack)

Cullen Dislikes:
•Getting dressed/changed
•Not being able to do everything big brother can do
•Being hungry or tired

Cullen currently has 8 teeth, his hair is growing longer (and curly!) behind his ears, he usually has some sort of scrape or bruise on his face (he's a brut!), has the most perfect little toddler strut and THE sweetest little scrunched-up nose when he smiles.

   
And here are the final photos to wrap up Cullen's first year. I already miss my chubby little baby, but I'm so smitten by this sweet toddler that has taken his place.

This boy came into our lives on a snowy March morning and filled a void that we didn't even realize existed. It feels like just yesterday and forever ago all at the same time. I can't imagine my life without this sweet little soul in it and I know his daddy and big brother feel the exact same way. Watching how he and Avery have bonded and continue to grow together makes all our rough days in this last year totally worth it. No joke- this smile has magical healing powers:
 

Avery @ 1 Year

Avery @ 2.75

I printed all 52 of the weekly photos I took of Avery in 2014 and looking through them is priceless, I'm so glad I stuck with it all year. I've been continuing this project in 2015 but have fallen off the blogging train lately. Below are the first 8 weeks of Avery's 2015 photos along with some bits about who Avery is as a 2.75 year old.

1/52
The spitting image of his daddy.

Although I think babies become big kids much too quickly and I've been mourning Avery's growth since the day he was born, I have found that each new age and stage just gets better and better and this almost-three-year-old age is the best one yet. He gets sweeter, smarter, more creative and more funny every single day. He certainly has a mind of his own and is developing a strong opinion about everything but I stand in awe of his imagination and his creativity and am so proud of the sweet little boy he's becoming. I'm so lucky to spend my days with this vibrant spirit :)

2/52
Bedhead all day long. Every day.

3/52
Finding him hiding out in a corner reading a book out loud is just my favorite.

This boy is almost accident-free on the potty training front. He has made leaps and bounds in the last month becoming more aware of when he needs to go and being very independent in doing his business. About a month ago we switched entirely to wearing underwear (with the exception of diapers at nighttime) and he's had fewer and fewer accidents each week. We were using tractor videos on YouTube as an incentive but he doesn't even ask for them anymore, he just goes to the bathroom when he needs to and goes about his day. Yesterday, Avery got a prize for making it through a whole week accident-free, and then we headed to the store for new undies. (he chose Olaf, no surprise there!)

4/52
Superboy at mach speed.

Avery's favorite things right now:
Building forts
Vehicles. Tractors, boats, excavators, cranes, trains
'Hunting' bears, deer, snowmonsters, rabbits, squirrels, wolves,  etc etc...
Calling family members on numerous devices that may or may not resemble a phone
Cuddle time before bed
'Climbing mountains'
Dancing (and participating in Zumba :)
Frozen and Brother Bear
Bathtime (and drying his hair 'crazy')
Snacks
Wrestling/chasing/tickling Cullen
Singing 
Typing messages to his 'boss' while helping dad work in his office (he takes it very seriously) 
Watching 'Wheel of Fortune' and yelling out the letters
Watching tractor videos
Hiking in the woods
'Chopping down trees'
 

5/52
Down with the sickness.

This sickness was THE. WORST. Avery had influenza and this is the first time he has been this down-and-out sick in his whole life. It was pretty terrible to see my sweet, active little boy want to do nothing but sleep or sit still all day long- for over a week. I was never so happy to have my sweet boy back to health, sickness sure has a way of helping me appreciate all that toddler energy!

6/52
Still crazy pale... but sporting some of the first smiles in a week.
The bond these two share is something seriously magical.

7/52
This is his 'seriously mom' face. He's a tough cookie to crack some days ;)

Avery is such a kind soul. So sensitive and so polite. We toured a preschool a couple of weeks ago and it was sort of surreal to see him in that space interacting with other little people so independently. He was so excited to be there yet it was so bittersweet for me to think that in a little over a year he will be starting 'school'.

8/52
One evening we were enjoying dinner together as usual and glanced over at Avery who was giving us
^^this look. Totally out of the blue. Tears of laughter followed :)

9/52
Constable Avery

From the day Cullen was born, Avery has been such a good role model and protector over his little brother. I can tell that these two boys have a strong bond that I hope only continues to grow. Although they've started having some power struggles over toys (and Avery is quickly learning that Cullen's personality isn't quite as passive and as his own) the majority of their days are spent in harmony. Watching them run and play and laugh is like food for my mama soul and I can tell it's going to be a really, really fun summer.  

Cullen @ 11 Months!

11 months. I can barely wrap my head around the fact that this sweet boy is almost a whole year old. And if you were to watch him cruise around the house sorting toys  (un-sorting toys would probably be a better explanation) and jabbering away, you'd swear he was closer to two.

This month, Cullen has gone to some zumba classes, library story-times, a trip to the Children's museum in Indy, an indoor waterpark, spent a few of the warmer days strolling the sidewalks outside, and made countless laps around the house. He is getting so sharp and figures things out that I swear are too advanced for such a little person.

Cullen hasn't gotten any new teeth this month, but he insists on grinding the 7 existing ones he does have together- hard. (I swear he only does it to watch his mama cringe) He did catch a little cold while Avery was down the flu and I sat up with him one night when he was running a fever but thankfully, that ended up being the worst of it. *whew*

Poor Cullen fell and hit his mouth on a chair a few weeks ago and immediately started gushing blood from his mouth (head wounds are scary like that). As soon as I could clear the blood away long enough to see what had happened, I realized that he had completely torn his frenulum (the chunk of skin that runs between baby's front teeth) I freaked out a little bit because there was just a big flap of skin hanging inside his upper lip that was supposed to be connected between his teeth. I did some internet research and found this is pretty common and would heal on its own (eventually it would shrink away anyway to make room for teeth as they grow in) Once the bleeding stopped, Cullen wasn't in any pain and could nurse and eat just fine and now his front teeth have actually grown together more and the chunk of skin has all but disappeared, totally unnoticeable. *crisis averted*

This was the first month that he consistently started sleeping through the night (cue the heavenly choirs!) It sometimes takes him an hour or so to finally settle for the night, but once he does he's out until morning. He still nurses 4 times a day and naps once, sometimes twice (his nap schedule is really hit-or-miss)

Cullen has been much more of a willing participant in our weekly photo shoots than Avery was. (or maybe I've just lowered my standards and made less of an ordeal out of it than I did with Avery) Either way, Cullen is more than happy to pose on his back for a few minutes and flash me some cheese-ball grins, I rarely have to take more than 20 shots to get a good one- he's made it so easy!

This month, Cullen:
Loves Avery, cell phones, remotes, any toy with wheels, Bella's food/water dishes, books, music, splashing in the bath, climbing the stairs, clapping, waving, drinking from straws/sippy cups, rearranging the refrigerator, cuddling, playing peek-a-boo, the Little People zoo, being tickled, eating EVERYTHING.

Dislikes: diaper changes, clothing changes, being tired, being hungry, being alone, having toys ripped away from him, being told 'no'

Favorite foods: Beans, ham, eggs, avocado, yogurt, noodles, green beans, crackers, fruit (all of them)  He continues to be a great eater and eats pretty much everything the rest of us are having! He's also learning to use utensils while he eats and he's pretty proud to be drinking from a cup.

Cullen is just the sweetest little cuddly ball of baby, I could snuggle him all day long. I can feel him growling leaner and longer by the day and soon those cheeks will deflate. But for now, I'm going to squeeze those thighs, smooch those cheeks and breathe in that sweet baby breath like it's my job (I guess, technically, it is!) He applauded when I came into his room to get him up this morning. Is there any better way to start the day? I'm one lucky mama.

I've started preparing for his first birthday party (seriously one of my favorite activities ever) and I know it will be here before we know it. We are already excited to have some friends and family over, it's been a long few weeks spent isolated in the house! (and due to the nasty flu that made Avery miserable, we had to cancel our superbowl party that we had been looking forward to for weeks...) So bring on spring! We are ready for some warm-weather adventures.

 Happy Valentine's Day! I hope your day is full of love and fuzzy feelings :)

Avery @ 11 months

50-52/52 (A Little Catch-Up!)

50/52
Breakfast Buddy

51/52
"Mama, cheese!"

52/52
Snow Baby

Cullen James - 10 Months Old!

Cullen continues to grow and become more charming every day. He is just the sweetest little lover and has reached the point in his babyhood where his looks are changing by the minute and he's trading in his sweet baby cheeks and thighs for a much longer, leaner big-boy look. Parenthood is such a time-warp; I've been by Cullen's side almost every single minute of his 10 months on this Earth and as I look back, I still can't fathom how fast he's grown.

This month, Cullen: 

Enjoyed his first Christmas morning at home followed by a 10 day tour of Wisconsin and lots of holiday fun with family. Unfortunately, he didn't sleep well AT ALL during our time away which was a bit stressful for all of us but now that we're home he's back into his normal routine and we're all a little less cranky :)

Is a mama's boy, through and through. He does best when I am in his line of vision at all times but when he's hungry, tired, or not feeling well, nowhere but in my arms will do. I truly don't mind it because I know all too soon the snuggles won't come so easily. 

Has 7 teeth! SEVEN! Lucky number 7 broke through just a couple of days ago after a week of him generally being uncomfortable.  Babies teething is pretty much the worst thing ever.

Is so brave! He is an expert climber and has just about mastered climbing back down the stairs (climbing up is one of his favorite activities...yikes.) 

Started WALKING! He still usually thinks crawling is the fastest and most efficient way to get from place to place, but he's very stable on his feet and will walk up to about 15 steps at a time if he's motivated enough. It's amazing how fast babies master a skill after trying it for the first time.

Has finally started (usually) sleeping through the night! Last week he had a cold with a cough that woke him up numerous times during the night (along with that seventh tooth causing him grief) but now that he's on the upswing of both of those, he's making up for lost sleep :) Cullen naps twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon and almost always the complete opposite of Avery's nap... I'm hoping they will start to overlap a bit more in the next couple of months. 

Is obsessed with electronics (computers, phones, remotes, etc.) If he gets his hands on one, I pity the person that has to take it away. He does NOT take kindly to that at all. 

Is pretty adamant about taking part in whatever his big brother is doing. This means that we now have a list of activities that we only bring out during 'Avery and Mama-time' when Cullen is napping (Play-Doh, board games, crayons) We still try to do at least one fun/messy activity every day that he CAN take part it, but some things are just easier for Avery to enjoy if Cullen isn't trying to eat them.

Knows what 'no' means but often tries to be sneaky and dig in Bella's water bowl (or the toilet, which he can completely open on his own) when he thinks nobody is watching.

 
Cullen's favorite foods include sweet potatoes, beans, meat, bananas and frozen yogurt-covered blueberries. He has a great appetite and will eat pretty much anything, especially whatever he can swipe off of big brother's plate :)

I really enjoy spending my days watching this little boy learn and grow into a personality that is all his own. I'm sure it's because I've gone through this all once before that I really know how fleeting these moments are so I try to be mindful and soak up every moment, the easy ones and the tough ones, and take advantage of every opportunity to kiss, squeeze, snuggle, play and laugh. Isn't this what life is all about?

xo

Avery @ 10 Months

Cullen - 9 Months!

Cullen had his 9 month checkup at the beginning of the week and the doctor confirmed what I already knew: This child is growing like a WEED. Honestly, I swear I see him growing in front of my eyes most days. Literally. He's growing right now.
His 9 month stats: 
22.7 pounds (90th percentile)  
29.5 inches (90th percentile) 
He's almost exactly the same height as Avery was at 9 months, but 2 pounds heavier.

At 9 Months, Cullen...
Loves:
Anything Avery is doing/playing with
Opening & closing doors
Climbing everything, especially the stairs
Being put down in his crib on his side
Eating (sweet potatoes and cheerios/puffs are his favorite)
Swinging
Digging in plants
Bathtime!
Waving
Clapping
Drinking from cups and straws
Ripping -and eating- magazines 
Pushing walking toys
Music and Dancing
'Driving' cars and truck, sound effects included
Talking "Bah Bah, Dada & Mama"
Mimicking sounds (especially funny ones that Avery makes)

Dislikes:
Diaper changes
Getting Dressed/Undressed (imagine trying to wrangle a very strong octopus)
Being alone 
Not being allowed to eat dog food
Not being allowed to eat Play Doh
Not being allowed to eat paper 
Not being allowed to eat [insert any non-edible item he gets his little scavenger hands on]
 

In the early morning hours of December 4, Cullen woke up in the night with a scary barking cough and labored breathing. I spent the rest of the night lying vigil next to his crib listening to his raspy breathing pattern and jumping up every time he got quiet. It was torture. A doctor's appointment the next day confirmed my Google diagnosis: Croup. 

He was given an oral steroid that helped relieve some of the swelling so he could breathe easier. Although the steroid did its job, it also made him WIRED so we spent the next 2 nights sitting up with a baby who only wanted to crawl in circles and bang on the wall. By day 3, this mama had about lost her mind due to worry and lack of sleep and Cullen could barely keep his eyes open so we discontinued the steroid and all finally got some rest. Cullen has now finally made it to the other side of this sickness and with some souvenirs: THREE new teeth to balance out his lone snaggle-tooth on top. (because apparently being uncomfortable with the croup wasn't quite enough, he had to be cutting new teeth too... poor guy.) It was pretty much miserable to see my happy-go-lucky boy so lethargic and sad. Thankfully he's finally back to his sweet self and seems happier than ever.
  
Cullen has mastered his 'rascal' face: the little pursed-lip smirk he gives when he knows he's doing something naughty (plant digging, playing in Bella's water bowl, etc.) 
Don't tell him, but it's my favorite of his faces ;) 

While nursing Cullen to sleep, he will sometimes pull off and grunt up at me to see if I'm awake. If I keep my eyes closed and pretend I'm sleeping, he will go back to nursing and fall asleep :) If I'm nursing him when Avery is around, they play a game where Cullen pulls off and cranes his neck around to get a kiss from Avery ("Hi Cullen! Kiss? Okay!") then turns back around while they both giggle (this cycle then continues for 5 minutes) 

My baby boy is creeping ever closer to his first birthday and it makes me so sad thinking about how fast time is going BUT I'm doing everything in my power to take full advantage of these baby days. I am soaking up every squeeze, snuggle and giggle and I don't get too worked up about him reaching any of his milestones too early. Some of the happiest moments in my days are spent watching Cullen laugh and play with his big brother. Those two have just been best buddies from the start and I can see that bond growing every single day. Is there anything better than that?!

I took this photo ------------> at the beginning of the month and I feel like he's aged so much more than 30 days since. With all the moving he's been doing this month, he's already losing this round baby face and it's amazing how those top teeth change his entire look! (but so far, his adorable little head of hair is still as red as can be!)

There's something so wonderful about a baby's first Christmas and Cullen is at the perfect age to take in every little thing with such amazement. This boy, his sweet big brother and his amazing daddy sure make me thankful for everything I've been given in this life.

I hope your Christmas is filled with wonder and magic. Cheers to another great year in 2015! 


Avery @ 9 Months

48-49/52

48/52
Monkey

This week we spent a few days back in St. Louis spending time with family for Thanksgiving. We had the opportunity to visit a couple of St. Louis' neatest 'museums'. This one, The City Museum, blew our minds. Avery had the time of his life crawling and climbing and sliding and exploring, it was so fun to watch him being so adventurous and brave! It's a place checked off my bucket list that I didn't even know was on my bucket list. There really isn't a way that I can explain it that will do it justice; It's like one gigantic living piece of artwork that adults and kids alike can climb all over. If you ever get the chance, GO. You won't regret it. We have already talked about making this an annual trip.

49/52
Heartbreaker

This picture. 
I'm almost to the end of my first 52 weeks of this project and I feel it wouldn't be giving a fair glimpse into the life of my sweet two-year-old without documenting this face. Looking at it now it breaks my heart but in the heat of the moment during a 2 year-old meltdown it doesn't quite have that effect. 

On this particular day, Avery used his dry erase markers on some toys that were not his dry erase board and got his markers taken away for the day. To help diffuse the situation once the crying started, I grabbed my camera off the counter and started taking his picture. It distracted (and confused) him enough that he completely forgot why he was crying and the tears stopped just as quickly as they began. Score!

And to leave you on a happier note, I had to share this video because I want to remember how Avery refers to himself in the third person. It's just the cutest thing ever and now that he's starting to say 'me' and 'mine' more, I know the days are numbered.