My sweet, quiet, shy little dude has grown so much in the past year and I want to remember these days forever and ever.
Major milestones we've hit over the past year include walking and then running, learning to jump (almost with two feet haha!), talking and talking and more talking, although we're not quite saying short sentences or stringing more than two words together quite yet.
We have also become quite the independent little mister and mommy and daddy frequently here "no" and "mine" and watch him run down the street in attempt to walk all by himself. (Cue: heart attacks)
I think the easiest way to remember all the big events over the past year is to take them month by month, so here goes:
In August, daddy finally came home for good and we were so excited to see him! We spent most of August catching up and adjusting back to life as a family of three. Lincoln took his first real steps toward the end of August/beginning of September and it wasn't long after that he was walking more than crawling.
September began my absolutely favorite season of the year, fall! We started off September with a long weekend and family trip to the beach house before I had to go back to work full time and little man and daddy went back to SCHOOL!!! It took a few weeks of adjustment as we all settled into our new rolls of mommy going to work and L and daddy getting to spend quality time at home together when not in class, but now it's second nature and little man has adjusted well to school.
My very favorite month, October, was filled with plenty of fun. I celebrated my 32nd birthday and we spent lots of time outdoors as a family, where little man got to really embrace and enjoy all of the fun fall colors. We also took our annual trip to GreenBluff where he really could participate in picking out pumpkins. He also got to spend time at his school's Halloween carnival and go trick-or-treating for the first time!! I almost died when I saw him in his cute little turtle costume (one that we will definitely be recycling for this year)!
In November, we were hit with a powerful wind storm that knocked out power throughout the entire city. After trying hard to hold out in our freezing cold house, we checked into a hotel (with the rest of the city) and had a little staycation while utility workers worked hard to restore power to Spokane. Lincoln got to spend time enjoying all that is hotel stays and room service, right before we headed into a fun family Thanksgiving holiday. Instead of being smaller than the turkey like last year, he ended up weighing in around the same ;0)
Anyone who has a little one, can tell you how much better the holidays are when you have a little one around. Needless to say December was the BEST because we got to see all the wonder and joy through L's eyes. I cannot even wait for this Christmas because I know it's only going to get better from here! We did our best to squeeze as much holiday cheer as we possibly could in December including our annual Christmas tree hunt, Visiting Santa and Christmas Tree Elegance at the Davenport Hotel, Gingerbread Buildoff and of course celebrating Christmas with family and friends, including a visit from L's Grandma Chong!
January was another good month! We had a fun New Years eve in (my how things change with a little one around!) and we counted down the time east coast style with L so he could be in bed at a reasonable hour. We let him play with poppers and I'm pretty sure he had the best time ever. In January, we also took L to see the lego exhibit at the MAC and it was awesome to see his little face light up when he saw the animals built out of legos. This was also right about the time he learned to "moo" and "baaa" and "woof woof" among other animal sounds which we still do on a regular basis these days ;0)
February was spent watching football and eating chocolate. Two very important things in the lives of a toddler. It was also around the time that little man started to learn "no" and show us some early signs of the terrible twos. Man oh man...18 months is rough. They can't really communicate but they want to so badly and it just leads to lots and lots of tears and frustration for everyone. I'm happy to say, that while L is still learning to test the boundaries and push limits, we're getting better each day at understanding one another. He really is kind of the best, and I love him so.
In March we got to celebrate both St. Paddy's Day and Easter with our little dude. He learned the joys of a real parade (and the free candy that comes with it!). He also learned that the Easter bunny is one scary dude in real life, but leaves behind pretty cool treats in the form of an Easter basket, so he might just be ok after all. I feel like by spring, L had shot up in height and weight and was finally looking like the big toddler he is and not so much my baby anymore. Man oh man, these kiddos grow fast (slow down!!).
By the time April arrived, we were more than ready to get back outside and enjoy some much needed sunshine. We spent most of April playing in the park, going on long walks and as many family coffee dates as we possibly could. We learned that L's favorite dessert is ICE CREAM and made sure to test out multiple ice cream stores in our little city. We also started gymnastics! L got to spend every Saturday climbing and crawling, flipping and tumbling his heart out. He was so shy at first with the other kiddos and Coach Danielle, and while I'm pretty sure he'll always be a shy little dude, he really grew into his own quiet confidence while taking PE for Tots.
May flew by and was right around the time L started to increase his vocabulary quite a bit. He now says so many words including: lawn mow, mama, dada, nana, bye, hello, nigh nigh (night night), more, uh oh, baby, wawa (water), papa, gamma (grandma), moooo (cow), baaaa (sheep), maaaa (goat), woof woof and ba (dog), meow, pease (please), ba (bath), minyin (vitamin), no, berries, nana (banana), owie, vroom vroom (car), wooeh wooeh wooeh (firetruck, ambulance), At-ta (outside), neigh (horse), wa (walk), luh you (love you) airpa (airplane), and more!
In June L got to go on another airplane ride! He did so well. We all flew down to San Jose/San Francisco/Sonoma to celebrate his Uncle Griffin's graduation from college. He was an excellent traveller. He also got hit with hand, foot, mouth which was so miserable for him. I felt so bad for the little guy who could barely eat and was in so much pain.
And here we are with July! This month our little guy will officially turn 2! I cannot believe it. We started out the month with another family trip out to the beach house for the 4th of July weekend. He headed to school 4 days a week (up from two) and then also got hit with hand, foot, mouth for a SECOND time. We started kindermusik classes once a week and he is learning so much on a daily basis.
Some of my favorite things lately:
- The way you sign and say "pease" (please) when asking for something. It is the cutest!!!
- How much you love being outdoors (even if it's the 10 millionth time you've been out that day)
- The way you are so concerned if anyone gets hurt or is crying and you immediately go up to them to kiss them "all better"
- Your adventurous little spirit (even when it gives mommy and daddy a heart attack that you want to run down the street without us!)
- The way you love to brush your own teeth and floss all by yourself (here's to hoping you continue to enjoy this in later years)
- At "nigh nigh" time, you lay down and lean into give a "nose nose" (butterfly kiss) and when you're finally ready to drift off, you reach for my arm to wrap around you as you fall asleep.
- The way you always want to sit down in my lap when we sit on the ground to play together instead of sitting on your own or across from me.
The past two years have been the very best. We couldn't imagine life with you little one.
A very happy birthday to you! I can't wait for the next year.
