When One Door Closes...

So I can't get him to eat multi-grain bread, but he'll chow down on multi-grain cheerios!

He liked milk for about four days, and now he won’t have anything to do with it. So I’ve tried chocolate milk, which worked once (Hello, who doesn’t like chocolate milk?? Apparently my son.). Now we are on to what I’ve started calling “strawberry moo juice.” He loves juice so much, and strawberries are his favorite food. So I thought I’d try a play on words … it worked this morning on the way to Mindy’s! Isaac perked up at the words “strawberry” and “juice.” I spied him drinking that milk, whether he wanted me to know or not! We'll see how long this lasts....

Mom

We are so thankful that Mom is able to visit us so often. It’s always such a blessing to have her here! This time was a little shorter, but that’s okay…

How’d she do that? Before Isaac’s Noni came to town, he refused to budge unless we held both of his hands. (And you can imagine what that did to our backs!) But in walks Noni, and after a day she had him walking with one hand! Must be her magic Noni powers...

We really enjoy our nightly walks after dinner. It’s a bit cooler and so relaxing. Not to mention Isaac is a cute patootie as he walks along in his sunglasses. He loves those things!! It's a good thing too because you can't really live without them in Arizona.

Isaac loves his Noni.

Thank you for everything, Mom! You are wonderful! We love you!!!

Who Nose?

I had a lot of fun walking around Wal-mart with Isaac last night. He’s just so stinkin’ cute! I want to squeeze him most of the time… but I realize that I need to loosen my grip so that he can play or something. Well, we were both in such a great mood, smiling and laughing with each other. As we walked along, Isaac proceeded to put his finger up his nose. I laughed because he was being silly, and once he found that it made me laugh, he did it again… and then again. By the third time I took his finger out and told him not to do that because I was afraid he was going to scratch himself (he really needs a manicure at A-La-Mommy Salon, but the owner has been on vacation or something).

Anyway, he raised his finger once again and this time pointed at his little nose. I said, “That’s right, that’s your NOSE.” I pointed at my nose and showed him mine, saying, “NOSE.” He liked that and smiled contentedly.

A couple of minutes later, just for fun I asked him, “Hey, Isaac, where’s your NOSE?” And as if he had always known this, he pointed at his cute little nose with a grin from ear to ear. I was so surprised! What an astute little boy!! I immediately looked around, beaming with momma pride, to see if anyone else had seen this wonderful breakthrough. (Isaac's Noni was in the grocery section at the time, and I needed a witness!) Haha, who knew something so little could make a mommy feel so proud!!! Isaac knows where his nose is!! I immediately sped up to find Mom to show her our little smarty.


Later in the tub, Isaac patted his stomach, and I responded with, “Yes, that’s your STOMACH, your TUMMY.” After a couple of rounds with that, I asked him, “Hey, Isaac, where’s your TUMMY?” And he patted his stomach, again with that huge grin!

Yeah, I know, my kid is awesome… It is so FUN to watch him grow!!

New Mailman in Town

We have taken to going on evening walks to the mailbox after dinner, once the sun is lower in the sky and out of our eyes. Now that Isaac has his fun race car, we're multi-tasking! He's certainly the cutest mailman I've ever seen! Wouldn't you agree?

Vocab by Isaac

"Ba-berry" = Strawberry
"Doo-ee" = Huey
"Ed-dee" = Ready
"Da" = That
"Awk" = Walk
"Gog" = Dog
"Ya" = Yeah
"Bee-bee" = Baby

Four Steps!

Isaac took his first steps last night! Up until this point he has refused to move unless we hold both of his hands. Well, all of that unraveled in one day with Noni. She got Isaac to walk while holding only one hand (must be her sweet charm), leaving me to wonder, "How'd you do that?" He has great balance and can get around really well on his feet, he just needed build up some confidence.

Isaac always gets excited when Daddy gets home from work, so last night was nothing new. We were walking around the house when Daddy stepped through the door. So we showed Daddy what Isaac could do as he walked with one free hand. Kevin stopped and squatted a couple of feet away from Isaac, so I let go of Isaac's hand. He stood there for a minute (much longer than usual!) in total bliss that Daddy was finally home. And then Kevin said, "Come here, Buddy!" And there he went! Isaac took about 4 solid steps right to Kevin!

I haven't caught this on film yet - last night caught us all by surprise. But you can be sure I'll be bragging very soon with a video clip of our little walker!

12.1 Months Old

(At least that's what Isaac's checkup summary from the Dr. says.)

Isaac is 22 lbs and a whopping 31" tall.

His main staples are strawberries, bananas, cheerios, meatballs, and apple juice (watered down, but he doesn't know any better). On the "bi list" we have milk, chicken, pasta, and several other fruit items. All other foods, especially vegetables, are shunned or picked at or thrown. (However, we've made a lot of progress with the food-fight escapades. Less and less food is winding up on the floor at dinnertime, which equals a happier mommy.)

Needless to say, we got a liquid multi-vitamin for Isaac today. I've been stressing out too much about making sure he gets all of his nutrients with this crazy diet he's on. And with our stubborn genes, Isaac and I are prone to power struggles. Let's save those for bigger battles, shall we? (ie. I haven't been winning these power struggles, and I don't like that. I like to win.) Ha! multi-vitamin it is! I win! I win!

Birthday Boy

Isaac's birthday party was a lot of fun on Saturday! He was surrounded by friends and family who love him, and it was a day to celebrate! We are officially the parents of a one-year-old... wow.

we waited in sweet anticipation for Isaac to have his cake debut with this adorable personalized cake

it was fun opening gifts with Isaac... however, he didn't understand the concept of MORE, as in, there are MORE to open! Every time we opened one, he wanted to play with that one and he'd get upset if we took it so that we could open another. Don't worry, we have one Christmas ahead of us, and by his next birthday I'm sure he'll have this down.

family pic with the birthday boy

it actually took Isaac a good five to ten minutes to warm up to the idea of having some cake (stubborn little stinker!). You'd think we were giving him a plate of brussel sprouts by the way he turned up his nose! With suspicion in his eyes, he seemed to say, "What is this, why is everyone watching me, and why do you want me to eat it when I don't see anyone else eating this stuff??"

but finally Daddy was able to slip a bite into Isaac's mouth. And with a bit more coaxing, Isaac finally caught on and made his fair share of damage (although not quite as messy as the storybook 1st birthday, but that's okay). Suspicion evaporated as he carefully and intentionally enjoyed his birthday cake, one little bite at a time.

and, in fact, Isaac thought Daddy was so excited about the cake that maybe he should have some.

Daddy ended up covered as much as Isaac was! What a good sport (I'm sure he didn't mind)!

the "after" picture

Noni and Papa with the birthday boy

Gamma Lynn and Grandpa Bob, as well as Kevin's sister Julie, were with us via Skype. That was really cool! I love it when technology bridges the gap between us!

Me and Amanda, the cake artist. She's awesome! I couldn't have asked more perfect cakes for Isaac! And after my sad attempt to make his personal mini cake failed miserably, it was Amanda to the rescue. She hand crafted his cake, and it was absolutely perfect. Thanks so much, Ananda!

A lot of friends came to celebrate with us, and that meant a lot. Thanks so much for coming everyone! Isaac may have been wondering what the big deal was, but we certainly appreciate all of you and are so happy that you could come to enjoy this milestone with us.
Corrie, Todd, Chevy, Alex, & Leslie

Autumn & Krista

Caleb was happy once he got his cupcake. Boy, if Isaac wasn't interested, here was one ready to take care of that cake problem for him!

Danielle, Colleen, & Jaimie

Kyle & Amy with Austin & Sydney

Sara, Russell, Rachel & Brian

Erica & Kevin (thanks for driving all the way over from Cali!)

birthday boy with Daddy

Mindy, Jaimi, Krista, Amanda, Autumn & me

Frank, Mark, Isaac, Kevin, Tom & Jake

Mindy & Todd (thank you so much for your incredible hospitality in hosting the party!!)

Danielle with sweet baby Seth (look out, he'll be one before you know it!)

Erica & Me

Uncle Tom as The Enforcer in the wrestling match between Caleb and Levi

swingin' in the sun, just swingin' in the sun. what a glorious feelin' .... swingin'

Later on, we went to Buca di Beppo for dinner, and Isaac was wondering why all of these people were singing to him - AGAIN!

Well, if he didn't understand the concept of frosting earlier in the day, he got it at Buca!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ISAAC!!

Isaac, we love you!!!

Fine Day to Make a Fort

One day a boy named Isaac was meandering around the living room when all of a sudden a vacant box building appeared before him...

"Wow! This is my lucky day! Looks like it's in good shape," Isaac pondered to himself. "It even has some toys inside... But I'm just not sure. I need an inspector to look at this place before I claim it."

Inspector Daddy at your service!

"I'm glad to have your assistance, Daddy... err, I mean, Inspector! Would you please check this place out for me?"

"Why sure, Son. I'd be happy to oblige," Inspector Daddy replied.

"Well, how does it look, Inspector?" Isaac asked.

"It's lookin' good so far, Son, although it is a little tight in here for my taste," answered the Inspector.

"So??? What's going on in there?" Isaac asked.

"One more minute, Son! I'll be out in a jiffy... if I can wriggle my way out..." Inspector Daddy replied.

"Come on! I'm waaaaiiiittinnnnngg. Can I play in there yet?"

"Yep, yep. I'd say it's alright... watch out, here I come!" came the muffled reply.

"Let's have a go at it; I'll give you a tour. Now here we have the windows, perfect for peering out at the world and any passersby."

"Ooh, do these toys come with the place?" Isaac inquired.

"Sure do, Son! Looks like they are perfect for you."

"I love this place! It's all mine! I am going to name it....Fort Isaac!" the boy proudly proclaimed.

"Watch this! I can open and close the doors to my new hideout!"

"This. Is. AWESOME!"