Week 45

Mr. A spent all day Friday baby proofing. Latches on cabinets, locks on drawers, gates on the steps. He had this place looking pretty darn safe! Fast forward to Friday afternoon. Mr. A goes to sit on his recliner with little man. Little man, being the playful boy he is, decided that he wanted down. So feet first he began to slide off the recliner. This is where it gets ugly. Instead of going down, his feet get wedged between the recliner and the foot rest. Mr. A panics and leans back further causing his feet to get trapped even more. Blood curdling screams, trapped baby foot...he finally gets it out and rushes Nolen to the urgent care to make sure nothing is broken. By the time they reach Urgent care Little man is "walking" and smiling at everyone in the waiting room. The nurse said that if he's that happy he's probably not hurt. Back home they went. Next step, baby proof the recliner.

11 months young

One more month until my little baby boy is a little baby toddler. Where-oh-where has the time gone. I have to admit, he gets a little more fun with each day. So, as sad as I am to see him grow, I'm equally excited.

You are a rockstar sleeper (knock on wood.) You love your crib, you reach for it when your sleepy. You love nothing more then milk snuggling in your sleepsack, sucking on Ducky (pacifier,) flipping over to your belly, and zonking out for 11 hours straight. I am SO thankful for this!

Your last two molars broke through this month, bringing your grand total to 12 teeth.

We're still nursing, only 1 short month left. I have mixed emotions about this. Part of me is so excited to have my body back, but a big part of me is going to miss it dearly. This process is going to be MUCH harder on mommy, sigh. Maybe we'll just go 1 more year (kidding.)

You have, on occasion, stepped away from what your holding on too and stood by yourself. You have also let go and taken a step on your own, quickly falling to the ground when you realize what's happening. Walking is in our near future.

Your in size 3 diapers, size 4 shoes, size 12 month clothes.

Daddy got a new job this month! Total surprise, we weren't even looking for a new job, it just kind of happened. This job is SUCH a blessing because we'll be working the same hours! No more night shifts, no more holidays! Mommy & Daddy will actually get to see each other so we can spend time together as a family (imagine that!)

You have a new dance. When you feel the beat your start bobbing up and down, and now you start shaking your head side to side. You like to feel the wind through your hair.

Every morning you get 30 minutes of cartoon time, depending on what time you wake up you either watch Barney (your favorite) or Sesame Street.

You can EAT, real food! You finally figured out how to chew and use that tongue. So now you can eat real food, without gagging, and giving mommy a heart attack! Some favorites include steamed carrots & Sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cottage cheese, shredded cheese, hummus, chicken, barley, fiber-one cereal (don't ask,) oatmeal... in fact you haven't met a food that you don't like. Our little skinny-minny might not be so skinny from now on!

You talk constantly. The words that you say often and clearly are bye-bye, baba (bottle,) Momma & Dada. When I leave for work each morning you throw me a kiss (or 10) and then start waving and yelling byebyebyebyebye. I swear the first time you say "Momma don't go" I'm going to have to give my 2 weeks.

I love to listen to you , and watch from the monitor, when you wake up. You sit up (or stand up) in your crib and just talk and talk. You grab duckie, you throw duckie, you talk some more, you laugh...your just so content. I would love to know what's going through that sweet little mind.

One of your favorite things to do on Tuesdays is watch our cleaning lady clean. You peek around the corner and watch in awe as she mops and dusts. If she see's you, then you duck around the corner and hide. We ended up getting you your own mini mop and broom. These have become your absolute favorite toys. In fact Daddy surprised me at school with you and lunch this week. I was in the middle of teaching, looked out my window and saw my little man, broom in hand.

You flirt, and you know how and when to turn on the charm. When you spot a pretty lady, or even a sweet baby girl you start flashing that smile, showing off all your teeth. Hilarious.

Your 1st birthday party is getting bigger and grander by the minute. Only the best for our little man.

I can't believe that your getting so big. I used to think I wanted you to stay that teeny, tiny, baby forever but that's not the case. I love you growing. I love you experiencing things for the first time. I love you learning new tricks everyday. I look forward to each day, just to see what you'll do and say. Just when I thought I couldn't love you anymore, I fall in love just a little more. You get better by the minute little man. Love you to the moon and back!

Week 43

Everyone says that little man looks just like Daddy. I swear if I didn't carry him for 9 (10 months,) people would question if he was really mine. Well he may not have my good looks, but he does appear to have the same shoe fetish as me. This boy has style, he has class, he's got his mommies good taste :) He's got all the bases covered when it comes to shoes: Nike's for running, Van's for skating, New Balance for hanging out, Uggs for those cold days, and reefs for the beach. Whoever said girls are more fun to dress must have never shopped for a little man before.

The final 2 molars have broken through bringing our grand total up to 12 teeth! I won't lie, those last two molars were tough, there were times when you could hear the pain in his little voice. The good news is that this should be it until his 2 year molars (which will probably show up next week.) Besides the teething, this little man is the kind of baby that makes babies seem easy. The kind of baby that makes you say "oh, what's all the fuss about, this is a breeze. In fact this is fun, let's have 6 more!" I mentioned before that he is sleeping through the night (finally after 9 months.) When 6:00 rolls around we get a bath, California Baby rub down, PJ's, milk, and bed. As soon as you lay him down, he grabs his pacifier, rolls onto his belly, and he's out! Same goes for naps, no fussing, no crying, just pacifier, belly, out! When he's awake he's playing, laughing, smiling. I look forward to every morning when I'm greeted with that sweet little 12 toothed smile. Heaven.

Grownup's

We rented the movie Grownup's, with Adam Sandler, last night. (Great movie if you haven't seen it yet.) As we watched, and laughed, I couldn't help but notice the look of fear on Mr. A's face. You see, there's a women in the movie who is still nursing her 4 year old. I keep telling him we're only trying to make it to a year, I'm not sure he believes us :)

Week 42

Today was a snow day, no school, yippee! We literally got "dressed" in new pair of pj's for the day. An extra day off was the perfect excuse to jump right into making birthday decor. I have the whole picture in my head, with a month (and a budget) to make it all come alive! Originally I had shopped around on Etsy for everything birthday. I was happily clicking away, "adding to cart." Thirty minutes in I realized that things had gotten out of control. A "few" decorations had already added up to a "few" hundred dollars. Plan B. Instead I got out my scissors, glue, and some scrapbook paper...Mommies getting crafty!

Daddy had his own visions for the birthday party. His visions included us renting a bird-man to bring tropical birds to the party. I tried to explain that it was a fabulous idea...maybe for a 5th birthday party. Oh dear. All I could envision were birds bigger then the babies, squawking, pooing, biting. Birds making the babies cry. Not the 'Happy Birthday' I had in mind.

Nolen has ideas about his party too. He was thinking a menu of pureed spinach, cheerios, and peas. Decor consisting of empty boxes & bubble wrap. "The Wheels on the Bus" played on repeat, over and over again. I think these boys should leave the planning to Mommy!

Little man is up to some new shananigans these days.

• He LOVES climbing up and down the stairs. He'll hang on to the railings and yell down to everyone along the way (don't worry, I'm always one step behind.) Our new gate at the bottom of the steps is pretty useless. He stands, shaking the gate, yelling, until we open is for him. Only thing it's keeping out is Mommy and Daddy.
• He waves to every baby he sees, you would think he was running for office.
• He is starting to eat some real food, cheerios & peas, without gagging (as much.)
• When he wakes up from a nap he stands up in his crib, jumps up and down, and yells "Mommma."
• He started making a new noise, a noise we couldn't figure out, then one day we got it. He makes fake snoring sound. The same one we use when we play "Oh, I'm so tired *snore*" (this game is usually played around 5pm when we're really "oh-so-tired."
• He always has to do a taste test of his bath water. As soon as he gets in he leans forward and takes a little slurp. Fortunately this is usually before his next bath trick...

Love. this. little. man.

We need you!!!

Little man has become a "Fan Favorite" in the current Pottery Barn contest!!!

Please help us by voting, simply go to

http://apps.facebook.com/potterybarnbaby/entries/17419

and hit "LIKE." It's that simple! Good Karma will definitely come your way ;)

(P.S. you can only vote once...so once you do, your done!)

Thank you in advance...keep those fingers and toes crossed!

T minus 49 days and counting...

Until Nolen turns 1! Party planning is in full swing. I worked with Emily at Emily Ann Designs to come up with the perfect 1st birthday, jungle invitations and thank yous! I'm SO excited with how they turned out.

Invitations, check!

Week 41- Happy New Year!

I have to say, 2010 has been, by far, the best year yet. 2011 is going to have some stiff competition. Thinking of how much can change in a year makes me giddy about what the new year might bring. New job, new friends, new baby?!? There's no telling whats in store for the Astor's.

With a new year comes new goals...here are a few for the new year:

1. The always popular "Get back in SHAPE" goal. I'm back down to my pre-pregnancy weight, just not my pre-pregnancy body. Things are moved around, different shapes, desperately in need of some Les Mills Step aerobics!
2. Make a budget and stick to it. I dream of being a stay at home mommy. If this is ever going to happen we need to buckle down and save, save, save!
3. Keep my fingers and toes painted, all the time, no chips allowed!
4. Sit back and take in my little man. The days fly by, he's growing by the second. I need to stop capture these moments in my head before it's too late!
5. Take a photography class.
6. Cut back on my Starbucks consumption.
7. Meet more mommies and babies.
8. Teach Nolen how to swim.
9. Spend more time outside.
10. Learn to cook just a few decent meals.
11. Throw the best 1st birthday party of the year!
12. Continue blogging...
13. Find a picture for our big, blank family room wall.
14. Get back into style... my sense of fashion has taken a back seat.
15. Shave my legs more often ;(
16. Enjoy EVERY minute with my little man, the good, the bad, the early (4am wake-ups!)
17. Support my hubby as he grows in his career, wherever it might take us.
18. Read a book.
19. Spend less time online, but more time blogging (oxymoron?!?)
20. Enjoy all the little things.
21. Start an Etsy shop that will one day turn into my dream boutique!
22. Organize the "toys-r-us" we currently have in our home.
23. Print some the thousands of pictures I've taken.
24. Sew more often.
25. Talk with old friends more.
26. Laugh at my mistakes instead of stressing.

Nolen has some new goals as well, he asked me to share:

1. For my mommy to stop nursing me and give me some Organic milk in a sippy, yumm-O!
2. To sleep through the night, every night.
3. Eat something other then purees without gagging.
4. Learn to walk.
5. Stop teething... I have enough teeth already people!
6. Learn to swim
7. Sleep past 6am
8. Figure out how to open those darn baby gates

Here is little man's first experience with cheese. Like his parents, he throughly enjoyed it.

1.