Snapshots of June (Part II)

Michael's tunnel!

Hello down there.

I love his eyes!!

Who taught him how to make that face?!

Our sweet boy.

Beanie Baby Bath.

What a wonderfully busy day we had!!  Michael is sleeping soundly as I post this and I don't expect him to wake-up for three days after all of the physical activity today had in store for him.  We started the day with our weekly Gymboree class (pics and video in previous post), and then spent the late afternoon/early evening at Ty Warner Park in Westmont.  Michael had purchased his Daddy and Boompa Sox tickets for Father's Day, so the boys were downtown all evening leaving us ladies to entertain ourselves.  What better to do then play in a few fountains, enjoy a burrito for dinner and top it off with Dairy Queen?  

Let's just say that Ty Warner Park might just be my favorite new destination here in the suburbs.  Mr. Warner (yes, the Beanie Baby guy) built a beautiful facility loaded with picnic areas, playgrounds, amazing landscape, a splash pad, ball diamonds, and walking paths tucked away in the middle of Westmont.  Michael just loved our time there!!  The splash pad was exactly what Michael needed.  He could crawl around at his leisure and still enjoy some water time.  Let me just say this, if anyone is looking for an inexpensive (FREE for us because Michael isn't walking on his own yet and they don't charge for adults) way to blow an afternoon this destination is for you!!  Lounge chairs for adults and acres of land for kiddos to roam.  It was a steamy day so I am happy that we waited until after Mikey's nap to go, not to mention there were only a handful of kids there.  I was told by a regular that the mornings are a zoo, which I suppose makes a ton of sense.  

We spent an hour getting drenched by the fountains (and the pesky four year old manning the squirt gun) and soaking up the sun.  A quick Chipotle dinner and off to DQ we went for a sweet treat.  Needless to say Michael was sleeping soundly at 7:02 and hasn't moved from his original sleeping position.  What a great day!!

Snapshots of June (Part I)

I will no longer be doing weekly snapshots, but monthly considering we've hit the big ONE YEAR mark!  Which means at the end of each month you'll be overloaded with Michael cuteness!

Hi.

Our new favorite teether!!

Blowing kisses.

"Diaper?  What diaper?  I don't smell anything."

G-Y-M-B-O!

Some recent Gymboree action...

Happy Daddy Day!!

Happy Father's Day to my amazing husband who always...

... can put a smile on my face!

... can make Michael giggle!

... works so  hard for our family!

... encourages me to do whatever it is I need to do to follow my dreams!!

... is a champion diaper changer!

... phenomenal toddler dinner server!

... puts us before himself!!

We love you so much, Den!!

K and MLB

A couple of shots from our weekend celebrating Dad...

We spent some time at the pool, of course.

Our Last Nancy Visit!!

I know I keep repeating myself when I say I can't believe it's been a year.  Today made it even more realistic.  For the last year we've made the trip to Freeport every three months to spend an hour or two with our favorite photographer, Nancy Barker.  Nancy has been so patient with us through teething and tantrums and costume changes that I couldn't possibly say too many wonderful things about her.  Michael has been a trooper, too, through all of these trips to Freeport may I add.  I know it may sound a little nuts to pack up your kid for a four hour round trip car ride for a few pictures, but may I intervene here for a second.  I have known Nancy for six years now.  I was first introduced to her through her daughter who I happened to nanny for while I was in college.  Long before I even dreamed of having children I was a fan of Nancy's work.  New photos would pop up in Dawn and Lars' home that would literally take my breath away, great candid shots of Kelby and Erin.  So, of course when I had Michael it only felt natural to me that I would take my little boy to be photographed by the woman whose work I had admired for so long.  I must tell you that she has captured Michael in a way that I with my little Nikon could not.  I am so grateful for her and all of her hard work.  There is so much that goes into putting something together for a client, and I know that she has spent many hours with images of my son dancing in her brain.  Today we had six (or seven) different outfit changes and to top it all off Nancy surprised Michael with a special smash cake to celebrate his birthday- I can't wait to see those pics.  She has managed to bring me to tears every three months with the slideshow she puts together for us after each session, and I am sure that this last one will not disappoint.  Nancy, we love you so much and couldn't be happier with our year long endeavor.  I appreciate absolutely everything you have done to capture Michael's first year.  I can't believe it's over... well, at least until William gets here.  :)

Michael's first session with Nancy...

and, his last.

(All images in this post belong to NmB Photography.)

Dr. Updates: Will @ 29 Weeks and Michael at One Year

Time sure is flying.  I can't believe that we're only 11 weeks away from meeting William and that we just celebrated Michael's first year.  No words can describe what's running through my head.  Both Michael and I had big doctors appointments this week.

William's 29 week check-up ran smoothly as usual.  I've gained 19 pounds and am right on track with what I had gained with Michael.  At our last appointment this little nugget was measuring in three weeks ahead, but luckily this week we came in at 30 cm, only one week ahead!  Phew.  Thought I was going to give birth to a twelve pound baby or something.  His heart rate was perfectly in the 160s and loud!!  He is super healthy, as am I.  Only 11 weeks to go!!  I can't believe how quickly this pregnancy is flying by.  I owe that to Michael.  I've said this before, but he really hasn't given me the opportunity to feel pregnant.  Just this last week have I reached the point where bending down has become a bit of a challenge.  Michael is enjoying his brother (The Bump as I lovingly call Will) as his resting spot in the evening.  Michael has started to climb into my lap and lay his head on my belly.  I think it may have something to do with the fact that lifting Michael all the way up to my shoulder grows harder by the day.  He's taking what he can get.  Note:  In the last week I've had 8, YES 8 individuals comment on either how many babies I'm actually carrying or how it looks like I can pop any day now.  One of these people... MY OBGYN!  Yep.  Enough said.

Michael's one year appointment was today with Dr. Matray (we call him D-Mat in our house).  Let me start this little paragraph with my horror of the day.  As I usually do I let Michael roam about our room as I was getting dressed this morning for our big day.  We had our appointment with D-Mat first thing and then we were heading off to Freeport for Michael's one year photo session with Nancy.  Just as we were about to walk out the door this morning Dennis exclaimed, " Where did Michael get his big scratch?"  Clearly confused because Michael seemed occupied with his Mega Blocks for the whole 17 minutes I got ready in I peeked my head out of our bathroom door to notice a GIGANTIC scratch down Michael's left arm.  How he got it I have absolutely no idea because the kid never cried or made any sort of a sound that would cause me to think he had injured himself.  I was shocked and felt awful that this had happened on my watch and clearly DID NOT HAVE AN EXPLANATION!!  Not to mention, we were off to the pediatrician and a photo shoot.  GREAT!  It was a blast telling both D-Mat and Nancy about it (enter heavy sarcasm here).

Back to Michael's appointment... Michael passed with flying colors as usual.  He's 32 1/2 inches tall (97th percentile) and just over 26 pounds (90th percentile) with the personality of a five year-old.  Dr. Matray had to have made a reference to his size at least six times.  "What big hands you  have there big guy."  "Wow, Michael, look at the size of your feet!"  We only had one concern when we met D-Mat for this appointment.  For the last two months or so Michael has been gagging himself with his fingers after he eats, to the point where on three occasions he's thrown up his meal.  Here I am thinking my son has baby bulimia, not funny whatsoever.  Of course, when he first started doing this I assumed he was just trying to get our attention.  Then he made himself throw up once and I kind of freaked out a little bit.  Dr. Matray assures me that he is fine, and in fact he has seen this before.  He says it's just something he's doing to get a rise out of us, and that we should continue doing what we're doing.  Tell him NO and redirect his attention to something else.  I hope this helps.  I can't see another Cheerio be regurgitated or I will be the one throwing up.

Michael also received two vaccinations, a TB test and a stick for a hematocrit.  Let's just say we have one courageous tot.  No tears during the finger stick or TB test and only a few tears during the vaccinations.  Dennis and I couldn't believe it.  I don't mind shots, but Dennis was in the corner turning green just watching Michael get poked.

That post was much longer than I had anticipated.  All good news on this Breier front.  We love good doctors appointments!!

I'm ONE Year-Old (Exclusively from MLB)!!

Holy cow, can you believe it?!?!  I'M ONE!!  One whole year has gone by since I first met the world.  How fast time flies when you're havin' fun, well, that's what Mommy says.  So, let me get you up to speed about what life is like on my end at this very moment...

• I'm taking steps... not walking, but definitely taking steps.  I can stand all by myself for as long as I want.  I can even do squats.  But, that walking stuff is still a little scary.  Mommy says that I need to be doing it by the time William gets here, so I've got a little bit of time.
• I say all kinds of things.  MaMa, DaDa, up, Pup, no!  I shake my head yes, and clap my hands when I'm all done eating.  I can tell Mommy when I want more of something.  Dr. Matray says I can't do two things at once, walk and talk, so I'm working on one at a time.  It will be a surprise to you which one I do first!!
• I only get one bottle a day now, right when I wake up.  Mommy says that we have to put them away soon and save them for William, so I think that means that I won't be getting that morning bottle before you know it.  That's ok with me, I love all of my different sippy cups.
• Speaking of sippy cups, I love anything you can put in 'em.  Water is my favorite and every once in a while I get a special treat like juice.  
• I can drink from a straw now!!  Mommy put one in my mouth and it took me about two minutes to figure it out.  Now when we go out to eat I get a special cup with a big kids' straw.
• I bear crawl on cement and in the grass, careful not to scrape up my soft knees.
• My schedule still consists of waking up at 7:00, a morning nap, snack, play, lunch, afternoon nap, snack, play, dinner, play and bedtime at 7:00!  It's a busy life.
• I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Gymboree class.  I know that Mommy has posted some pictures of me on the blog at class with my friends.  My favorite part is the Air Log Roll!!  I can push this big thing across the room and back all by myself.  My classmates aren't too interested in it.
• I also love the pool.  But, my favorite water thingamajig is a fountain!!  Can't get enough of them.
• I eat my meals with my fingers all by myself, unless of course it belongs in a bowl and Mommy needs to give it to me on a spoon (like ice cream).
• I'm having a big birthday party with friends and family.  I'm super excited to see everyone!!  It should be a good time.
• Baseball update:  the Cubs aren't doing so well, and really, neither are the Sox.  Daddy says it's a bad year for Chicago baseball.
• Balls.  I love 'em.  I throw them and chase them all over the house.  All different sizes and I generally throw them with my right arm.
• Tupperware and boxes are my favorite way to pass the time.  Gramma has this tupperware cabinet that I spend a lot of time it.  Daddy hates picking it up.
• I'm still in 2T clothes, and size 6 shoes.  Mommy says it's about time to get me my first pair of Nikes.  No idea what those are, but apparently I'm not gonna like them considering I hate things on my feet.
• I can build with MegaBlocks now.  We have a box in Mommy and Daddy's room and I love putting them on top of each other and then knocking them over.  
• I learned how to flush the toilet and open doors.  My parents aren't fans of my new tricks, but I'm super stoked.  I like to flush the toilet when Daddy is taking a shower.  
• I'm a pro at putting shapes through holes and into a bucket.  My milk jar gets me the most excited.  I can put FIVE cookies through this little hole and everyone cheers for me when I do it.  
• I can hit a baseball off of a tee.  I even put the ball on the tee myself. 
• I have this bank in my room.  We call him Big Blue Dinosaur, he's a big blue dinosaur.  He's hungry all the time, so Mommy is teaching me how to feed him these little round things.  I'm still working on putting them in his mouth, but I can almost do it.
• I love to jump on beds.  
• I can wave Hello and Good-Bye!!
• Auntie Pup is the best at playing peek-a-boo!  We play in the kitchen around the island and she scares me every time.
• I yell at the top of my lungs when I'm super excited.
• I crush anything you put in my hands.  Even if it's food, I crumble it and then eat it.  Don't ask.
• I have new friends at the pool.  One's name is Tanner.  He's older and bigger than me.  I basically just shadow him around everywhere he goes.
• I'm a super good eater still.  I do this one little thing that Mommy hates.  Every time she puts something in my mouth for the first time I immediately spit it out.  I'm just taste testing to see whether or not I like the stuff and make an executive decision as to if I'm going to eat anymore of it.
• Have I mentioned yet how much I love my Mommy and Daddy and family?!  Well, I do.
• My favorite part of the day is when Mommy and Daddy get me ready for bed and then Daddy rocks me and sings me these silly songs that he makes up.  Mommy's belly is getting to big for me to rest on, and Daddy has lots of space still so that works out great.
• I love to climb up and down everything.  Beds.  Chairs.  Stairs.  I've mastered going down stairs!!  Whoooaaaa for me!!
• I love to paint.  Actually, I love to do anything that involves making a mess.
• I laugh when things are funny.  I'm also still practicing all of my funny faces.  Squishy face, mad face, excited face.  I've got 'em all down like a pro.
• I have three teeth at the moment.  My big one on top just cut through yesterday. It's been a rough couple of days while Stanley McHawkerson was making his way in. I named him that because the Blackhawks just won the Stanley Cup!!  He's huge and takes over a lot of space in my mouth.  Now, just waiting for his buddy next to him to come through.  He's right there.  I can see him.  He's ginormous, too!
• I love celery.  That's right.  How weird is that?

I've had one heck of a year, don't ya think?!  I can't believe I'm so big already and can do so many cool things.  We are all looking forward to what year two has to bring.  I'm gonna be a big brother soon, and I'll have to show Will how to do all the cool things I've learned.  I love being ONE!!

Thanks for following my first year.  Keep checking back for monthly updates.  I'm sure I'll still have lots of things to say.

Love and Pampers,

MLB

A Note to Our One Year-Old.

Week Fifty-Two!!

1 week old!!

I'm 52 weeks old!!

ONE WHOLE YEAR!!

(I must admit to you that I cried for just a brief second when taking this picture.  I have taken a picture of him every single week for a year, not missing one.  Over the last two months Michael had gotten to the point where he knew what it meant when the green blanket came out and we had our own little "catch me if you can" game we played while I was trying to capture my shot.  Although at times I asked myself why I'm I saving all of these photos I am so happy that I did.  The changing this little guy has done just blows my mind.  Can't wait to put his flipbook together!!  One whole year... WOW!!)

MICHAEL LINCOLN IS ONE!!

Photos from Michael's 1st Birthday and his Crosstown Classic Celebration!!

Part I:

Part II:

One Step at a Time!!

Birthday Party Prep!!

So, I made a promise to myself that I could go overboard with Michael's birthday party if I made everything myself.  This both saves money and makes the event that much more special.  I wanted to share with you a few things that I've finished up over the last two days (with the wonderful help of my mother-in-law)!!  I have never appliqued before or really sewn anything that required great attention to detail so this was quite the experience.  I have seen these exact items online and each was going for around $20.00.  Total cost for these three pieces... $4.71 for all three!!  Not bad, not bad at all.  It has taken me a little bit longer to get them together considering my son's top teeth are causing him great pain (and Dennis and I sleepless nights), so the majority of my attention has gone to cuddling with Mikey.  I hope he's over it in time for his big day!!  More decor and party ideas to come.

High Chair Banner

Birthday Bib

Party Hat

The teething birthday boy.

Snapshots of the Week (52)

Playing at the pool (in my trunks that match Daddy's)!

Week Fifty-One!!

I'm 51 weeks old!!

Snapshots of the Week (51)

What?  Is there something on my head?

His go-to toy.

Out to watch Daddy play volleyball.

Drums