He's Got Moves

Apparently RF has been paying close attention to his teacher during music time at school. He decided to show us this weekend (numerous times) that he can dance.

It is the funniest thing, but oh so cute.

One Year Dr. Appt.

First question from our pediatrician at RF's one year dr. appt. --- "How was the party?"

We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our pediatrician. He's upbeat, he's punctual, he's honest and he always makes RF laugh. 

Through the first year…
Birth           10/24/12         9 lbs, 7 oz         21 inches long
1 Month      11/27/12       11 lbs, 8 oz        24 inches long
2 Months     1/9/13           14 lbs, 6 oz        25 1/4 inches long
4 Months     3/7/13           17 lbs, 2 oz        27 1/2 inches long
6 Months     5/1/13           19 lbs, 12 oz      28 inches long
9 Months     7/31/13         23 lbs                 30 1/2 inches tall
12 Months   11/13/13       26 lbs, 6 oz        32 inches tall 

After shots and some blood work (routine) we were able to take a minute to soothe and calm down from all the excitement (eh, who am I kidding…tears…lots and lots of tears this time around during shot time). RF spent close to a full five minutes standing and staring out in to the courtyard area (where there are turtles) at the doctor's office.

Just as usual he was his happy, jabbering self before we made it back out to our car, even giving the receptionist who checked us out lots of sweet smiles and making sure that she knew there were lights in her office by repeatedly pointing to them and saying "ight".    :-)

Last night RF showed us that he really does know an additional word --- bath-tub. When I asked him if he was ready to get in the bath-tub he set down (dropped) his Thomas train and walked in to the bathroom and pointed at the bath-tub saying "Ba-Ta" --- You are so cool, little man, so incredibly cool. 

Two Big Firsts for RF

This past weekend included two big firsts for RF.

1. First haircut.

Mama was in charge of entertainment and photography, while daddy snipped away...

He's an active little boy, so we had to be quick and it may be a little uneven...

A trimmed up little boy. 

(And yes, the scrapbooker in me kept a few locks…)

2. First trip to the zoo.

Sunday morning we set out at 7:00 for Montgomery. We were scheduled to meet Mr. Joe and Mrs. Margie about noon to pick up our puppies, so we planned a morning at the zoo for RF. It was a perfectly beautiful day and we were very impressed with the Montgomery Zoo - big enough to house animals from all over the world, yet small enough to see everything in just a few hours.

Are we really going to a zoo, mama? 

Don't worry, mama - I can push my own stroller. 

RF got to see macaws, flamingos, condors, bald eagles, spider monkeys, a jaguar, bears, an ocelot, river otters, an alligator snapping turtle, bison, lions, a zebra, a pygmy hippopotamus, chimpanzees, elephants, a rhinoceros, tigers, kangaroos, a black swan, a warthog, and even a giraffe.

It's a monkey, daddy...

Woah mama, a monkey! 

Staring at the majestic bald eagles...

He was pushing his stroller along and stopped dead in his tracks staring at these birds for about a full minute...

Back in the stroller for a little rest and a look at some more birds...

And a bear...

                        We also got to ride the train around the zoo - RF loved it - video is below. 

Poor thing was exhausted from his fun trip to the zoo…this photo was taken about 10 minutes after we got in to the car

Leaps and Bounds…

RA and I made it a point to not talk to RF using baby-talk. Not that it's bad to do that for babies, but we felt that it was extremely important to speak to him in our normal voices from the moment he was born.

It was amazing to see him recognize our voices and begin to mimic the sounds that we were making, even from an early age. We constantly identified items and explained things to him as we went about our normal day. He began to recognize items at a pretty early age. We could say to him, "Where's Thomas?" and he would walk over and pick up his Thomas the Train. We could begin singing a particular song that one of his toys made and he would go over to it and begin playing with the toy. We can say, "Go Dawgs! Woof Woof Woof" and he heads over to the stone statue of UGA in our hallway.

Lately, he has become really good at identifying items and beginning to repeat words that we say.

He can accurately identify his toes, his ears, his belly and we are currently working on identifying his nose (although it sounds so much - to him - like toes that he will sometimes point to his toes…).

He can identify lights, too. When we walk in to a room, whether the lights are on or not, he will point to the lights and say "ight".

Video of RF talking…RA was driving and I was in charge of keeping RF entertained while driving to and from Montgomery…

Entertainment for RF ---- a paper cup and some wheels…

After spending time a few weekends ago with Papa Tad and Lola, he can say "Papa" and "Ya-Ya".

When I ask him where daddy is he will begin looking for him and when he finds him, say "dada". When he is ready to eat or go to bed, he will walk around the house saying, "Mama."

It's so amazing how much his communication abilities have grown over the past few weeks and we are super excited about our second holiday season with RF ---- Thanksgiving and Christmas fun with a super cool 1-year old! :-)

A Weekend Away

About a month ago, RA began planning a get-away for the two of us.

Having celebrated RF's first birthday and our first year as parents, we knew that we needed some time to ourselves. I knew we were going out of town, but that was it --- I didn't know any details. RA planned and executed the entire weekend --- childcare for RF, our accommodations, our meals, and our agenda.

Friday afternoon we set out on our journey driving two hours north arriving at the beautiful Sweet Gum Bottom Bed and Breakfast just outside of Andalusia, AL. It was absolutely perfect. Quaint and quiet --- just what we needed. We spent the entire weekend with absolutely no plans and it was the most perfect get-away we've ever experienced.

Sweet Gum Bottom Bed and Breakfast was amazing. An 1880s home that the owners moved (in three pieces) from a neighboring town and fully restored themselves.

Our guest room - the Kennedy Anne Suite - was gorgeous. 

 

After a nice dinner out Friday evening, we woke up Saturday morning and spent the better part of the morning enjoying a cup of coffee while wondering around the property. Ricky and Laura (the Innkeepers) built a sweet little wedding chapel and have landscaped the property beautifully. Breakfast consisted of baked mangoes, scrambled eggs, bacon and pecan french toast. YUMMY!

 

 

 

 

After breakfast we wandered in to the downtown area of Andalusia.

Fall town square decorations...

 

Beautiful Covington County Courthouse...

We even found the flags just for RF...

RA found an old hat in an antique shop. Once we got outside and he put it on he started humming the theme from Indiana Jones...

A sign for RF's room...he is my sunshine.

A store downtown had antique trucks, trains, and airplanes as the décor...

After lunch at a local pizza establishment, we decided to take a drive out of town. At the suggestion of one of RA's colleagues, we found an old, dirt, country back road and followed it for quite a while wandering back in time and enjoying the beautiful weather. 

 

Cotton fields and beautiful blue skies...

Dirt road that we followed all through the back-country of Covington County...

An old, dilapidated home on a back country road...

 

 

 

These moss-covered logs caught our eyes during our drive. A little walk into the woods uncovered the bridge below...

 

Once back at the B&B Saturday afternoon we enjoyed some time outside in the hammock just listening to the wind blow and enjoying each other's company while reminiscing about the past year and looking forward to our hopes and dreams for our family. 

 

About 4pm RA told me had had a big surprise --- he had booked an in-room massage for me. It was fantastic --- just what I needed to unwind even more. 

 

Sunday morning we woke pretty early (our bodies are still on RF time --- 5:00AM) and enjoyed a cup of coffee while sitting on the front porch of the B&B. The warmth of the sun, the quiet of the country, the smell of the air and the depth of conversation we were able to engage in created the perfect bookend for our weekend away. We enjoyed another yummy breakfast of fruit salad, breakfast casserole and blue corn grits before getting ready to make our trek back to Mobile.

I am so thankful that RA took the time to plan such a wonderful get-away for us. I am a lucky, lucky woman. :-)