What a One Year Old Looks Like

I'm woefully late posting Mac's twelve month update, but since I've come to rely on these looks back to remember the details of each stage, I'm posting anyhow.

In September and October Mac grew by leaps and bounds. He's almost 22 pounds now (25%) and over 31 inches long (90%). Our long and lean man still has chubby, kissable cheeks and more than a few rolls, though, with an appetite to match!

This is his "are we done with the pictures now?" look.

In his twelfth month, Mac became even more social and curious. His waves and "heys" have become even bigger and more aggressive enthusiastic. Last week he nearly assaulted a woman in the produce section with his huge, full-body wave and squeal of "Hey!!" Paired with an excited, repeated point directly at her, this poor lady looked like a deer in headlights.

Mac gets smarter and more talkative by the day, too. The apple doesn't fall from from the chatty tree, and Mac gestures and jibber-jabbers all the livelong day. It's a delight!

He isn't walking yet, but Mac is "cruising," pulling up, standing to play with his toys, crawling up stairs (thanks to Bradley), moving with lightning speed and getting his hands on whatever his little heart desires. I just can't imagine how he'll be any faster when it comes time to take those first steps! Whew.


Lately he has begun to pick up a few more signs, which is helpful when he gets frustrated at his inability to communicate. He has "more" down pat and uses "please" and "thank you" as well.

Mac is affectionate when he's in the mood, sharing sloppy kisses and blowing kisses a plenty to those he loves. (And to pretty girls in the supermarket, too. Hmm.)


He's still sleeping twelve hours a night and napping twice (sometimes only once) a day. He's a big, busy boy these days and we love keeping up with him.

My fears about whole milk in the sippy cup turned out to be for naught, as he is a milk-drinking machine. Weaning was a cinch - almost a non-event. We're both doing wonderfully and he never missed a beat with the transition.


He's become much more willful with food, though, spitting out chunks of things he enjoyed the day before or turning his head. I worry that he doesn't chew enough food and will be stuck eating the same meals over and over, but I remind myself that he'll eat when he's hungry and he tends to regulate himself well.


For now, I'm busy kissing our growing toddler and watching each new development with wonder. A year ago I was excited when he first made eye contact with me; now I expect him to stand up and run any moment now. What a miracle his little life is!

We love you, Mac-Man. Thank you for another fantastic month, and for proving to your mom that not being a "baby" isn't the worst thing in the world - it's actually pretty wonderful!

One-derful

Last weekend we celebrated Mac's first birthday with a sweet little gathering of our families and a few close friends.

It was a perfect day! Our monkey woke up from his nap to see both sets of grandparents, plus my grandmother and her husband, waiting to greet the birthday boy.

We took a quick shot of the before our guests arrived.

Mac's Nana made him a monkey cake too cute to cut!

Mac couldn't tear his eyes off of Brantley to smile!

Bayne, Liz and little Reagan came to celebrate, too!

Mac was more interested in his adoring audience than his cake.

Reagan and Mac played "climb the couch."

Between the icing, excitement and attention, Mac was giddy.

When it was all over, he put on new monkey pj's for some sweet one-year-old dreams.

It's just now sinking in that my Mac is one! The best part? His mom didn't shed a single tear. What a wonderful day for all of us!

Toms vs. Bobs: Copying for a Good Cause?

From the looks of other gals' blogs (and feet!), I may be the only girl who doesn't love TOMS shoes. I don't love their style or shape; I don't even love their "must have" sequined edition.
I do, however, adore TOMS' one-for-one business model, which donates a new pair of shoes to a child in need for each pair purchased. It's an ingenious mix of fashion, corporate responsibility and philanthropy.

(Side note: TOMS' founder and chief shoe giver, Blake Mycoskie, is a debonair young entrepreneur who was scheduled to speak at a conference I helped promote. Sadly, he backed out rather late due to his commitment to sail a plastic boat to Australia. Seriously, that's what I was told.)

I'd rather donate the purchase price of a pair of TOMS than wear them, as they just aren't my style. That said, I'm impressed by how many people have bought into (no pun intended) TOMS' vision and allowed the company to become a success.
It seems Skechers is equally impressed, as they have come out with a BOBS line of shoes. Similar look and identical business model: buying a pair of BOBS will also enable a child in need to own a pair.

I can't decide if this is distasteful, my gut reaction, being an exact copy of TOMS down to the name. On the other hand, more shoes for underprivileged children can't be a bad thing, can it?

What do you think? Do you own/love/support TOMS? Would you buy a pair of BOBS, even if they seem like a knock-off, to support the cause?

Wordless Wednesday: Hi, Friends!!

A (Flu) Bug in Our Plans

Bradley is never ill. He has gotten sick (as in "stay home from work" sick) just twice since we started dating. In a favorite family story, he came down with the flu the week we found out we were expecting. It was awful.

Have I told you that story? It's one for the ages; it involves a feverish Bradley, a concerned pharmacist, a surprised Anne and a teeny-tiny McBaby making his presence known.

It was a lot of big news and scary germs to squeeze into one week. Picture face masks, excessive use of Lysol, sleeping in separate bedrooms and being unable to hug or even high five over our happy news.

Not a fun week, but itty-bitty Mac and I made it through unscathed - and Bradley lived to tell the tale.

Today B's immune system of steel has crumbled for a second time. We just got back from the doctor's office; they are treating him for strep throat and the flu.

Mac's (small, sweet, practically family-only) birthday party is 48 hours away. Would you say a prayer that Bradley's fever breaks quickly and we can still celebrate Mac with our families? And, most importantly, that our tough little man can avoid the flu germs.

Once this bug is gone, we'll have lots of reasons to dig into some cake. I'm rewatching Mac's video for pointers.

More Birthday Sweetness

If yesterday's pictures weren't proof enough, this video should convince you that Mac's a big fan of cupcakes. He took to it like he'd been stuffing his face with them for a whole year now!

Have you ever seen anyone lift up their clothes to lap up every last crumb? Mac's eating (and crumb-shaking) strategy made it hard for B and me to keep quiet for this little clip.

Around the 1:00 and 3:00 marks, Mac is especially enthusiastic, but I love when he squeals "Dad!" and points at Bradley towards the end.

I could watch this a thousand times; a boy's first taste of cake is something to remember forever!

A Boy and His Cupcake

Mac has had a wonderful first birthday! This time last year I was moments away from meeting our sweet boy; right now he's cozy in his crib with a cupcake in his tummy.

Thought you might enjoy this shot of Mac's first taste of cupcake. (Full cake to come this weekend with our families.) That face is absolutely priceless!

Thank you for your sweet wishes as our boy turned one today. I anticipated a bittersweet day, but today's been nothing but happy. I couldn't be more thankful for the blessing of our one-year-old son!


Can't wait to share more later about Mac's first birthday and our plans to celebrate. For now, I'm off to have supper with his dad! xoxo