Adventures with Zilla: 12 months!

How old?: 

12 months!  1 year!  It's my mommiversary! We survived!

Weight/Height:  

At his 12 month check up Zilla comes in at 31 inches (87th percentile) and 21.6 lbs (50th percentile).  Sounds like a great build for an athlete if you ask me ;-)

Baby clothes:  

12 month clothes pretty consistently although I squeeze him into 9 month clothing on a regular basis.  Also, there are still 6 month outfits hanging in his closet because I don't want to put them away. 

Milestones: 

Wow!  I feel like a lot has happened this month.  Zilla is quickly becoming more and more confident with his walking.  We can walk just holding one hand and it is one of my favorite things in the world to just walk around holding my son's hand.  He pulls up on anything and everything and will walk along holding onto to whatever he can to get to where he wants to go.

Zilla has made strides in his fine motor movements as well.  Rather than knocking blocks over as a hobby, he is now able to stack blocks and continues to enjoy putting shapes into holes. 

I can see his little personality coming out everyday.  He will try to trick us sometimes or test our limits.  For example, one day he was dropping his food on the floor for Boots to eat.  We started to tell him to stop and when he didn't we held off on giving him more food.  When we did he ate a few pieces and then picked up a piece, put it close to his mouth, and then held it out to drop for Boots.  He's not great at his trickery skills just yet, but I can already see how important discipline will be from an early age. 

He likes to hit his head with his hand while eating and I think we've done it enough to where he knows where is head is.  He is definitely getting awesome at making associations.  He tries to put his socks and shoes on his feet, though unsuccessful.  He also picked up the remote to the fan and looked up towards it, like he knew that's what it did.  Which I'm not sure how he learned because we've not used that thing all winter.  He's simply very smart, pays close attention to detail and learns patterns quickly. 

Special outings: 

We made a trip to Houston this month.  As always, it was so nice to see our Houston family.  It was a pretty packed weekend.  We spent most of Saturday with Nina and that night mommy and daddy went to lunch with Hubskie's brother and family while Nina watched Zilla .  On Sunday we went to Hubskie's sister's house and they surprised us with a little party for Zilla's birthday!  It was so much fun to see everyone and wonderful to watch Zilla play with his Aunts and Uncles. 

 

I feel like we have been very plagued with illness this month (this winter) so we didn't go on as many outings as maybe we would have liked.  Also, it has been so cold it's hard to go out.  I am looking forward to the Sping so we can go to the park everyday after work! 

Highlights of the month: 

For sure Zilla's birthday!  I still can't believe he's 1.  We kept his birthday pretty low key, but did go out for ice cream with sister and bro in law; and of course little Reesearoo! 

Even though we technically had the party a few days after his actual birthday, I'll include it in the highlights.  It was so much fun to have all of our loved ones there to celebrate Zilla.  I am still overwhelmed by how loved he is.  We had people traveling from Houston and College Station just to celebrate with us! 

We got to spend time with some dear friends we don't get to see as often as we'd like and time with our family members who have been so supportive this past year. 

Jason gave me instructions that I was not to go overboard with this so I had to strike a happy balance.  I wanted the theme to be evident, without hiring a cat in the hat impersonator to come to the party.  Here's what we came up with:

Nothing too extravagant.  We were even able to reuse the foam board we made for Reesearoo's baby shower.  The banner on the window had a picture of him for each month starting with the day he was born and one picture from each of his monthly chair sessions.  I of course cried putting it together.

Even the artistically challenged can create some fun extras!  This was a great prop for some fun pictures of our guests

We wrestled with baking something or ordering a sheet cake.  I finally went with my gut and decided to attempt something Cat In the Hat like.  It didn't turn out too bad!

And of course my signature themed food...

I love this idea to sign a book for him!  I hope he does cherish these things one day!

I teared up while we were singing him happy birthday and had to stop singing to keep from going into a full on cry fest.  It was just one of those moments where you realize how blessed you are, and even more so how blessed your son is.  My heart was just bursting with gratitude.  I wish I could have hugged everyone in the room at that moment and tell them how much it meant to me that they were there, singing happy birthday to our one year old.  God is so good.

Baby's routine:  

Same as last month.  We are still trying to navigate his first and second naps and deciding how much sleep he needs between the two.  It seems if he gets his full two hours during his 9 to 11 nap, he will not go back to sleep for his "1:00" nap until 3...and then push his wake up time to 5.  Which just seems so late when his bedtime is 8.  So, I'm slowly wanting to shorten his morning nap but pushing it back to 9:30 and then 10-11 until we are ready to transition to one nap a day.

Baby's favorite food: 

What doesn't this kid eat?  Going to restaurants isn't too difficult these days because we can just feed him whatever we're eating and he is completely content to just keep eating and eating and eating.  He does love avocado and eats lots of those.  We are about to start him on milk and will likely go with almond milk.  

Baby's favorite activity: 

Holding our hands and going for a stroll.  He loves to walk and explore.  A new activity he started this month was throwing his balls.  This just tickled his daddy to get to play "toss" with him.

Baby's favorite toy: 

Hmm this is a tough one.   Zilla loves all of his sports balls. In addition to throwing, he is excellent at walking around and kicking his soccer ball.   

Big changes:  

The biggest change for me is that I feel like he's not a little baby anymore.  This little being has become a toddler right before my eyes.  Other than that, in general there haven't been any drastic changes this last month. 

Look at this picture!  He looks so grown up!  

Mommy Journal:

I mean oh my gosh, y'all.  It is surreal to think we have made it 12 months;to look back and see the struggles, relive the joys, and smile at all the memories.  What a year!  This month I focused on little things I never want to forget about this past year that I have yet to write down anywhere else:

1) The way Zilla crosses his legs while he eats

2) The way Zilla favored his daddy for much of month 11 and 12.  This made (makes) mommy very sad sometimes when he starts screaming as hubskie leaves the room.  I wonder what I did wrong to make him not like me as much.  But then I realize how blessed I am that my biggest concern as a mother right now is that my husband is too good of a father.  Woe is me.  

3) The look in Zilla's eyes whenever we go somewhere new.  He has a very distinct observant eye, where I can just see him taking in new information and making inferences about his surroundings. 

4) How mommy and daddy secretly "fight" over who will be holding him when we go to communion at Mass because there is no better feeling than bringing your son with you as you approach the table of our Lord. 

5) His love for eating paper

6) The way Zilla coos and babbles along with songs, and sometimes with mommy as I sing him to sleep


This video is probably mind-numbingly boring for most of you, but I just think it's so cute!

7) Mommy and Zilla's songs of choice for bedtime: Hallelujah, My Father; Hail Mary, Gentle Woman (just the Hail Mary part); and The Blessing Song (Aggie Awakening Whoop!)

8) Zilla's inability to sit still for longer than 5 minutes (I have a feeling I won't forget this one, as it may be a lasting trait)

9) His bizarre habit of purposefully bumping his head against hard surfaces like mirrors, windows, the entertainment center, etc.

10) His general curiosity for the world.  This kid loves to experiment.  I guess that's the nature of babies.  But I just like to think mine is extra explorative

I guess that's it for these monthly updates!  Phew, I have to say I am a little relieved.  Going forward I hope to share short updates on our major happenings and eventually fun quotes and anecdotes about our funny little man.

Zilla, I will love you forever, like you for always, as long as you're living my baby you'll be!

Adventures with Zilla: 11 Months!

How old?: 11 months!  1 month away from being a year old! 1 month from graduating from baby to little boy!

Weight/Height:  

Not really sure.  Probably about the same as last month.     

Baby clothes:  

Still wearing same size clothing.

Milestones: 

Zilla has become very good at pulling up to stand and walking around using various surfaces for support.  He can walk pushing a little rolling cart unassisted; though not without me hovering over him for safety.  I've seen him crawl in small increments, but in general he prefers to army crawl. 

Special outings: 

We stayed in town for the most part this month.  Other than a few trips to some restaurants or stores to go shopping, it was a home-y kind of month.  Probably because it has been a month plagued with illness.  Luckily, Zilla avoided most of the sicknesses, but mommy and daddy seemed to have some kind of sickness all month.  Mommy even had to make a trip to the ER.  We all seem to be on the mend now!

Highlights of the month: 

Zilla's very first Christmas was this month!  Get ready for video and picture overload!  We had such a wonderful Christmas.  Nina came into town so we could spend it with her and my family.  

We went to Mass on Christmas Eve.  Zilla hadn't taken many good naps that day so we were a little nervous.  He was fairly well behaved, despite having to sit for about two hours since we got there a little early to be sure we had a seat.  He is such an active baby.  He was twisting and turning all throughout Mass and kept everyone around us entertained.

Christmas morning we opened gifts with Nina first and then headed down the street to my sister's to have Christmas with my siblings.  I just love seeing all the kids playing together! 

After sibling Christmas we went to my Papa Joe's to celebrate with extended family.  We have a tradition of singing Christmas carols every year and it is my absolute favorite! 

Zilla made out quite well this year.  He is definitely not lacking in the toy department.  Our living room is quickly being taken over by cars and books and puzzles.  I love it!  

Baby's routine:  

Same as last month!  The only difference is sometimes he doesn't really sleep during his first nap.  He will just stay in his room talking and playing and climbing.  He started to stand up in his crib this month, meaning we had to lower his crib.  I think all of his new abilities are a little distracting and just too much fun to even think about sleeping!

Baby's favorite food: 

Zilla continues to like most foods.  We had a lot of avocado this month but also tried some citrus fruits and a papaya.  I don't know that he has a favorite right now, he just really likes to eat! 

Baby's favorite activity: 

His top activities are bath time and playing peek a boo (or where's Zilla)

Baby's favorite toy: 

Zilla enjoys toys that he can open and close or take out and put in objects.  He loves the satisfaction of getting objects to go through holes.  He also likes cars and loves being pushed around on his little bus. 

Big changes:  

The biggest change continues to be his mobility.  I think his increased confidence in maneuvering around has also helped him to become a little more independent.  We can put him on the floor and let him play and he won't immediately try to crawl into our laps anymore. 

Mommy Journal:

I can't even handle how close he is to turning 1 year old!  This year has gone by so fast and the changes that have occurred in such short time spans is incredible!  I was going through the past posts and remembering how excited I was when Zilla started tracking a toy for the first time or when he accidentally rolled over for the first time.  These little moments are simply incredible and I'm glad I've documented them in some way.  Some months it's hard to sit down and find time to keep up with the monthly blog, but I know I will cherish these little peeks into the past for years to come!

Adventures with Zilla: 10 Months

How old?: 10 months! Double digits y'all!

Weight/Height:  
At our 9 month appointment he was about 20 lbs and 29 inches. 

Baby clothes:  

For onesies and shirts he can wear 9 or 12 month.  For pants he is wearing 9 or 12 months, but 12 months fit better. He is in size 4 diapers.

Milestones:

Zilla has graduated from the worm to an army crawl.  Still doesn't seem too interested in full on crawling.  He loves loves loves to stand up and walk while he holds our fingers.  He can also pull himself up onto his play table and into laps.  This also means, when available he can climb up stairs. Although he prefers not to use his arms much, so a lot of the time he will pull up with his head and neck.  

He is able to place shapes into matching holes.  He's not great at matching up with the correct hole but once we show it to him he has the fine motor control to put it in there.

Zilla has also started waiving and it is the very cutest!

Zilla has said "Ma ma ma ma!"  It's super cute.  I don't think he's connected it to a person but I still love to hear him say it.  He is all around quite the little chatter box. 

Special outings

We went to Houston for Zilla's first Thanksgiving!  We got to see his Nina and the Garcia's as well as his great aunt and great Memaw. We also saw his aunt and uncles and Paw Paw and Mimsie Kathie.  It was all around a great weekend and beautiful weather.

Zilla experienced his first snow (ice) storm this month and got to briefly sit in it while mommy got a picture.  He was so cute in his over-sized snowsuit. 

We also started our rounds of Christmases this month!  Zilla's first Christmas and first Christmas gift was at my dad's with all his cousins around.  It was a lot of fun!

Highlights of the month: 

This was a really great month!  First, I changed jobs and am now working for DARS.  I love the people I'm working with.  The best part is that I am both closer to home and getting to leave work earlier than before.  This means at least an extra hour of time spent with my baby boy!

The second highlight was the ice storm we had in Dallas.  It resulted in two days off for me where I got to hang out with my kiddo!  It was so much fun :) 

Daddy also got to spend some extra time at home with little man.  Unfortunately, it was because he got RSV from daycare.  But he handled the sickness like a champ.

Baby's routine:
Routine has stayed the exact same except sometimes he sleeps in which is awesome on the weekends.
Wake up: 7:15am

Play and eat (sometimes we'll do solids here but other times we just do milk)Nap: 9:00 am-11:00 am
    Eat solids: 11:30

Play

Eat milk: 12 or 12:30

Nap: 1:00pm - 3:00 pm

Eat Play: 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm 

Eat solids: 6:00

Play

Eat milk: 7:00

Play

8:00 - Prayer time and bed

Baby's favorite food: 

Zilla has really started to appreciate more table foods.  He'll get frustrated with us putting a spoon in his mouth and prefers to feed himself.  Although he still loves squash.  This month he started to like bananas and apples after despising them the first time he tried them.  

Baby's favorite activity: 
Zilla loves bath time with daddy! Daddy does a great job teaching him to be very comfortable in the water. I can't wait for summer to come around so we can spend some time in the pool! 

He also love knocking down blocks.  Whenever he is about to get into something I don't want him to touch I will stack some of his blocks and he will laugh and then army crawl over so he can knock them down. 

Baby's favorite toy:

Anything he's not supposed to play with.  He wants so bad to play with electric cords and our entertainment center...so he's also having to learn "no no". Although he usually just laughs whenever I say it.

Big changes:

His mobility is ever increasing and he is gaining more and more confidence navigating and transferring between surfaces when standing.  As usual I just love to see him grow and learn.

Mommy Journal

I've been thinking a lot this month about how much things have changed from just a few short months ago.  The more I reflect the more I realize how grateful I am for all of the support I received from my family and friends.  I had a really hard time those first few months.  It got to the point where I started looking into going to see a counselor, but right as I got serious about going I also started to lift out of my fog.  I want to write this because if anyone who is reading this is going through a rough patch after having your baby I want you to know there's no shame and I'm happy to share my experience with you if you want to write or need someone to talk to because you feel like no one else is having the same feelings.  Babies are hard and colicky babies are draining, but know that you are a wonderful mother even on those days you don't feel like it.  

Having a baby has been the biggest blessing in my life.  I also read a story this month about people who have sued doctors for not catching that their child has a disability and said they would have aborted had they known.  It truly breaks my heart that people cannot see the joy that comes from this new life.  I know that I have not experienced having a child with a disability, but I also know that the child has so much dignity and worth.  I work with people with disabilities everyday and it's a shame there are people who cannot see how valuable this person's life is.

  

Yes, children are an inconvenience.  I can't just leave the house whenever I want and I've missed friends' birthdays because he was fussy and left parties because it was past his bedtime.  But I wouldn't trade this blessed inconvenience for all the free time in the world.   He and his cousins are my world.  Yes, I might become frustrated standing in a long line at Toys R Us trying to find the perfect gift, but then I look on facebook and see the cutest picture of my niece and realize it is so worth it.  Because if I was at a bar having a glass of wine instead, it would mean she wasn't there to do her sweet little grunt and squeaky laugh.  And no wine is finer than that laugh.  What I'm trying to say is, don't be afraid of the "inconvenience" a child might bring to your life.  Zilla arrived in ours a few months earlier than we had originally planned, but thank God He is in control and not I, because how boring would life be without our little Zilla, Reesearoo, and Mini B (with more cousins on the way!)?