12 month Report

It's a good thing this is the last of the monthday pics because it's getting harder to get him to sit still in the glider for long!

Official 12 month picture is forthcoming.  Also, I haven't given up on the 365 Project, I just haven't gotten around to getting the pics up from the last 10 days or so.  I'm working on his party pics, his first year slideshow, and catching up on the 365 photos all at once.  My Lightroom 3 Beta expires today so I splurged and bought the real thing - not because I think owning a dslr makes me a pro (cough) but because it's fun and I enjoy it.  Besides, I got a great deal with the University discount.  But I digress... 

Age 12 months

Weight officially 22 lbs 11oz (~50th percentile)

Length officially 31" (75th-90th percentile) (head is 19.5", 95th+ percentile).  Unless he's shrinking I guess both our scale and tape measure are a bit off...

Size 12 month+ tops and pants, size 4 shoes, size 4 diapers, 2T hats :)

Eyes  Blue.  It's probably time to retire this category because I really think they're staying blue!

Hair  In need of his fourth cut

Teeth  8, and I think he's working on molars

Sleeping  Mostly sleeping thru the night (until he got sick over the weekend), 1-2 naps

Eating  Transitioning to whole cow's milk, 20-24oz/day total, offered in a sippy with meals then finished in a bottle, plus 3 meals of table food, and 2 snacks. Still taking a bedtime bottle.  Too many new foods to list, but new favs include baked beans, refried beans, SB&J (sunflower butter and jelly), Chex, Spanish rice, graham crackers and pita pizzas (mini pitas with tomato sauce and cheese on top). 

Movement  Standing on his own, 1-2 steps, trying to stand up on his own, waving bye-bye, shakes head "no"

Milestones  See above, plus (from the pedi's checklist) object permanence, puts objects into and takes objects out of a container, imitates people, plays ball

Outings Trip to Traverse City and Sleeping Bear, Nichols Arboretum Peony Gardens, Ann Arbor Library for playgroup, one year photo shoot at Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Guernsey Farms Dairy for ice cream on his birthday eve, many neighborhood walks

Favorite toys/activities music table, walker, blocks, books, instruments, swings, bubbles, sand box, painting

Words/sounds always babbling (the pedi asked if he always "sings" to himself!), says mama, dada, pop, cat with purpose, working on dog (comes out as "daaah"), his teachers report he says "all done" at school all the time but we really haven't heard it.  He also loves to use his hands to make funny noises with his mouth

Memorable Moments First Birthday party, First Father's Day, winning the Diaper Dash

Favorite Shots

These are a couple of my favorite shots from Conor’s one year photo session. To understand why, I have to tell you what happened leading up to this point.

Normally Conor is not so shy about letting us know how he’s feeling. He’s a bit of a diva, actually. When he cries, it’s usually a full blown wail from the get go – no wind up or warning. For example, the other morning, he was sitting contentedly one moment, and the next he had thrown himself face down in a basket of Duplos, sobbing. He had his snack and then all was well in Conorland.

Just before these shots were taken, he was standing on the bridge holding onto the rail. He kept trying to put his mouth on the rail, and we were all trying to gently tell him “no”, “stop”, “it will hurt your body”… Then we all must have said “No!” a little too loudly, in unison.  He looked up at us and I could see his lower lip quiver, his brow furrow, and the tears welling up, but he seemed to be trying to hold it back.  I don’t know if his feelings were hurt, or if he’s just getting better at controlling his emotions. Either way, it was a departure from his usual fits, and was sweet and touching. It may not seem remarkable to anyone else, but I love seeing all the subtle little changes in him.

I scooped him up and wiped his tears, and the three of us cuddled as he calmed down. Kelli snapped these two shots then. I love the sweet expression on his face and how he looks like he feels so safe and content with mama and dada.

McFatty Monday - Week 7

Not too bad of a week, considering there were late nights of birthday planning with lots of snacking, and a party complete with a cookout, birthday cake, and a candy buffet. Nobody should lose weight when there's a candy buffet involved, but somehow I did.

Tonight I did the first workout of my Couch to 5K program. The race is on September 12th. Day 1 wasn't too bad, but I am very out of shape and I hope it doesn't get too hard too fast.

I also signed on for Tutus for Tanner, which means I'll be running the race in a tutu! Tanner is a boy battling Muscular Dystrophy and Kristen and Kari from Shredheads.com came up with the idea to ask people to run in a tutu to honor Tanner. You can read more about it at Shredheads.

Here's where I'm at:

Today's weight - 138.4
Today's BMI - 22.3
Goal weight - 130
Goal BMI - 21.0
Total weight lost - 4.6

One Year Photo Shoot

Here are the photos from Conor's one year shoot, taken by the very talented Kelli Taylor of Purple Tree Photography. We are so happy with the way they turned out!

12 months! 1 Year!! Happy Birthday Conor!!!

Today Conor turned a year old.  I've been looking forward to this day for a year now, but it's still hard to believe it's here.  So much has changed in the year since that moment, at 8:10pm, exactly a year ago, when he came into our lives.  This year may not have been what I expected, but I honestly wouldn't have it any other way.   

Conor had a fabulous party today.  I will update later with pics from the party and his 12 month stats, but for now I'm going to kick back, put my feet up, and enjoy life as the mama of one amazing toddler.

First Step

Conor took his first step by himself tonight!  For the past couple of weeks he has been standing ever so briefly on his own.  Usually he lets go and balances for a second or two before falling.  Tonight Tim and Conor were in the yard and Conor let go for a good 10 seconds.  He repeated it several times, and then took a step on his own!  He managed to do it twice.  I think we might have a walker soon!

McFatty Monday - Week 6

The week before last, I was bad.  I slacked off and was up over 140 again, and felt like crap.  It's amazing how just a few little pounds can make my clothes fit differently and leave me feeling like a tub of pudding.  But I'm back down and going to try to be good this week with birthday party food, and cake, and candy, and stress, and eating my feelings because OH MY GOD MY BABY IS A TODDLER AND I WANT TO GO BACK AND HOLD THAT LITTLE NEWBORN AGAIN.  Breathe....

This week's goal is to not eat like a 250lb. man.  There's a lot to do this week in preparation for Conor's birthday party on Saturday - last night I made a list of my to-do lists.  Which is to say, exercise probably isn't going to happen.      

Here's where I'm at:

Today's weight - 139.2
Today's BMI - 22.5
Goal weight - 130
Goal BMI - 21.0
Total weight lost - 3.8

Happy Dada's Day!

Conor and his dada had a great first Father's Day together!  This morning, Conor competed in the Diaper Dash in Kellogg Park.  It was a real nail biter, but Conor finished strong and managed to edge out his competition for the win!  We went out to Father's Day brunch, and then spent some time at the park this evening. 

Conor is a lucky little guy to have a such a wonderful father.  We love him very much!

Forecast for Party Day

0% chance of rain for Conor's birthday party - it has been foretold!  You better not mess with my forecast, Weather.com.

McFatty Monday - Week 5

I'm taking a mulligan this week for McFM.  See you next week!

Baby Foodie - Michigan Mac & Cheese

If there's anything Conor really loves, it's pasta and cheese. And clapping. But really pasta and cheese. Mac and cheese is a no brainer for him, and I thought I'd make him something that didn't start out looking like Tang.

I picked up some nice Michigan made cheese the other day from Plum Market. It's Farm Country Cheese House sharp cheddar, and man is it good (WARNING - if you click on that link they have house music on their site. No joke, the Amish are cool like that.) It makes the mac & cheese very smooth and adds a hint of sweetness. (The dish was about to be extremely sweet when I grabbed the wrong canister and almost made my roux with powdered sugar!) Any cheddar would work though, so use whatever you have, even sub lowfat if you're watching calories and fat.

I adapted this recipe from Martha. I only added the half & half because I ran short on milk, you can use all milk if you like. She makes it in individual serving dishes, but I divided it between two larger dishes (one to eat right away and one to freeze.)

1 pound elbows

6 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup AP flour
3 3/4 cups skim milk
1/4 cup half & half
pinch coarse Kosher salt
pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
3 cups shredded sharp white cheddar
1.5 cups Panko breadcrumbs

Cook elbow macaroni 1-2 minutes less than package directions. Drain, rinse with cool water and return to pot.

Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk 1 minute. Add milk and half & half, cayenne, nutmeg, and salt, and bring to a simmer. Whisk until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Add cheese and stir until all the cheese is melted. Pour over macaroni and stir well. Spoon into baking dish(es).

Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter and toss with breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over mac & cheese.

Cover tightly and freeze up to 3 months, or bake uncovered at 375 degrees 20-30 minutes until golden and bubbley. If frozen, bake covered with foil in a 375 degree oven on a baking sheet, until bubbley (about 50-60 minutes.) Remove foil and bake 5 to 10 minues longer to brown breadcrumbs.

Makes about 12 (adult) servings.

Nutrition Facts

(Amount Per Serving)
Calories 390.8
Total Fat 16.5 g
Saturated Fat 10.2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.8 g
Monounsaturated Fat 4.4 g
Cholesterol 48.3 mg
Sodium 328.1 mg

Potassium 228.5 mg

Total Carbohydrate 43.1 g
Dietary Fiber 1.4 g
Sugars 0.5 g
Protein 16.3 g

He likes it!

Walkering

Conor uses his push toy:

McFatty Monday - Week 4

It was a good week! I finally cracked 140 (again.) Conor is also 100% weaned as of this week, so I lost some in the dairy department.

Food - Did pretty well with fresh fruits and veggies (loving the Door to Door Organics.) Did not so pretty well with 2 Chocomize bars.

Exercise - Did 20 minutes on the elliptical last night, which felt great! Have a date with the boys this week for jogwalking. Shopped for new running shoes.

Here's where I'm at:

Today's weight - 138.4
Today's BMI - 22.3
Goal weight - 130
Goal BMI - 21.0
Total weight lost - 4.6

Peonies

Conor and I visited the Nichols Arboretum Peony Garden yesterday morning on the way into work/school.

Traverse City Vacation

This weekend we took a much needed vacation to Traverse City to celebrate our 5 year anniversary.  Tim also ran the Bayshore Marathon on Saturday.  We drove up Friday afternoon - with traffic it was a 5 hour drive.  Conor slept for almost 2 hours, then chilled for 2 hours, then cried on and off for an hour.  Poor guy must have been so exhausted because he slept thru the night for the first time in ages.  Tim was off before 5 to get to the race, but I got to sleep in until 7:15! 

We rented a fantastic condo right on the beach of East Grand Traverse Bay. 

Saturday morning Conor and I headed down to see Tim run.  Despite aggrivating a pretty bad knee injury, he managed to finish the race.

Tim wasn't up for too much the rest of the day.  Saturday afternoon we did take a nice drive up Old Mission Peninsula.  The scenery was amazing - rolling hills, vineyards, wineries, cherry orchards, and fantastic panoramic views.

Sunday we took a trip out to Sleeping Bear Dunes.  We donned our dorky sunhats to check out the dunes.  We didn't attempt the climb this time.

After seeing the dunes, we took the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive.  There was an amazing overlook atop a 450 foot bluff above Lake Michigan.  I am kicking myself for not taking my camera out there - the views were spectacular.  Watching the morons going down to the beach below, then trying to climb back up the bluff was pretty entertaining, too. 

Then we headed back to TC for a nice anniversary dinner out and some fun time at the beach.

The new car was awesome.  In true truckster fashion we almost lost some precious cargo from the roof and had issues getting the gas tank open.  Fortunately we didn't drive off any closed roads.

Chatting

Conor shows off his words and his new thing, shaking his head "No."