3.14.2014

Tate- 12 months

Hhhhhooooowwwww is he 12 months old!!  I'm actually faring much better now that a week or so has passed.  But I did NOT HANDLE his 1st birthday well at all- lots of watery eyes throughout the few weeks leading up to March 4, 2014!

But guess what?!?  He's still JUST AS ADORABLE and PRECIOUS and AMAZING as ever now that he's 1... so I am going to survive after all!!!

I realize this post is about a week and a half late- but I just couldn't bring myself to write it until now.  
Once you write it on the blog, it's OFFICIAL!  Haha :)

Anyway- like I said.  He's still terribly cute and smart and loving.  He's added lots of new words: "Look!", "turtle" (he says it tuh-tuh.  so cute), "up", "bye-bye", "eyes", "duck", "quack quack" (he says a duck says "duck duck"- lol!) - and he can identify so many more things that you ask him about by pointing at/to them.  It really is amazing watching his brain grow with every tiny experience.

He nods and shakes his head for yes and no sometimes- his nod is to-die-for-adorable. 
Very very deliberate and smiley!

He gives high fives like it's his job.

He blows kisses- selectively.

He loves to sign "milk"- he does it the whole time he nurses.  He'll sign "more" and "all done" more often now, and is learning "water" & "thank you". "Please" is next!  I had taught him "sleepy" at one time but we've both quit using it.  There's no denying when he's tired, anyway!

He's been paying attention at Ada and Dax's soccer games- because he totally scales the couch or table and will kick a ball as he goes.  So cute.

He ADORES his big brother and sister.  Dax basically tortures the poor kid in the bathtub each night, and Tate just giggles and giggles.  Although he has begun biting and head butting some- and I'm sure that has stemmed as some sort of self-defense mechanism with the two bigs around!  Tate would follow Ada and Dax all over night and day if he could- just laughing and squealing all the way.  And when he can't, it's because I've picked him up and he does NOT hide his frustration from me for ruining his good time!  Enter that biting and head butting.

And did I mention that he started WALKING ON his ACTUAL BIRTHDAY!?!?  I'm attaching a video at the end of his pictures!  It is ssssoooo adorable.


He makes this face a lot!




Here's a video of TATE'S FOR REAL FIRST STEPS!
He's been taking one at a time for about a week... and we were at McDonald's playing and eating ice cream on the afternoon of his actual birthday- and I could just SEE IT IN HIS EYES he was about to unleash his walking powers... So I grabbed my phone and caught his ACTUAL FIRST STEPS on film!  So special!
You can see his high fiving skills at the end of the video, too! :)

Tate thinks sneezes are hilarious- and will do an empathy sneeze after you sneeze!  Here's a vid. My sneeze is fake, FYI :)

Here he is blowing precious kisses:

And, I cannot remember if I've posted these videos of him trying to do Itsy Bitsy Spider.  So I'm posting them just in case.
You probably think I'm crazy, but I can TOTALLY see the motions in there.  Maybe because we've done it so many times that I know which movements he's doing on purpose over and over!




3.09.2014

Stuff my Kids Say

really want to be better about writing the things down the kids say! They keep me laughing 24/7! Here are a few things lately, and I'm planning on going through my Facebook wall soon to get a lot more- that's where I currently post a lot of it!

After we thought Dax had been asleep for an hour, he appears at the top of the stairs.
Dax: mom I need you.
Me: find him in the middle of his bed surrounded with books, his closet door all the way open for maximum light.
Dax: I have a problem. I can't read. 

Ada called Little Ceasars "Little Cheezers"

Tate thinks a duck says "duck duck". And he says turtle "tuh-tuh". So adorable.


Dax goes out in public in dress up clothes a lot.


3.03.2014

Tate's First Birthday Party

I have a new blog- I think you know- it's Adventures at Naptime!  
I'm posting any crafting or random thing on that blog now.  
Eventually with the hopes to monetize it- or put ads on it- after it gets some good traffic.
We're all about "passive income" in the Dowell house!  
Cuz we're lazy like that.
Anywho- the random non-personal parts of Tate's party are up on that blog now!
(You can click on the hyperlinked Adventures at Naptime to see it.)
I'll post family pictures, and Tate's 12 month photo shoot soon on this blog.
HOW is his first year going to be OVER TOMOROW!?!?
Wah!