Connor and his cousin Bennett decided to share their birthdays with each other.  Ok fine, my sister and I thought it would be fun to throw them a joint party and the bonus for me is planning anything with my creative, elementary school teacher sister!  It was a great time and hopefully the boys will look back at these pictures and enjoy the festivities since they surely won't remember a thing.  Except the puppet show... they will definitely remember the puppet show.  Won't they?

Our little boy is ONE YEAR OLD.  I feel like a whole lot has happened over the past 12 months but I also feel like it was just the other day that we were sleeping in Ronald McDonald House rooms while Connor was in the NICU.  Either way, this has been the best year of my life.  I have spent countless hours with my sweet cuddle bug of a son and have watched him grow up into a one year old.

On his birthday morning I walked into the nursery singing "Happy Birthday" and Connor was standing up holding onto the crib laughing at me!  It was so cute.  While I was nursing him I told him the story of the day he was born.  I told him all about going to the doctor the day before, being monitored all day, going home with strict orders to count his movements and then going back to the doctor in the morning only to have her tell us we were going to meet our sweet baby that afternoon!    I told him about his little arm not moving and that they wanted to make sure he was okay so he got to fly in a helicopter to the best hospital in the state!  It's so much easier to talk about those first few days of his life now since we all know that there is a happy ending.

Connor is a baby on the move!  Although he is not yet walking, he cruises around and along everything.  He can make it across the living room in 2 minutes flat moving from one piece of furniture to the next!  In the last week he has started walking with walking toys or while holding onto my hands but he is pretty uncoordinated!  He still crawls a lot but prefers to be standing.  

This boy loves to eat!  He would much rather feed himself than to eat anything that I have to spoon into his mouth.  His favorite food items right now are grapes, cuties, graham crackers and yogurt.   He also loves to share his meals with Maddie.  She sits right next to his high chair during meals and usually gets a few treats before I realize what is happening.

At his 12 month doctor appointment Connor weighed in at 23 pounds 8 ounces (65%), was 30 inches long (60%) and his head was 48 1/2 cm (96%).  He only gained 4 ounces since his 9 month check up but grew almost 2 inches!  Needless to say he is really starting to thin out which will hopefully help him start walking in the next month.

Anthony and I decided to each write Connor a letter for his baby book on every birthday.

My sweet Connor,

What a year this has been.  Although your first couple weeks on earth was full of tears, unknowns and lots of needle sticks it was also the beginning of wonderful life as a family of three.

For the first 3 months I stayed home with you everyday and we had so much fun!  We went on lots of walks with Maddie, played with toys in your nursery and snuggled a lot.  We usually left the house at least once a day so we wouldn't go crazy with cabin fever.  You were such a good eater and nursed every 3 hours on the dot!  When you were 8 weeks old you slept 8 hrs straight at night and I woke up worried that you weren't breathing but there you were sweet as could be sleeping the night away!   We went to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving and all our friends got to meet you!  Christmas in Dallas was fun and you saw SNOW for the first time!

In January I went back to work 3 days a week and really missed you but I think it was good for both of us. On my days off work we had lots of fun from walks/runs to play dates and lunch dates with friends to just playing at home!  While I worked you went to Miss. Dana's house and were always a good boy.  She said you were her favorite and gave you extra cuddle time.   You started eating fruits and veggies at 6 months and loved everything you ate!  You still drank breast milk every 3 hours during the day.  You started getting teeth and got to eat a bigger variety of foods.  Right now you favorites are grapes, cuties, graham crackers, oatmeal and yogurt! You have always been a big boy so you were a little slower that others your age to crawl and walk with assistance.  I don't mind because you seem more like my little baby when you are not trying to walk!

You have a wonderful personality and smile at anyone who smiles at you!  You do not have stranger or separation anxiety when we leave you with a babysitter, which makes leaving you easier on us.  Thank you!  You absolutely love being outside which brings joy to your Daddy's heart!  He can't wait to come home from work one day and be able to play catch with you in the backyard.  Remember that special left arm that you couldn't move when you were born?  Well you would never guess that was true! You use it just as much as the right and it's just as chunky!!!  You are a thumb sucker just like I was as a child and you will only suck your left thumb! It's so cute!  In July, your Daddy and I went on vacation with friends to Colorado and you stayed with Grammy and Pops for five days!  You had a blast and they just loved playing with you!

For the past 6 months out bedtime routine has been the same.  6:00 eat dinner, 6:30 bath and pjs, 645-7: nurse and then down to sleep in your crib.  You are usually still awake when I sing you a song and lay you down.  You put yourself to sleep and usually stay asleep until 6:00am when you are more than ready to nurse again.  Over the past couple months you have really started to interact with Maddie.  You try to feed her from your high chair and love to crawl on her and pull her hair.  She doesn't mind and I think she loves you a lot!  She usually hears you wake up in the morning and always leads me to your room and sits at my feet while you nurse.

So much has happened in the past year but the time has flown by too fast!  You have grown into such a sweet, big boy right before my eyes and I fall more in love with you everyday.   Happy first birthday my precious boy!

Love, Mom

My Little Connor Man:

I can’t believe you’re already 1!  You have grown so much this past year.  I have loved every moment I have had with you with the past 365 days.  Among the moments I will always cherish are being by your side and bonding with you during your first 8 days of life in the NICU, taking you home to meet Maddie and using my shoulder to calm you down.  You made cute little sounds while sleeping in our room that first month and made funny faces when trying new foods.  I will never forget the first time you smiled at me and seeing your face light up when I get home from work. Some of my favorite things to do are hug you and your mom at the same time, pushing you in your swing in our backyard and hold you upside down to “shake out the coins."  I loved it when your mom would put you next to me in bed on weekend mornings so that you would be the first thing I saw when I woke up.   We took you to your first OSU football game in Houston which will hopefully be the first of many games we will watch together.  I loved watching you learn to crawl now getting up after falling down while trying to walk.  The list goes on and on.

You are one of the best things that has ever happened to me, son.  I love you more than I could ever say and I know the next year will be just as adventurous and exciting as the first.  We can’t wait to witness all of the “firsts” you have in store for us this year, buddy. 

Love,

Your Dad