One Year Later

Well, friends, it seems that being a working mommy of 2 with a new job has proven to be busier than before, as my last post is from early February!!!

Since then, I have become fully immersed in my new job. In April, I traveled to Houston for the NCAA Final Four (which was a huge blast and a lot of work) for 6 nights. It was a long time to be away from the family, but Jason held down the fort with some help from our nanny and his parents. My boss is currently on maternity leave, so I've had some good opportunities to interact with senior management on several projects and get visibility to things I normally wouldn't have. I still have a lot to learn, but I'm coming along nicely, or so I think I am!

In March, Jason and I took Abby skiing for the first time with friends of ours (and hers). She definitely didn't love it at first, but she got adjusted and seemd to enjoy it. She requested a ride on the chair lift, which we promised her on our next ski trip (next winter). Abby's also been going through a major "dress" phase - she wants to wear a dress EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. and cries if she doesn't! Every morning, the first words out of her mouth are: "Mommy, can I wear a dress today?" My almost 4-yr-old little girl is growing up fast, because she also requests a necklace and "party shoes" to go with it!

My little pumpkin Zach turns one tomorrow. I have NO idea where the past year went - it seemed to just fly by! The one thing that hasn't changed is he is still the happiest baby I have ever seen. The kid doesn't cry (unless you take something away from him that he wants, like the remote or a brush)! He is a good eater for things that he likes but he refuses any/all meats (i.e. chicken, turkey, steak, fish) as well as beans. He does LOVE cheese, cottage cheese, veggies, pasta, sweet potatoes, yogurt, fruit and bread, so pizza and grilled cheese are generally his favorite foods. At his 1-yr appointment on Monday, I plan to ask our doctor what I can do to get him to eat our "staple" foods (i.e. chicken and turkey) more so that he doesn't live on cheese and pasta!

Developmentally, he is doing ok. His fine motor skills (talking, pincer grasp, waving, clapping, etc.) are good but he is still delayed in his gross motor skills. We had him re-evaluated for Early Intervention this week and the reco will be to give him PT services, with a focus on sensory PT - he doesn't understand the space around his body, so when he leans forward or to the side, he doesn't yet put his hands out in front of him, which makes learning to walk or crawl quite difficult. He is not crawling or walking yet, so we still have a long way to go, but he is quite squirmy and rolls around everywhere so I know we'll have our hands full soon enough.

I just can't believe that a year ago today, Abby was still an only child and Zach hadn't come into our lives yet. He is such a joy and I can't wait to see what this next year brings for him (and us) - I know it will be so much fun to see him walk for the first time, start talking (though he does say "hi daddy" as clear as day) and of course, become more independent. In the meantime, we'll celebrate with pizza (his fave) and he'll have his first taste of cake tomorrow.

Happy first Birthday, little Zachary Jacob!!! Mommy, Daddy, Abby and Sadie love you!

My one-year-old

Well, Abby is officially ONE! We had a great weekend celebration, including a trip to the Bronx Zoo, the first taste of milk & birthday cake, the one-year check-up, a pet parade in our town, a pool birthday party, a Crumbs cupcake and visits from friends and family! Oh - and we're officially done with bottles - hooray!

Bronx Zoo - Abby loved it! She particularly liked the elephants, rhinos and buffalos. Who doesn't?!? She had so much fun at the zoo with mom and dad, who were inspired to become members of the zoo. Hopefully we'll go again in the next year to make it worth our while!

Birthday cake - She was a little confused at first (what is this, and why is everyone staring at me?) but after a taste of frosting, she was sold. It was so cute watching her dig into her cake and make a big ol' mess.

Milk - Loved it! We went cold turkey on the milk and she did great!

One-year Check-up - The day after her birthday, Abby weighed in at 19 lbs, 14 ozs (25%) and was 28 1/4 inches (25%). While mommy was a bit sad with her low percentages, it came as no surprise given her parents' height (or lack thereof). She is doing great and is healthy and on track for her age. The dr thinks she'll be walking soon - which we know from seeing her cruise all over the house holding on to toys, people, furniture, etc.

Birthday Party - With close friends & family around us, we celebrate Abby's first birthday at our pool. Of course it was not without some turbulence before, which included a board member being annoyed at our balloons/banners at the pool, a call from the property manager, the balloon store not finding our balloon order right away and Jason not being happy with the sandwich selection at the caterer. Of course, Abby did not know any of this as she swam, ate and played with her guests. Luckily the weather was a perfect 85 degrees and sunny for her day! Next year we'll be letting someone else handle the food & decor!

Bottles - Abby drank from her last bottle the night of her birthday...we're officially done now! She is doing great with the sippy cup and I'm relieved to free up some of my counter space.

Gifts - Abby is one lucky girl! From adorable summer clothes to interactive toys and good, old-fashioned cash, Abby cleaned up on her first! Now mommy better get crackin' on writing the thank-you notes!!

All in all, it was a great weekend. Abby's Grandma Sheryl came in from Chicago to celebrate her birthday as well, Abby's "Aunt" LT, "Uncle" DT and "cousins" Sammi & Jordan stayed with us and mommy even took a few days off work to plan, execute and recover from the weekend.

I can't believe my little girl is ONE!!