Birthday Happenings

I am way overdue when it comes to recapping Evan's first birthday party.  All in all, it was a success even though he was not interested whatsoever in his smash cake!  His birthday was baseball themed since it was so close to Opening Day. 

The Decorations

All the guests signed a baseball bat for Evan

"Welcome to Baggerly Ballpark"

Evan's monthly photos

A quick picture before a lot of the guests arrived

Concessions

Evan's smash cake

I made nearly all of the decorations myself. My favorite was his birthday banner, of course, but I enjoyed creating it all!  My mom made the delicious cookies, cupcakes, and smash cake.

Here are some images from the party.  Evan was exhausted by the time his cake was served, so he mostly cried and then sat happily in my lap while we opened gifts.  Thankfully he went down very easily for a nap soon after!

On his actual birthday, we enjoyed a ride in his brand new swing, and a cupcake for dessert.  

We appreciate all of our friends and family who came out to celebrate Evan's big day with us.  We wish we had more pictures of his guests, but we tried our best to put our cameras aside and live in the moment with our baby boy.  We cannot wait to see what this next year holds for our family of three!

Wagons, Crawfish, and Easter Eggs

 I ended my four mile run with an exhilaration that doesn't come often.  It wasn't quite like a runner's high (I'm guessing because I don't experience these too often)...it was what I can only imagine is even better.  I was so happy to find myself in one of the greatest places from my childhood: Grandma's House.  Some might pass right through Crowley, Louisiana and think nothing of it, but this is where my childhood memories thrive.  

My cousin Claire captured the essence of this place beautifully in her blog post and it is true..."My cousins, siblings, and I all agree that our grandparent's house is a place of solace for us.  Maybe it's because we spent weeks during the summer staying up late playing on the computer while my grandmother did crossword puzzles on the sofa in her robe.  Or breezy walks to the park a few blocks away over cracked sidewalks.  Or perhaps it's the secret hiding spots beneath the bushes where we used to escape the afternoon sun.  Whatever it is, I associate their house with a peacefulness I don't often feel."

It is very important to me that Evan experiences the magic of Grandma's house.  I want him to run down the stairs after a night's rest and find doughnuts sitting on the the kitchen table.  I want him to learn the proper way to crack open a crawfish and dip it in butter.  Matt knows just how important this is to me.  We plan to make the 7 hour trek once or twice a year. Despite the fact that Evan acts like he is being tortured in his carseat, the trip is worth it.  A million times over.

Evan's first Easter Egg hunt

Happy Easter Baby

Every Easter our family enjoys a large crawfish boil.  Thank goodness Evan likes crawfish.  He is a picky boy.  But he has some Winston blood in him.  The Winstons love crawfish.  Thank goodness Evan fits right into our family.  I didn't want to have to ask him to leave.

Precious Cate with my cousin Anne

He studied the crawfish and then ate 6 tails!

One of the best parts of this particular trip was seeing my brother and amazing SIL, Kathryn.  We don't see them often enough and Evan misses his Tio and Tia!

In the afternoon we took a walk to the park.  We loaded the babies up into a wagon.  I am now trying to convince Matt that I need this wagon.  I don't care if it costs $145.  Our family outings depend on this wagon.  How lame is it to ask for a wagon for my own birthday?

We had the opportunity to take some family pictures on Easter Sunday.

Matt and I braved the drive home with a cranky baby and a bad rainstorm.  We were blessed with a 40 minute nap from Evan.  Will we make this drive again?  Absolutely.  Until we can all get together again, I can look back on this memory and smile.

The Grandkids and spouses minus Nanny's children

ONE Year!!

It's official.  This time last year we were welcoming our sweet little boy into this world.  I know that I say it every month, and I know that every mom says it all the time...but I cannot believe how fast this last year went!  I remember when Evan was only a few weeks old people would tell me over and over to "appreciate it while it lasts. Time will fly by."  Well, I have to be honest.  I wanted to yell at them.  Time was CRAWLING by and all I wanted was some sleep.  I couldn't wait for Evan to get older because it felt like the days were years.

Well, I officially am one of those moms that want to tell others to enjoy it while it lasts.  This year has gone by too fast and I cannot believe how much Evan's personality shines.  It is so fun to see him grow and learn every day!

Eat

Evan you are officially on whole milk!  We started transitioning you over a few weeks ago and you did very well.  You are a pretty picky boy but you LOVE american cheese!  Your current list of favorite foods includes yogurt, macaroni and cheese, bananas, puffs, and cheerios.

Sleep

You are an EXCELLENT sleeper!  We can put you down in your crib and you will go to sleep all on your own.  The only problem is that you won't sleep anywhere BUT your crib.  You won't sleep in the car or in our arms.  Thank goodness you make up for it by sleeping through the night easily.

Sizes

You are currently in a size 3 diaper and mostly 12 month clothes.  You still fit into some 9 month clothing.

Stats

We don't have our doctors appointment until April 11th, so these measurements are unofficial.  We are hoping that you will move up out of the 5th percentile for weight.  The doctor says that he doesn't want you to drop below that amount.  We are praying for good news!

Weight: 19.2 pounds

Height: 

Likes

• favorite time of the day: bath time!
• crawfish...you have some Winston in you!
• riding in a wagon
• rolling around in a blanket
• playing peek-a-boo with blankets, drapes, or pillows
• riding on our shoulders
• swinging
• chasing Joey around the house
• Elmo

Dislikes

• getting your diaper changed
• getting dressed
• car rides
• a monster on Sesame Street that honks its own nose.  It TERRIFIES you.
• loud noises
• being in a different room from Mommy.  You are struggling with a little bit of separation anxiety.

Firsts

• Wagon ride
• Meeting lots of second cousins at Easter.
• St. Patrick's Day (although we didn't actually celebrate this day at all)
• First time being left by Daddy for 6 days straight.  We missed him dearly.
• First crawfish boil.  We expected you to hate crawfish because you are so picky, but you actually ate 6 tails.
• Easter egg hunt (you were born before Easter last year, but you didn't hunt any eggs....although this year you didn't do much either...but at least we pretended you did something)
• can identify your belly
• have tried saying the word "dog" but can't get the "g" sound correctOur precious Evan, you have brought us more joy in our lives than we ever imagined.  You bring us laughter ever day and we are beyond blessed to have you as our son.  We look forward to our future as a family and will continue to love you each and every day!