A look back to Feb 2009

Maevy - you're getting close to one year old, and your mother is going crazy with planning the event of your first birthday party. Supposedly a small, family affair, but with no stone left unturned. Your mother has been fast away picking out invitations and creating a menu all that fit within the theme (not mentioned here so as to not tip-off the invitees). She's been planning a cake that will be both healthy and delicious and can be made in the shape to match the theme. I'm always impressed with her and how she's able to do the planning and follow through, especially now that you seem to require a great deal more time than when you only slept, ate, and pooped all day.

But let me spend more time on the last year. You were supposed to be born on February 18th, 2009. But you wanted to wait a while. No biggie.

Your Mommy answered question after question about when you were making your appearance, and I went to work each day nearly on needles wondering every time my cell phone went off if this was going to be the call that changed my life forever. And as each day at work passed, we would go home to another evening of sitting in front of the TV, speculating if there was something we were doing wrong or had yet to do that would coax you from the comfortable womb you resided in. No matter what we did, you just never budged. After you waited for two weeks, and the midwife (Emma) said "enough is enough" and gave us the drop date. I'm still relatively young compared to all the experiences I hope to have, still I have yet to go through anything as nerve wracking as the birth of a kid. And you just did not want to make the curtain raise, despite all the potassium (actually Pitocin - but I was in mind to be accurate about such a small detail) we coursed into your mother's veins. Well, after a good 16 hours of being in the same hospital room you made your debut, and we could have not been happier. Your grandparents were all there, eager to meet the first grandchild on both sides. And you did not disappoint.


A beautiful little baby girl - all gooey and hairy. Worth the wait, for sure.

However, your story did not end there. We brought you home and then began the adventure of raising a little baby. In the first month, you didn't do much - SHOCKER!. By the time we got the the third month, you start smiling at people and discovering you hands and feet, and rolling over a bit.

In the third month, we took you to out to a couple of things - one was an outdoor symphony performance and I took you to a Nashville Sounds baseball game. I'd like to think you really enjoyed that - although time will tell.

The fourth month - July - saw you eating some solid foods for the first time - an avocado - and going with us to a fireworks display that got us all wet. You grabbed the bottle and put it in your mouth. And finally rolled over from your back to your stomach - a great achievement for any young one. Way to GO!.

Month number five was a good one - your first parade at the Tomato Festival just down from where we live, followed by a friend's birthday party. Mommy noted in your calendar that you are a very happy baby. So true.

Halfway through your first year, you were pulling up on everything, visiting a swimming pool (not your favorite, but with your disposition it's not something you really protested), and your Mom and I took you to Louisville to have your picture taken with Grandma & Grandpa Wyckoff by our favorite photographer - Sarah Gilliam - who was not in Louisville that day. I note this event because it's not often I have something to make fun of your mother for, and this one was a major blunder. Be that as it may, we did manage to make the most by taking our own pics and visiting the baseball bat museum. Are you aware that Daddy like baseball?

Seven months and you were on you way - standing for seconds by yourself, lots of babbling, first infection and dressing as Pebbles for Halloween.

In month eight, you began holding your own bottle when feeding, standing alone really well, enjoying be tickled and hands "eaten" by Mommy & me. Plus your first Thanksgiving.

When you hit nine months old, you were feeding yourself cheerios from the table, took your first steps, celebrated your first Christmas at OLPH (in the cry room) - after which you stayed up for an unruly 2 more hours and nearly ruined Daddy's "special drink time".

You're doing all the previously mentioned stuff, plus in the tenth month, you're eating more solid foods like fruit and veggies, "reading" Pat the Bunny and several other books on a regular basis. You really seem to enjoy bath time, where you splash around with your hands and play with some toys. Mommy and Daddy are into a routine now that includes Mom getting you in the morning, and me putting you to bed most week days, and I love doing it. You are so cute when you're tired. You bury your head in my shoulder as I read you the "Going to Bed Book" and curl up with your blankie you've been sleeping with from pretty early on.

And now, at your eleventh month, a full year from you original due date, you are as sweet as pie. You wave to everybody as we leave the daycare - sometimes even lunging from Daddy's arm toward the teachers you really like. Most of the teachers seem to really like you. Several speak of wanting to hang out with you outside of the daycare.

It's a long and winding road to here, but you are the best in this guy's opinion, and well worth the wait.