Dr's appointments & Car Seats

Yesterday, we finally got to see Dr. Lake for Jackson's 1-year appt. Just like we thought, he is growing like a weed! He weighs 23 lbs 5 oz which is 60th percentile and is 31.5 in long...75th percentile! And of course, he is maintaining his Cooper-Hortiz head size at 90th percentile ;) That is a big jump from his 9month check-up. All other developmental milestones are right on track....he even took several steps this week! I also took the opportunity for face time to check on some things with Joey. Before we went to Dallas, Joey had been fighting a cold which saw a fever come and go and a cough that has lasted for 6+ weeks. During a previous visit, we were told that he had fever induced heart murmur. Dr. Lake confirmed that it had healed itself...Also, in an attempt to try and clear up the cough, he was put on Omnicef while we were in Dallas. 7 days in, he had a GI reaction to the antibiotic. After testing, it ends up that the medicine not only killed the bad bacteria, but it also killed the natural good bacteria in the intestines which caused his stomach issues. All in all, both kids are doing great and I wait with desperate anticipation of the first frost which will hopefully alleviate all of their allergy issues :).

Besides the big birthday bashes, there are also many other things that come with the first birthday....no more formula, no more baby food! And the much anticipated move to a "big boy" car seat (we moved Jack to Joey's car seat and Joey got a new seat that will last him the rest of the way). Jack loves it! He finally gets to see what it is going on and gets to watch whatever is playing on the dvd. On the other hand, Joey, who is really opposed to change, is not sure about the new situation. He has repeatedly asked for his old seat back. I keep telling him that his new seat is so much cooler and it even has a cup holder!

Jack's One Year Pictures

Mary out did herself again! These are just a few of the pictures from our photo shoot with her. They are beautiful!

Pumpkin Patch

My mom and I took the boys to Bill Bates Big Orange Pumpkin Patch on Saturday. It was too cute! They obviously had the pumpkin patch, but there was lot more...a hay ride, a john deere train ride, baby goats and big longhorns to feed and tons of set ups for fall pictures. Joey liked watching the hay ride drive by as well as the train, but had no interest in going on them. The boys loved feeding the goats, but neither were crazy about the longhorns. In fact, Jack was scared by one who tried to put his nose through the fence. They both had a ball crawling around on the pumpkins!

Jackson's Birthday Party-Dallas

Yes, Jack had 2 birthday parties. We figured since we were going to be in Dallas anyway, and we never get to celebrate birthdays there, why not?! I found a lady online who essentially brings "Build a Bear" to your home. She spends 45min-hour helping the kids stuff their animals (I chose monkeys to keep with the theme and chaos to a minimum :)), they have a naming ceremony, get birth certificates and then finish with a sticker activity. It was great because I had no idea what I was going to do with 9 kids from 1-5 for 2 hours and most importantly, I think they had a good time too! Of course, by now Jack is an old pro at the cake thing and showed off for everyone. All of the family came as well as some of my girlfriends from high school and their children. So, it was a big crowd and a great way to conclude the 2 weeks of birthday celebrations.

State Fair of Texas

Joe had to make a swing through Texas, so we decided to join him and stayed with my parents while he was on the road. This is an awesome time of year at home for many reasons, but the biggest being The State Fair of Texas! We decided to take the boys the day before the Texas/OU game with my parents and lucked out with a beautiful day! Joey wasn't to sure about most of the rides (even the kiddie ones)....he cried on the log ride. But, he LOVED the midway games! Jack just went with the flow, as usual. He and Joey both would have stayed in the children's petting zoo all day. The biggest surprise of the day, though, was Joey wanting to get his face painted. We never thought he would sit still, but he did and was so excited about his new look!

Jackson's Birthday Party-Baltimore

We had Jack's party at our house with family... Our little monkey enjoyed his day. I think he would have eaten the whole cake if we had let him, but he did like sharing it too! Joey had a little bit of trouble with all of the attention being on Jack, so with some quick thinking by Joe, we instituted a secondary celebration for Joey...Happy Brother Day! This included his own cupcake with a big candle and his own song!

Jack's Birthday

I can't believe he is already one! It has been an amazing year of watching Jack grow, developing his own personality and trying to hold his own with his big brother! His actual birthday was great! Joe was able to be home for the day and spent it as a family. We took the boys to the park for some playtime and a picnic!