McDaniel Family Journal

I cannot believe that you are 1 year old already! Since it’s been a month since I last caught you up and so much has happened, I’m not sure where to begin. Let’s start with your talking. You have been saying “Mom” (it sounds like ”mome”) Dada, dog, good, go, and book (on occasion) for quite a few weeks now. You say “mom” when you need something, or your getting tired, and you say “da-da-da-da” in a higher pitch, cute little voice 🙂  These days, you haven’t said a lot of real, defined words, but you babble and make very conversational sounding sounds when we talk to you.

Let’s go to your very first birthday party next, or shall I say your 3 separate first birthday parties 😉 The first one you had was just us and Paula and the kids. They brought you a little Thomas the Train couch, a huge Spider Man ball, and fisher price toy with balls that jump it. You had a great time. I made brownies and gave you one. At first you were a little skeptical, but once you got a taste, you got the hang of eating it.  Michael was in his wheelchair, and that was the first time he had been able to get to our house. He is definitely getting better everyday, and you really liked sitting up there with him.

The next party you had was a lot bigger. We held that one at our house as well, and made it a big pool party with all of your Daddy’s side of the family, Grandma Pat, and a few of you’re little friends Thomas from across the street, Jakob a co-worker of Daddy’s little boy, and Hannah.  Daddy grilled hamburgers and hotdogs, and everyone brought side dishes, like chips and dip, potato salad, and Aunty Lynn brought peppermint patties. I decorated the house and the patio with a 1-year old little boy theme, and even had a banner printed with your name on it!  Rae made a family cake and a small cake just for you. It was perfect. It matched all the decorations, and tasted wonderful. After everybody finished eating it was cake time. I took off your shirt and placed that “small” (it wasn’t small at all!) cake in front of you and let you go at it. At first you just put your little fingers in the icing, then I gave you a bite and after realizing it was good stuff, you began some work! You had that cake all in your hair, your ears, your nose, and all over your body! We literally had to take you and hose you down in the side yard before we could bring you in the house to open presents! You were so cute! You did such a great job, and I’m so glad that you go to enjoy your first birthday cake.

The day of your party you practiced walking some more, but still wanted to hold our hand for long treks across the living room. The next evening however, on June 3rd, you took off on your own…for good!

Doing our regular nightly routine of you walking back and forth in the office from me to your daddy, you just turned on a trip back and took off down the hall! We were so very excited for you! We knew you could do it. I swear, you’ve got be one of the most talented children on earth 🙂

Needless to say, the next few days were exhausting, following you around and trying to keep you from falling, but I don’t think I’ll ever forget watching you take those very first steps away from me down the hall. You looked so independent and strong, that even though I was happy for you, I couldn’t help but be sad about my baby being able to that on his own now.

On the 7th we flew to Indiana. You did very well on the plane. I packed plenty of snacks, toys, and your favorite book “Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb”, and we did a pretty good job of keeping you occupied. You started shrieking at the very end, but with a little singing and re-reading of your book you calmed down. You used to shriek when you were smaller, but you stopped. You’ve recently picked that up again, and do it whenever you are frustrated or have been told “no” 🙂

Indiana was a good trip. You fell down some stairs on your uncle Donnie’s deck, but other than that you did well. You fell down a LOT, and had Aunt Rita bring you gobs and gobs of coasters, bowls, and spoons from her cupboards, but I think she enjoyed chasing you around, and I think they both enjoyed our visit. The biggest event for me was when you fell down the steps on their deck. I had turned my back for just a second to get you your cup and you walked right to the edge and fell down 3 stairs to the grass below. I was shaking for quite a while after that. You could have really hurt yourself, but thankfully you were unharmed.

Your birthday there was fun too. I made you a bunch of cupcakes, and we all sat down to dinner and sang Happy Birthday to you. You had a blast!

The plane ride back was a little better, too. You slept on my chest most of the time, so I wasn’t very comfy, but you were and that was all that matters 🙂 You were so very happy to be home though when we got there. You had missed your puppies and your bed, and we could tell that you were elated to be back.

Filed under: What Brighton is up to now on June 20th, 2007