ONE Month to Go.....

I can hardly believe that in less than a month Thomas will be one year old. Time has flown by! Although I am excited about seeing him grow and have loved each stage more and more, a part of me is sad that he is quickly becoming a toddler. I am so scared that I will forget all the sweet things about him and his first year. I feel like I have already forgotten so much. If it was not for journaling, (Jenny's sweet idea) I would not have any details to share with him one day when he is grown.

Michael and I are so excited about planning his first birthday party. We feel so blessed to be able to share in the excitement with our family and close friends. His party will be small, at our house, and after nap time of course! God continues to bless our family and we are most thankful this past year for Thomas. I thought I would share a little about him for those of you who have not heard or seen him in a while.

He is a sweet natured and very curious baby. He is becoming fiercly independent and will most defiantly have a strong will. I wonder which parent he gets that from? Below are a few tidbits about him:

• Closing every door in the house has been his favorite activity of the week. More than once, I have stepped out of the room for a moment and then quickly heard a small frighented cry from behind a big closed door. He closes it and then gets scared when he realizes he is alone and can not get out.
• He gives you the biggest most precious smile each time you get him up from a nap...almost as if he has not seen you in weeks and thought you were never coming back. Lately I have been playing peek-a-boo with him by hiding behind the bumper pad and then popping up between the rails in the baby bed. He gets so tickled and reaches his chubby hand through the rails to grab my face.
• He loves to read and will sit in your lap to read ten books or more if you were willing. Although, he has his favorites and if you pick one that is not on Thomas' Book Club list, he closes it shut and fusses until you get a new one. He has always had favorite books and thankfully the list has grown to include more than just Who Said Moo. For a couple of months this was the only book he wanted to read and read and read and read!
• Thomas LOVES to eat and thinks food is such a treat. I guess all the spicy and flavorfull meals I craved so badly during pregnancy had an effect on his tastebuds.....once we had introduced table food, he wanted nothing to do with baby food anymore. Who can blame him? Last night we decided to feed him before we were to meet The Henthorne's at Mikata (yummy). He ate a whole Gerber Graduate Meal and probably three handfulls of Cherios. Then at the restaurant Julie and I could not put the piles of Puffs out fast enough until his teriakki chicken child's meal was ready (yes, I ordered an 11 month old a child's meal of his own). He ate a good bit of rice, all but two pieces of the chicken, a quarter of my soup, and the whole bowl of icecream his Daddy ordered for him. Talk about a chunk!!! Maybe he is making up for lost meals from being sick last week...or maybe he just likes good food as much as his Daddy and I do.
• He laughs when I tell him no no in my meanest mommy voice. If you don't believe me ask Ali...he laughed at her too. He really is a good and fairly laid back baby, but I have learned that boys are into things that little girls don't even notice or care to get in to!
• Thomas' favorite family member hands down would have to be Maggie, our ten year old chocolate lab. He looks out the window for her every morning and is beside himself when I let her in the house. Poor sweet old Maggie gets attacked by little hands and ear piercing squeals and she graciously responds with lots of wet sloppy licks all over his face!
• Last but not least, he has three of the cutest chipmunk teeth I have ever seen two more top teeth are popping through. There is something so sweet about tiny white baby teeth.
  
  Sorry that was so long, but there was so much to say since I have not updated the old easysite since my first and only post at five months old. By the way, the easysite is soon to be terminated and I promise to post here lots more often. I'm doing good so far...two posts in two days! Be sure to check out the slide show at the top to see recent pictures of Thomas.