Happy 1st Birthday Pete!

Our little man is one today! It feels like just yesterday Pete was a tiny newborn snuggling in my arms.

It’s hard to believe that an entire year has already passed. It seems like it flew by and I can’t believe that our baby is one!

Pete was showered with cards and presents and had his very first taste of birthday cake.  I had planned on making a layer cake, but someone (who shall remain nameless) decided she would help herself to cake when I wasn’t looking.  So Pete got a one-layer cake instead.

I think he liked it.  Pat and I had so much fun watching him figure out what it was and what he was supposed to do with it.  We were all laughing and it was pretty cute seeing Pete’s reaction to the feel of the frosting and ultimately the taste of the cake.

One year ago, I thought that true happiness was a thing of the past for me … that my heart was irrevocably broken.  And then this little baby boy arrived.  He cried, then I cried and then I fell totally in love with him.  And I continue to fall more in love with him every single day.  When I look at him, I know that he was made especially for us.  I can’t imagine any other child being ours … he is just so perfect. Because of him, my smiles are genuine, my heart is mending and life feels really good again.  Pete is truly the light of our lives and is such a special little guy.  Pat and I are so proud of him and so excited to see what’s in store for his second year!

 

Pete at the Park

My friend Jodie told me about a great park in North Attleboro: the World War I Memorial Park and Zoo.  Pete and I were looking for something to do yesterday afternoon so we decided to meet my parents at the park.  Jodie wasn’t kidding; this park was incredible.  It had a petting zoo to start, so Pete saw all kinds of new animals: goats, deer, llamas, donkeys and pigs to name a few.  He didn’t know quite what to make of the animals (especially the llamas!), but he liked watching Birdie feed carrots to them.

Not a huge fan of the giant metal unicorn.

After spending some time with the animals, we walked around the park a little bit more.  There were several playgrounds, a butterfly garden, a gigantic sandbox and so many things to explore.  Pete is pretty skeptical of new things.  He wasn’t totally into the swings and slides at first, but after enough time, he warmed right up!

Those smiles speak for themselves!

He loved the little horse and was so cute smiling as he bounced around.  He also loved crawling up the slide and then sliding down on his belly.  He would laugh and laugh and then do it all over again.  It was adorable.  It was so fun watching him enjoy himself and it was pretty cute watching his grandparents with him too!  I’m not sure who had more fun – him, them or me.

I can’t wait to explore more new things with Pete.  He makes everything that much more entertaining and enjoyable!  And we will definitely be back at that park again soon.

Pete’s Perch

One of Pete’s favorite things to do is look out the window in his bedroom.  He scampers over to it the minute he has the chance, shoves the shade out of the way and pulls himself up to check out his surroundings.  He gets very excited and talks to what he sees, looks all around and it’s just the cutest thing:

He’s so curious and inquisitive and I love watching him explore new things.  And how cute is his little bum?!  I love it.

Easter 2012

Pete the Bunny celebrated his first Easter this weekend!  I am quite sure he’s going to hate me for this picture some day but he truly didn’t seem to mind wearing bunny ears:

We spent Easter morning in Worcester with Nana, Grandpa and Auntie Liz:

Pete found his Easter basket:

And then we headed to Canton to spend the afternoon with the Conroy clan (where I apparently took no pictures!) … Pete was a tired boy.  He didn’t nap all day but was so sweet and cuddly.  He never sits still for long, so for him to sit in Kristen’s lap resting was very unusual!  It was pretty adorable and Kristen didn’t seem to mind either.

We spent last Easter anxiously awaiting the munchkin’s arrival, so it was very fun to have him around this year.  We had such a great day with our families and love seeing the joy that Pete brings to so many people.  He is a neat little guy and continues to make us happier than I ever thought possible!

Easter Bunny

Pete met the Easter Bunny yesterday.  He was pretty skeptical (I can’t say I blame him) but they somehow managed to take his picture before he started really crying.  As one of my girlfriends said, the picture looks like it was taken circa 1975!

Happy Easter!

Eleven Month Update

Pete is eleven months old today!  I can hardly believe it.  He seems to have changed so much this month; he is quickly shedding his baby self and very much becoming a little boy.

Pete is such a happy baby.  He is just generally in a good mood, smiling and laughing all the time.  He is incredibly inquisitive and constantly on the lookout for new things.  I’m amazed at how much he seems to have learned in the last month.  He says quite a few new words and when he’s in the mood, he’ll try and repeat just about anything you say.  His newest words are Bailey (BAAAAAAAAley), what’s that (wazat) and baby (bAAAAAbee).  Yesterday morning, we were all lying in bed and Pete made a beeline for the picture of Brienna on my nightstand.  As he was climbing over me to get to it, he kept saying baby, baby.  It made me cry a little bit, but was also so adorable and so sweet.

Pete loves to clap, wave and give high fives.  He is a master crawler and moves very fast.  He doesn’t sit still and is into everything, which means that nothing is safe in our house! He is sweet, occasionally impish, smart and pretty darn adorable too; I marvel at him all day long.  I am so proud of him and fall more and more in love with him every day.  Pat and I are so blessed to be his parents.

 

The Art of Kissing

As I’ve mentioned, Pete loves to give sloppy baby kisses.  They are borderline creepy, because he stares so intently at you with his mouth open and tongue out, but they make me laugh and I love that when I ask for a kiss, I get one.  He treated his auntie Kristen to a kiss this weekend, which I happened to catch on film.  Without further ado, may I present The Art of Kissing by Peter J. Marr:

Despite his questionable technique (and disheveled look – he was exhausted), I think the kiss was a success because Kris smiled the entire time (as did I).  I hope my sweet boy maintains his enthusiasm for kissing (his family only!) for a long, long time to come.

 

Little Leprechaun

Here’s a few pictures of our little leprechaun on his dad’s special day.  Thanks to his grandmothers for providing him with the cute clothes!  The shirt on the left says “Mom’s Lucky Charm” and the shirt on the right says “Kiss Me I’m Irish” … I tried all day, but just couldn’t get a good shot of his face and the t-shirts.

Even his cute little baby feet got in on the action:

And last but not least, a picture of my view on a daily basis.  I just cannot get enough of that sweet little face looking at me …

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!

 

He’s Funny and He Knows It

Pete loves to be the center of attention.  He will repeatedly do things to get my attention or make me laugh.  Sometimes when he eats, he tilts his head side-to-side – I am not entirely sure why, but he wants you to mimic him.  It becomes this game that is pretty funny.  And he knows it.  He was doing it tonight and just cracking himself up before I even had the chance to mimic him:

I really don’t think he could get any cuter!

Ten Month Update

Our little man is ten months old! It’s hard to believe that so much time has passed since Pete came into this world and etched himself so firmly in our lives … he is my most favorite thing.

Pete is growing up so quickly!  I don’t have any official stats to report, but I would venture to guess that he is perfect (at least in my mind).  Pete is curious, funny, smart and occasionally mischievous.  He loves to open drawers and cabinets and take out all the contents. He loves to stand up and dance; he bounces his little legs, smiles and yells and has such a good time doing it.  He puts anything and everything into his mouth.  He seems to love all things that I wish he didn’t (the toilet, Bailey’s water bowl, the trash barrel and recycling bin) and he knows the word “no” but tends to ignore it.  Pete eats real food now and his favorites at the moment are string cheese, pita bread, yogurt, Cheerios and most fruits. He knows what he likes and what he doesn’t (carrots) and when he’s had enough, he rips off his bib and throws it on the ground.  He “talks” to his food and his toys, says “dada” and “no”, almost says “doggie”and is just a generally happy guy.  He claps and is learning to wave and I think is pretty close to walking.  Pete loves to climb the stairs and because there’s an echo in the stairwell, he yells the whole way up.  He is sweet and charming and just the best.