Happy First Birthday

Once again we can't seem to coordinate our major life events so just like last year for Josh's birthday we're currently "homeless" and living in a hotel while we wait to close on our new house. We may have to have a "moving boxes" themed party next year just so he realizes it's his birthday.

Luckily the hotel has a pool so he was able to "swim" which is probably his most favorite thing to do. And we found a present that takes advantage of his love both for water (it floats for the bathtub) and anything that opens and closes that you can put things in.

Here Dad, you be the captain.

Well it's not the same chair as his usual pictures but it's close

For a celebratory dinner we headed out to Josh's favorite restaurant - Cracker Barrel. What can I say, my baby likes Chicken and dumplings and fried apples. Since the cupcake at Nana's wasn't a huge hit we went with a guaranteed favorite - ice cream (we ate the cobbler).

Happy Birthday Josh!

One year later

Some days it's hard to believe that we've been parents for a whole year, other times it's hard to remember what life was like before Josh was here. While I don't think there's been another year where we've cried as much, most of that was in the first few weeks when we stressed about his heart. We certainly have never had another year where we've laughed this much. Josh has brought us so much joy and amazed us every day with his resilience, sweetness and excitement. He has fit into our life perfectly and expanded it in so many ways. We can't wait to see what the next years hold.

A celebration

Once we got back to Nana and Grandad's house we had a first birthday party for Josh.

He really wanted to touch the candle and he was not too pleased that Uncle Brad would not let that happen.

Hmmm, icing.

He wasn't so sure about the cake but did eat some of it.

Once he was foaming at the mouth from the icing, it was time for presents.

The wrapping paper was just as fun.

Thanks Nana for my birthday presents

We capped off the day with some group family photos.

Here's Grandad with all the grandkids

And one of the out-takes that happens when you try to get that many kids to sit in one place. I love how Sarah's face says "Uh, boys".

And here's the Scott/Rickman/Pulaski clan

A day at the beach....

....or at least the water park right next to the beach.

For the second day of vacation we all headed to the water park/faux beach at Moody Gardens to let the kids play for the day. While the feels like temperature was approaching 100, our shady cabana, the water and the ocean breeze kept things pretty comfortable.

We knew Josh would love the water but I wasn't sure what he would think about the sand. Turns out it was a big hit although it was hard to stand up in. Thankfully he didn't try to eat it.

Once we were all suited up with sun protection, we set off to explore the park.

 

After a few trips around the lazy river and down the kiddie water slide, lunch and a nap were in order. Our collapsible wagon came in handy yet again.

After about an hour and a half in the wagon he decided the lounge chair (via my lap) was the best place to finish the last hour of his nap. Turns out surf, sun and fun equals a very sleepy baby.

After nap time, it was time for the pool again. Josh loved the water spouts that came out of the ground.

The wave pool (and the cute girls who kept flirting with him there) were also a big hit

All in all, it was a great "beach" day

 

Family Fun

Last week we took a short vacation to Texas to celebrate my dad's and Josh's birthdays. We borrowed a house near Kemah and had a great time hanging out with the family.

Josh was fascinated by his older cousins and how quickly they're able to move and play. Cousin Sarah with her puffs container though was the biggest hit. He practically chased her up the stairs trying to get some. Thankfully she was willing to share.

Despite the heat we headed over to Kemah to let the kids play and do a birthday dinner celebration. My dad and Josh had to wear their Hawaiian shirts for the occasion.

After dinner we headed over to the amusement park and Josh and Uncle Brad tried out the carousel.

Josh was teething the entire weekend with his lower canines and his one year molars and he was pretty miserable. So trying to get him to let go of his pacifier was almost impossible. I did manage to snag this picture of him and Scott while we waited for the train.

Uncle Andy was also able to distract him enough to get a few smiles

By the time we got to the train we were all hot and sweaty and J let us know that with just a little more motion he would be off to dreamland so we headed home just in time to catch the fireworks from the house deck.

Happy Daddy Day

In the midst of my three day labor last year I had felt pretty sure that we would have a father's day baby. I already knew that Josh was an amazingly lucky baby to have a dad like Scott waiting for him and he must have known that too. Scott had made it to every prenatal appointment, the many ultrasounds and had already spent two nights wedged into a lumpy fold out chair/bed so that I wouldn't be alone all the while running back and forth to the house to finish our packing and care for the animals. Well Josh evidently wanted to wait until he was old enough to help with the celebration after soaking up a whole year of dad time.

Scott, while you have always been a great husband, nothing compares to you as a father. I still like to think about the look on your face when you saw Josh for the first time and how everyday since you've loved to marvel at our son and the things that he does. I know being a stay at home dad wasn't always in your career plans but personally I think you have found your calling. Your patience and generosity have amazed me and I can't wait to see where we all go on our next adventure. Just wanted to document for posterity that we're so lucky to have you and let you know that the love you give us is returned a thousand-fold.

 

Fun at the Zoo

We finally had a break in the weather and went to check out the Cincinatti zoo. We had planned to go for mother's day but my call weekend had other plans then. It's supposed to be one of the ten best zoos for kids in the country so we were excited to check it out. Of course half the city seemed to have the same idea since we hadn't seen sunlight in almost a month but even with the crowds it was a good time.

Josh had a great time in his collapsible wagon. This is only the second time we've used it but we got stopped again by at least twenty people asking where we had gotten it. We might have to set up a booth outside the zoo next year and see what kind of markup people would be willing to pay.

The sleeping red panda was my favorite

But Josh seemed to enjoy the otters and the gibbons best

The ice cream cone was a big hit too.

Finally after a few hours some of us were inspired to nap so we set off for home.

All in all it was a great day