Summer is HERE!

This is our first *official* summer weekend -- school is OUT!  We had a big garage sale and made some good money that we are going to save up for our Hawaiian vacation.  Chris and Ledger are getting ready to have some good quality summertime fun together.  I'm pretty jealous, especially since Ledger is continuing to do something new all the time.  Like this....

First, this week Ledger has learned to "jump".  It's hilarious.  Second, just tonight, he figured out how to kick a ball.  He has to circle around it a few times before he makes contact, but it's still pretty cute! :)

 

Skating Fun?

Did you know they made skates in such a small size?!  The skating lady assured me that if he's walking, he'd be OK to put on the skates.  LOL.  He didn't like it much, but the pictures were pretty cute.

One Year Old Survey

Weight: 21 lb 1.5 oz

Height: 29.5 inches

Number of Teeth: 7 (4 on top, 3 on bottom)

Talking (Y/N): Yes

       Words: Dada, Mama, Cat, Uh-Oh

Drinks from a Cup (Y/N): Yes -- he prefers sippy cups with silicone nubs

Waves Bye-Bye (Y/N): Yes -- although it's usually well after someone has left

Plays Pat-a-Cake (Y/N): Yes -- he thinks it's hilarious to clap and then watch all of the adults around him start clapping too

Walking (Y/N): YES, everywhere.  He is also starting to climb over things and stands on his tippy toes to get to his object of desire (so cute!)

Favorite Toy: Mom's keys, Power Wheels 4-Wheeler (a birthday present),

Favorite Game: Peek-a-Boo, Clapping, Hide-and-Seek

Favorite Song: Alphabet Song, Hokey Pokey, Any Song that Daddy sings

Favorite Thing: Mommy, My Pets, Stairs, Anything I'm not supposed to have in my hands...

Favorite Foods: Cheerios, Sweet Potatoes, Applesauce, Refried Beans

Most Recent Major Accomplishment: Sleeping through the night!!

What Makes Me Laugh: Funny noises, Peek-a-Boo

Least Favorite Food: Green vegetables

Dislikes: Being told "no", Getting in the car seat

Ledger's First Birthday - The 12-Month Check-Up

This week we took Ledger for his 12-month check-up.  He took his shots like a champ (as always) and we talked to the doctor about the allergy testing that we had done since our last visit.

At 12 months, Ledger weighs 21 pounds and 1.5 ounces and is 29.5 inches tall.  This puts him in the 20th percentile for weight and 50th percentile for height.  He may be a little on the "smaller" side, but, given his dietary restrictions, I'm pretty happy with where we're at... as long as he continues to gain weight consistently.

We also had his developmental assessment done this week, and he has above average language and motor skills for his age!

The Lawn Mower...

I am the lawn mower in the family.  Chris has other chores.  Unfortunately, mowing our jungle of a lawn is a challenge.  Our back yard is very, VERY thick Bermuda grass that will often stall or kill our lawn mower.  At the end of 2008, we invested in a high quality Craftsman mower in hopes that it would take care of our problem.  It has not made a difference.  At all.  And to make matters worse, I suck at "lawn mower maintenance" and usually we have to take our mower to the shop to be fixed at least once a summer.  So this year, we made the big decision to buy a used riding lawn mower!!!  Unfortunately, our gate isn't large enough to get the dang thing through the fence and into the back yard!  Can you believe that?!

So, after Ledger's birthday party on Saturday, my Dad gave me a quick lesson on the mower and then we actually took down a panel of our fence to get the darned machine into the back yard.  Yay!  Here's a few pictures of BoomPa taking Ledger on a spin around the block on the new riding mower.  I remember riding the lawn mower like this with my Dad when I was a kid.  It was pretty cool to watch him drive Ledger around.

Ledger's Four Wheeler

For his birthday, Ledger got a battery-powered four-wheeler.  It says 12-36 months on the box!  I didn't even know they made power wheels for kids this small.  We figured it might be something he'd grow into.  WRONG.  He was off and driving as soon as BoomPa and Uncle Josh put it together.  Watch for yourself!

Ledger's First Birthday - The Party

This weekend, we had Ledger's FIRST birthday party!!  We limited the guest list to our parents and sisters to try not to overwhelm the kid... but I think it was probably a little overwhelming anyways.  We served a taco bar (in honor of Ledger's Cinco de Mayo birthday) and a yellow hypoallergenic birthday cake with applesauce icing.  We really loved having our family together.  We are so truly blessed to have a group of wonderful people who love our son so much.  It's easier to SHOW instead of TELL about the party... so here is the photo biopic:

Ledger was not sure about wearing this hat.

This firetruck was the first present he opened and he LOVED it.

Ledger loves to rip the packages open!

The party blowers were a favorite!

This picture was taken from Ledger's view.  No wonder he was a little overwhelmed!

Ledger's First Birthday - Chocolate Cake

For about a month, I have been anxiously searching for an egg-free, dairy-free cake recipe to use for Ledger's birthday.  In my quest, I have recruited Millie and Emily to help me out.  All together, I think we've baked about 8 cakes... and they were terrible.  But, just in time for Ledger's first birthday, I found a recipe for chocolate cake and it turned out to taste pretty darn good.  I will make some allergy-free icing for his birthday party this weekend, but for tonight, I just spread applesauce between the cake layers.  Ledger didn't complain. :)

Ledger's First Birthday - 12 Month Photos

Today my son turned 12 months old!  Can you believe it?

Here is a little bit about what has happened in the last month:

• Ledger weighs 21.8 pounds.  He is nearing the 22-pound weight limit on his car seat, so this week we are switching him to his new, big, convertible car seat.
• The kid IS WALKING everywhere!  Seriously.
• We are feeling like we are getting things under control with Ledger's food allergies.
• He has finally become an "easy" laugher.  He will laugh at just about anything Daddy does.

1 Year

One year ago, at 10:01 pm, Ledger James Michel was born and forever changed our lives.  It is nearly impossible to believe that one year has gone by so quickly.  I am completely in love with this crazy, ornery, amazing little boy.  He makes me laugh and smile all the time.

I love being a Mommy.  And I've enjoyed sharing the past year with you through this blog.  Just like the slide show below, it's gone by in a blink of an eye.

A Night Away

Tonight I am mobile blogging from our hotel room in Lawrence.  We made the trip for the wedding of one of Chris' closest childhood friends.  The wedding ceremony was short and sweet, which was good for us because Ledger didn't want to stay still and silent very long.  The reception was in the same awesome venue as the wedding (Liberty Hall) and the transition was well choreographed.   The bride and groom had a nice finger food spread, and a very fun photo booth.  We had a nice time at the wedding and truly wish Josh and Amanda all the best.

Josh (the groom) with Chris after the ceremony.

Grandpa, Grammie, and Ledger at the wedding.

Now, despite being a devoted K-State Wildcat, I've always enjoyed the town of Lawrence... just not the collegiate affiliation.  Our hotel is on Mass St, which is the heart of he downtown scene here.  We couldn't resist throwing the kid in the stroller and soaking up some of the local culture.  This really is a cool little town with LOTS of local shops (not a ton of chain stores), bars, and restaurants.  There were people eating dinner and drinking coffee on the patios and street musicians on every corner.  We stopped in a few bookshops, but mostly just walked around.  It was really enjoyable.  Ledger even stayed awake and cooperative until almost 9pm!  Now we just have to hope that we didn't screw up his schedule too mug and he will sleep well all through the night.

After a looong week, we needed this little getaway.  I hope you are all enjoying your weekends too!

UPDATE:
On Sunday, we woke up and spent the morning enjoying our amazing hotel room at the Eldridge (thanks Grammie and Grandpa).  Ledger got to eat Cheerios in bed, something he is not allowed to do at home! :)

We finally made it out of bed and headed back out on the town.  We met the newlyweds out on the street and they recommended we eat Mexican at El Mez Cal -- which we readily agreed to!  We met Emily and Josh for lunch and REALLY enjoyed getting a chance to hang out with them, even if it was just for a few hours.  (Sure wish they lived closer...)  To see pictures of the lunch and a really, REALLY cute video of Ledger, go to the Perkspot blog.  After lunch, we stumbled upon the "Arts in the Park" festival (which is really lucky since it only happens one day a year!) and we all enjoyed browsing the arts and crafts exhibits and listening to the music.  The weather was beautiful.  I would have spent the whole afternoon there if we had more time.  All-in-all, this was a really good, relaxing weekend.  This week will be busy for the Michel family as we celebrate Ledger's FIRST BIRTHDAY on Wednesday and then we are having family over on Saturday for an afternoon birthday celebration!  So you have more blog posts to look forward to!