Walk Like a . . .

Well, not quite like a man, but definitely a toddler!  Our little fella started walking!  His first steps were to Mommy in the family room on June 11 (his 14-month birthday!), and by daycare pickup the next day, Firoza told us he was walking about half the time.  He's not doing that much at home (crawling is MUCH faster, and being carried by mom or dad is infinitely preferable), but it's such a delight to watch him explore the world on two legs.  Here's a cute video of our wobbly little guy walking at his daycare party on June 14.

All Done!

Reed's vocabulary has been expanding by leaps and bounds!  He now has around 10 words, including "iPad" (yes, he is father's child - or a product of the 21st century!), "outside", "bye bye", "mama", and "apple".  But Reed's favorite word, or phrase I should say, is "all done."  We taught him the sign a few months ago, and he now says both words pretty clearly, while simultaneously making his sign for the phrase: throwing his arms emphatically out to the side.  He's always very sure he's finished - until we put a bowl of fresh blueberries in front of him!  Here's a video of him in action, plus a few cute pics from May (late yet again!).

What's up, dude?

Just hangin' in his house

Fun with Daddy

Kisses for Daddy

Eli and Reed make sure the house is in working order.

Reed and Read Mortimer - sweet baby kisses!

The Incredible Hulk

A few weeks ago, Reed went through a phase of making these hilarious Hulk sounds during meal times.  He's grown out of it (at least for now!), but he cracked Grammy and me - and himself - up with his antics.  So glad we keep the Flip near the high chair!

Reed's 1st Birthday Party

I am unbelievably late in posting this, but we've been just a tad busy since the party, with the move into our new house (hopefully getting some pictures up soon!), a trip to Ft. Worth for a TCU board meeting, and adjusting to a new routine at home and daycare.  But Reed's first birthday party was a big success!  We had around 40 friends and family gather in the clubhouse at the Lakelands to enjoy a bagel lunch and cake.  I did a balloon theme, with the colors of blue, silver, and white.  While I would have liked the final look to be a bit more cohesive, given the location (not my house, in a room with green walls and a warm color scheme!) and the 45 minute set-up time, I was pretty happy with the results. And the most important thing is that everyone had a wonderful time!  Here are some of my favorite memories of the day.

Balloons

Cake table, with blue and silver happy birthday sign

The spread

Crafts tables, with cutout balloons for guests to make cards for Reed

Cakes and balloon lollipops

Reed's adorable smash cake, made by his Bubbe

Zaide and Bubbe

Good friend: Paul Radulovic, Jen Simon, Kate Calvin, and Dustin Simon

The birthday boy arrives fashionably late, fresh off a nap

Reed and his Zaide

Playing with Eli Steiner (16 months)

Checking in with Mama

Kids having fun at the crafts table

Reed with Mommy and Grandpa

Testing out the cheese "balloons"

Eli having fun with the real thing

Cake time!

As we expected, our little guy was skeptical

But happy to share with Mommy and Daddy!

Party in full swing!

Proud parents watch Reed's first year video

Reed and Zaide loved it too!

Up, Up, and Away - Reed's First Year

Commemorative slide shows run in the Sherwin family.  I believe my dad made the first one for his brother back in 1996, for my  uncle's 50th birthday, and since then, my mom and brother have both gotten in on the family slide show craze.  My mom made one for both my brother's wedding and my wedding, my brother made one for a family trip, as well as my parents' 40th anniversary, and now, I have made one to celebrate Reed's first year!  Hours upon hours of blood, sweat, and tears have gone into these masterpieces and, while I know mine doesn't come close to the artistry of my more practiced family members', it will forever remain a treasured media time capsule of our little boy's first year.

Enjoy!

Reed is One Year Old!

The big day has arrived - Reed is one year old!  We remember April 11, 2011 like it was yesterday, and can hardly believe that an entire year has gone by since our family of two became three.  Reed delights us on a daily basis, whether through his infectious laugh, his thoughtful perspective on the world, or his sweet cuddles.  We are so very blessed to have him in our lives, and we can't wait to see what else he has in store for us!

Here are all the things we want to remember about Reed Alexander at 12 months -- one year old!

•  At 21 lbs, 15 ounces, and 30 1/2 inches long, Reed is in the 30th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for height.  Quite a change from months two, three, and four, and now I'm missing those sweet thigh rolls!  He wears 12 and 18 month clothing.
• He continues to be a great sleeper, with 12 hours at night (7 p.m. to 7 a.m.) and two naps during the day (9:30 - 10:15 a.m. and 1:30 - 3:00 p.m.).
• We're lucky he's such a great sleeper because Reed's eating has become a real challenge for us.  He nurses in the morning (approximately 6 - 7 ounces) and is down to just two bottles during the day: 6 1/2 ounces at lunch and 5 1/2 at dinner and bedtime.  I'm proud that Reed has only had breast milk up until now, but today we started introducing whole cow's milk.  Nutrient-wise, he now needs more than Mommy can give him!  With solids, Reed has gotten VERY picky.  He loves ground beef, cheese, cinnamon raisin bread, Gerber cheese poofs, yogurt melts, and Mum Mums, and will tolerate bananas and yogurt.  Anything else he usually tosses aside (literally) without even trying, or else he'll put a bite in his mouth and spit it out.  Lovely!  We're hoping this is a stage he grows out of soon . . .
• After his tubes surgery on March 20, we saw a huge jump in Reed's receptive language.  Our ENT surgeon told us that, due to a thick build-up of fluid behind his eardrums, Reed was hearing at a 40-50 decibel deficit.  That's pretty significant!  Just two days later, he waved when Mommy asked him to wave, clapped when Mommy said "good job", and said "uh oh" in a much more intelligible way (see video below).  
• Reed now responds appropriately 90% of the time to "hi/bye" (waving), "good job" (clapping for himself), and clap.  He knows the signs for "more" and "all done", and when asked, he can retrieve his ball, paci, block, fish, and bottle.  He will also look for Daddy and Ari when asked where they are.
• I've been trying to teach him "nose" by pointing to my nose and saying "Mommy's nose."  Now, when I ask him where Mommy's nose is, he takes my hand and puts it on my nose.
• He has always loved his Classical Baby DVDs, but he recently started clapping along with the baby animals, in between each number.  It's like he really is watching a show!
• Reed now loves putting items into receptacles, as opposed to just taking them out.  He'll spend 20 minutes at a time putting blocks into the chute on this train!
• He mimicks us in the way he holds the remote control out to the TV and holds the phone up to his ear.
• Reed now loves story time, particularly turning the pages of his books.  He responds to "Turn the page!", and eagerly awaits his chance to do so.  His favorite books are Goodnight, Moon, That's Not My Monkey, and The Grandma Book.
• He loves to be surprised!  When we jump out at him or make a loud noise to startle him, he first startles, then pauses, then bursts into belly laughs.  It's adorable!
• As I mentioned in the Passover post, he can climb stairs!  He's remarkably fast, given that he has no practice in our 1-story apartment.
• His favorite toys are his elephant ball popper, his new VTech zoo toy, his Peekaboo bear, both of his trains (the Fisher Price and VTech), and his Fisher Price dog.
• Reed enjoys dancing along to music, both while standing (bouncing his little legs) and while sitting (swaying side to side).

Here's to a whole year of firsts, Reed!  Mommy and Daddy love you so much!

Flexible like Mommy!

He's a miserable little guy . . .

Passover

Last year's Passover was a bit of a blur, as Reed was just a week old!  The first night was on the eve of his bris, and both the Sherwin and Lang grandparents, Rachael, Jeff, and me gathered in our dining room for the most abbreviated seder I've ever seen.  In true Passover fashion, Reed reclined for the meal in his swing, but left early for a nursing session and a nap.  So while last year was Reed's actual first Passover, we all felt a bit more "with it" this year.  We drove up to New Jersey late Friday afternoon and enjoyed a weekend with Bubbe, Zaide, and Aunt Rachael.  Jeff's cousins Shayna and Evan, and Shayna's 3 1/2 year old, Christopher, also came to visit on Saturday, and Reed was enamored with Christopher.  He even followed him up the stairs, learning to climb in about two minutes! 

His best James Dean

He's a stair climber now!

Waving bye bye at nap time

Sharing his paci with Zaide

Reed loved Christopher!

Swinging with Mommy