Eating Cake

Well, as you can see in the pictures, Tate managed to do a great job eating his cake. He LOVED the frosting and after a couple of bites, really liked the cake as well. He probably would have been just as happy with a bowl full of frosting though! It was pretty funny and after eating it, he had quite the sugar high. Sean took him swimming right after he ate and he said that he was definitely on a sugar high. He was apparently growling at all of the kids in the pool.

Here, try a bite!

The Cake

This was Tate's AWESOME cake! We had a jungle theme for his party and my mom truly outdid herself by making this cake! It was so amazing and not only did it look good, but it tasted even better!!!! Thank you, Mom for making this awesome cake for Tate's birthday, it was even better than I imagined it would be!

Our house/toy store!

Tate loves his balloons almost as much as he loves any of his gifts! He has been playing with them like crazy. He points at them and yells, "BAAAAZZZZ!" It's pretty funny.

When we got home, we immediately took all of his toys out of the boxes, assembled them, put batteries in them and threw all of the boxes and thousands of wire twisty ties away. It was not fun, but we got it over with and now our house looks like a toy store! :) We have all of his toys in the basement/toy room so at least our living room only has a little box with toys in it like it always has, so I have a feeling we won't be spending as much time up there as we do down stairs. We even ate dinner downstairs tonight and we've never done that before. I don't think Tate is ever going to want to go upstairs. He is so happy that we live in a toy store now! He just keeps going from one toy to another and plays with them each for a few minutes. And I mean he is playing with EVERY toy! He is in heaven!

Tate's 1st Birthday Party...

What a busy, special, emotional, fun, exciting, whirlwind of a day it was! I am tired. I am going to bed. Pictures and thoughts to come in the next day or two.

Our Day

Our day consisted mostly of getting ready to head to Muscatine for the weekend. I was so busy yesterday that I never even took a shower, so that was a must on my list today. The problem with that was that for some reason, Tate was EXTRA clingy to me today. Usually when I shower, he plays in the livingroom while Praise Baby plays on the television or he is napping. It didn't work out for me to shower during his nap today because I had a migraine and took a nap myself! Then, when I left Tate in the livingroom to go shower, he cried and cried and cried and I felt bad...especially because it's his birthday! :) SO, I decided to push his high chair down the hall and set it in front of the bathroom door so that I could talk to him and peek out every now and then while I showered. I sprinkled several goldfish on his tray and stepped into the shower. I was not in there 30 seconds when Tate started crying hysterically. I tried to sing, play peek a boo with the shower curtain, talk to him, ANYTHING, but nothing would make him stop. I looked out of the shower curtain and noticed that between deep inhales and sobs, Tate was continuously shoving the goldfish in his mouth until he must have had nearly 10 in there! I was getting nervous that he would choke, so I was hurrying so I could get the goldfish out of his mouth. Well, I wasn't quick enough...just as I was about to rinse the shampoo out of my hair, I stopped hearing Tate and when I looked out, he was gagging, red faced and couldn't breath! I freaked! I jumped out of the shower, soapy and sopping wet and started smacking him on the back...it wasn't working. I shoveled all of the goldfish out of his mouth and he still couldn't get air, so I yanked him out of the high chair and had him over my arm while smacking his back. The pressere on his stomach I was hoping would make him throw up whatever was choking him. It seemed like an eternity (although it was actually maybe 10 seconds max) before he finally coughed a bit and threw up the chunk of chewed up goldfish he was choking on! WHEW! It scared me to death!!!! He was a bit stunned and upset and now he was sopping wet and sudsy from all of the soap that was on me. The bathroom had water all over the floor along with Tate's thrown up goldfish and I still had to finish showering! After sitting with him while he calmed down for a couple of minutes, I was able to sit him on the floor and in record time, finish my shower. That whole fiasco wore me out!

Shortly after that, Sean got home and we packed everything up and were headed out the door within an hour. Tate fell asleep before we even got on the interstate in Des Moines and we had wake him up when we arrived in Muscatine! I think he was a worn out little boy! I slept pretty much the entire way to Muscatine as well and woke up refreshed and headache free!

When we arrived to Muscatine, we hung out with Nana, Papa, Brigg, Lani, Cassie and Paul for a bit before we headed out to dinner at the Charthouse. We had a great meal and then came home and relaxed and played with Tate. Right before Tate went to bed, I discovered that he FINALLY cut his 8th tooth!!!!! WOOHOO! Tate was exhausted and went right to sleep. He's getting his rest for the big day tomorrow!!!

This time last year, we still did not know yet that we had a son. At that very moment, Tate's birthparents were making the toughest decision of their lives. We are so grateful for both of them and thank God for them everyday! We cannot even imagine the tough time that they had today and they were in our thoughts and prayers constantly today. Please pray that they continue to heal. These next couple of days will probably be especially hard for them as they remember what they were doing on these days last year.

A poem for my baby...

MY HEART

Today you are one and what a year it has been
Full of surprises and firsts, and some stress now and then.
I prayed for you while you grew inside my heart
When would this journey of motherhood start?
I knew God had a plan for you and for me
What I didn’t know is how amazing and perfect it would be!
The moment I held you and looked at your face
Is a moment in time that can never be erased
My heart skipped a beat and I knew all was right
I felt God watching over us that amazing night!
I wept tears of joy and was no longer just a wife,
But a mother to a son who I would protect with my life!

The first months of motherhood brought tears of exhaustion and joy
I had no idea how much I would love this amazing little boy!
I examined your features, your fingers and your toes
I loved everything about you, your blue eyes and perfect nose.
You loved to be swaddled and snuggled in tight
And loved being sung to and rocked late at night.
When you started to smile, that smile never went away
Your smile warmed my heart I could’ve stared at you all day!

Soon you could jabber and laughed all the time
It had been several months and still, I couldn’t believe you were mine!
You were happy and healthy - a longtime dream come true
I could no longer remember my life without you!
You grew and developed right before my very eyes
You learned so quickly and seemed to double in size!
Before I knew it you were crawling and saying your first word
Your little voice and high squeals are the sweetest I’ve heard!

You have brought me more joy than you will ever know
I will love you and support you no matter where in life you go.
My love for you runs deep; it comes from the depths of my soul,
Having you as my son has made me feel whole.
You’ll become a toddler, go to kindergarten, the teen years will start
but as you grow, never forget you're my son, my miracle, my heart!

I love you, Tate! Happy 1st Birthday!
Love,
Mommy

Tate is one!

Tater Tot,

We cannot believe that a whole year has gone by since you were placed in our arms! We love you more than words can describe and are so proud of you! You are the best little boy and have brought so much joy to our lives. We have had so much fun watching you grow and learn and cannot wait for what the future holds! We love you with all our hearts! Happy Birthday, Tate!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

"How old is Tate?!"

TATE IS ONE!!!!

I'm ready for my bath mommy!

Tonight I said to Tate, "do you want to take a bath?!" and then I put him down in the hallway while I went into his room and got his pajamas, bath towel and wash cloth and when I came into the hall Tate wasn't there. I looked in the bathroom and he was so excited to get into the tub that he had almost successfully completely taken off his diaper all by himself and was standing up to the bath tub anxiously waiting to get in. He is too funny!

I just think he's the cutest!!!

I can't help it...I couldn't decide which pictures to post because they're all just so cute! Mom got him his ADMI(RED) onesie he's wearing and I LOVE it! It is so cute on him, but then again, I think everything is cute on him! I just want to eat him up! Those big blue eyes just melt my heart! So here are some of my favorite pictures from our little photo session today!

A New Game

A couple of weeks ago, Sean and I put up a large gate in the living room. We blocked the entrance the the kitchen and the front door entryway because aside from those 2 areas, our living room is fully childproofed. In the last couple of days, Tate has started to really enjoy the gate. He likes to look through the mesh and especially enjoys looking at Mommy and Daddy through it and giving us kisses through it. He loves licking it too. Ya, kinda gross I know, but he gets a kick out of it! Here are a couple of pictures and a short video of him playing with the gate today.





playing with the gate

A fun visit...

Since Tate's 1st birthday is only a short 2 days away, Sean, Tate and I decided to go visit our social worker that we had through the adoption process. Her name is Carol and she is WONDERFUL! She has a very strong faith and was good at reminding us during the stressful, emotional and just plain difficult parts of the process that the right baby was out there for us and the good Lord new who he/she was and was just waiting for that perfect time. She prayed with us, laughed with us and was a shoulder to lean on when we were let down. We love her and were so glad to see her today. She loves Tate and was ecstatic to see him and couldn't stop reminding us how blessed we were to get such a happy, healthy and beautiful little boy! Just being there got me excited for the day that we will be starting the process again, yet at the same time, the thought of going through all of those emotions again is scary! At the end of the meeting, she asked us when we would be coming back to do it all over again. I told her I would do it today if Sean would agree! Good thing Sean isn't ready yet because it probably is a bit soon! All I know is that I look forward to working with her again sometime hopefully in the near future!

Busy

Wrapping gifts, buying last minute items for Tate's birthday party, doing laundry, grocery shopping, picking up my house, paying bills, packing for the weekend, vacuuming, doing a couple of people's hair, going to the bank and taking care of my son, my husband and myself along the way. That's my plan for the next 3 days. Looking forward to the weekend ahead!

One Year Photos

Today were Tate's 1 year pictures. It did not go well. He wasn't whiny, he didn't cry, but he WOULD NOT sit still. It was nearly impossible for them to get any pictures of him. Somehow when we went to look at the pictures, there were several good ones. Tate's just so darn cute! There were definitely not as many to choose from as there were when he was not able to move around and he just looked right into the camera and smiled, but still, there were several adorable ones and a few good family ones as well. So, I guess you could consider the photo session a success. I am not looking forward to the next time we have to do that again though! :)

Apple Picking 2007

This is my favorite time of year...and the annual apple picking trip to Wisconsin, something I look forward to every year! This was the 7th year that my family has carried on this tradition. It was started by my sister and her family when Brigg was only 3 months old!!! I did not attend that year and one other year, but otherwise, I have gone every year. Each year, it is more and more exciting because there is a new addition it seems almost every year! We had such a great time this year as usual. I got TONS of great pictures! We went to the same "Pick your own apples" orchard that we go to every year, we celebrated Lani and Macy's birthdays like we do every year, we had a ridiculous amount of delicious goodies like we do every year and ate apples and homemade caramels like we do every year! A great time was had by all! This year we rented a log home that was BEAUTIFUL! It was on an acreage which allowed for plenty of play room for the kids. There was a hot tub and a pool table, a fire pit, screened in porch, wrap around deck and amazing scenery! The only thing that would have made it more perfect would have been if Sean and Ayla (our unborn niece) would have been there...otherwise it was absolutely PERFECT!

Bode didn't have ANY fun at all...he was miserable! ;)

Tate is so amazed with Brenda's teeth!

More from apple picking...

Smores before bed...why not?! We were on vacation ya know!

The Birthday Girls!

A rare moment when Bode is actually enjoying Tate. :)

The "Stewart" girls :)

Papa and Nana with all of their grand babies (minus Ayla)!

Tate and Mommy in the apple orchard.

The log cabin was such a great place to stay! As you can see, we spent a lot of time outside.

Heading Out...

Tate and I will be heading to Muscatine this evening to stay the night and then leaving for our apple picking trip from there. We are SO excited, but a little sad that Sean will not be attending this year. :( Tate has come down with a cold too, so that's no fun. Although, he doesn't seem to mind the constant stream of snot coming out of his nose...it's probably a bit more bothersome to me! My allergies are in full force as well which is pretty typical this time of year. I will be doped up on allergy medicine and Tate on cold medicine so hopefully all will be fine! Plan to see several pictures posted on Sunday or Monday! This trip always makes for great photos!

Yes it is!