One year later

Well, folks, we have a one-year-old on our hands:

Talk about a milestone birthday! And not only for our little Deutbug, but for his parents, too. It's hard to believe that this time last year, hitting the one-year mark seemed so very far away.

I'm tempted to use the term "we survived." But that's not accurate, not at all. We didn't just survive. We "thrived." I'm thankful for every bump in the road, for without them, the victories wouldn't be nearly as sweet. And at the end of the day, or the year, our first year of parenthood didn't look like anyone else's. I think for part of the year, that made me unsure, frustrated at times. What I know now is that it was never supposed to. It's our journey as Team Park, and it's what makes our family, well, our family.


I simply cannot imagine life without this little guy!

Those beautiful, curious, spirited blue eyes.

That smile, those dimples and those adorable cheeks.

That laugh and that squeal.

Those arms that reach out for Mama.

One of our friends referred to Levi as our "fiery priest." I love that. It's a pretty literal interpretation of his name, but it's also pretty accurate for his personality so far, at least with the "fiery" part. We believe that the priest part is there, too, being molded day by day.

One year seems like such a milestone, and it is, but it's so much more of a beginning.

January 22, 2011, began a work in me that I couldn't yet understand. With his initial cry, my heart melted, and every day since, it has grown more and more full. My cup overflows.

Levi Blaze, you truly are our little wonder. You made me a mama, and with that title you gave me more satisfaction, more thankfulness and more joy than I ever saw coming. My life will never be the same, and that gives me cause to celebrate!

ONE YEAR OLD!

Happy, happy, happy first birthday to our little wonder, our precious little dude! We love you so much and continue to be amazed at how you have changed our lives for the better. You are absolute proof that God only gives good gifts. We celebrate you today, Levi Blaze!

Baby's Second Christmas

Now that Gib's parents have moved back within a few hours' drive from us, we were able to have an evening of Christmas with them this year, too!

It wasn't supposed to just be an evening, but we found out just before Christmas that SURPRISE! Gib would be having surgery to get his pins removed on the very day the Park clan had planned to unite at Gib's sister's house. So, that morning, Gib and I drove an hour for his surgery, then another two hours for the Park family Christmas, and then another hour and a half back to my parents. It was like a mini-road trip!

Gib was feeling pretty energetic going into the procedure:

And here he is in recovery, drinking "the best Sprite of his life." Neither of us realized that they might knock him completely out for such a procedure, but that they did. I find Gib to be pretty funny ordinarily, but coming out of anesthesia, that man is hilarious.

It was so much fun to see Gib's immediate family, even if for a short period of time. Levi received more fun gifts (including his jersey) and lots of welcome attention!

Baby's First Christmas

Although our baby is looking more and more like a toddler, we thoroughly enjoyed "baby's first Christmas!" He wasn't too impressed with wrapping paper or bows as I'd expected, but the tree captivated him.

This Christmas was so much fun for me. I loved having my sister there. I loved getting to celebrate Leigh's and J.J.'s first Christmas as a married couple. I loved waking up to my main man beside me and my little man bouncing away in the crib across the room. I loved getting to watch Levi Blaze experience the wonder of Christmas. I loved being with my parents. I loved playing Monopoly on an iPad for the first time. I loved spending the holiday all together as a family.

Levi enjoyed being the star of the show, and I love this sequence of him opening his gift from Aunt Leigh and Uncle J.J.

You know what else I love? This guy. In his adult sleeper that his thoughtful son gave him for Christmas. Now they can match!

We had a great time laughing together, playing lots of games and celebrating the Reason for the season. I'm pretty thankful to have such a great family!

Here are some of my favorite shots from Christmas!

Thanksgiving

We had a memorable holiday season filled with family and lots of fun… so much so that I'm just now getting around to write about it!

For Thanksgiving, the three of us took a road trip to Kansas to spend the holiday with Gib's family. Gib's parents bought a new place, and Levi thoroughly enjoyed looking out the front door, trying to get the remote from Uncle Brian, hanging with Aunt Kim and his grandparents, watching Wheel of Fortune, climbing the stairs, climbing people and sportin' a new hat!

I love these mischievous expressions!

Eleven months!

Deutbug! You are 11 months old! That's almost a year, my little man!

Each month, I say to myself, "life with this kiddo cannot get any more entertaining or fun or adventurous" and then lo and behold, the next month I find myself saying the same thing. Life with you, little mister, is a joy.

You continue to be a man on the move, crawling at the speed of light, pulling up on anything you think might be able to support you, and making your way from one part of the room to another by walking along furniture, window sills or anything else you find.

You've started talking to yourself when you play in your room, and it's the most precious sound. You babble in the sweetest tones and then interrupt yourself with shrieks just for the sake of shrieking. I love it.

Your tooth is in plain sight now when you smile, and you thoroughly enjoyed exploring these windows with your mouth:

This time of year, you love looking at Christmas trees with all of the lights. You enjoy it so much that you started standing, for just a few seconds at a time, in front of Grammy's and Grandy's tree. I think you especially loved the applause you received at the end of such a feat!

You still love to clap when anyone cheers, "yay," and once or twice I've heard the "yay" sound come out of your mouth, whether you intended to make it or not.

There are many toys you enjoy, but you LOVE books. You love sitting in our laps reading, and often times I will find you looking at books on your own!

We're nearing the end of 2011, and I continue to reflect on what a life-changing year this has been. You've completed our family in a way I never could have imagined.

Love, love, LOVE!

Mama

Ten months!

Levi Blaze,

Ten months, little mister! A few days ago, I realized that at this point, you have been in the world longer than you were in my belly. Wow.

More and more, we see your personality emerging. You are a vocal kiddo, and you are constantly babbling in sweet baby tones, "singing" as you discover different pitches, making the "mmmmmm" sound when you eat, and laughing.

And, my dear son, you have begun yelling. Sometimes the yell is followed by a laugh, and sometimes that yell is to let us know that you are not happy. It's been so interesting to watch you make decisions about what you like and don't like. Even in your moments of protest (you threw your first tantrum this month when you didn't get what you wanted!), you still remain the cutest thing ever. You are our spirited little boy!

You are a proficient crawler, and you are fast! When you see something you want, you waste no time in making your way to it. You now pull up on everything in sight, and recently you've begun taking steps while holding on to furniture.

This month, your dad taught you to throw your toy ball to him and he would roll it back for you to repeat. I remain so impressed by that new skill! You have several toy balls that you like, and these days, they are your toys of choice. You love the sound they make when you toss them across the floor.

You love making loud noises either by banging your hands on a hard surface, or by playing with my kitchen spoons on the floor. You flinch in advance when you know a loud noise is coming, but you turn around and make that noise again and again.

You cut your first tooth this month, and ooooooh does it make you that much more adorable! You still won't let me get close enough to get a picture of it, but I'm patient. :)

You, your dad and I have been having lots of dance parties, and the three of us laugh and laugh. You've also started a little game with us, where you make a sound and then look at us until we repeat the sound. Then, you do it again. You are a smart little wonder.

We love, love, love you!

Love,

Mom