Happy Home Coming Anniversary

October 22 is another special day for us. This is the day we finally brought our baby boy home. After 31 long days Hunter was finally home! In celebration of this wonderful day here is a then and now picture comparison.

Then

Our trip home from the hospital. The car seat swallowed him! He slept the whole way home.

Now

Headed home from Mimi and Pawpaw's. He fills the seat just fine! He sang, talked and smiled the entire way home.

What a difference a year makes!

September 21, 2010 Happy Birthday Hunter

It is so crazy to think that a year ago Hunter unexpectedly came into this crazy world. He was not supposed to arrived until November, but instead he made his debut 8weeks early. We were so scared, but knew in our heart that he would be just fine. God was taking very good care of him along with the amazing NICU staff at Clear Lake Regional. They took such wonderful care of him and did things for him that we were not able to do. They shared many of his "firsts" with him .... first diaper change, first feeding and first bath to name a few. But that made our "firsts" with Hunter so much more special. We cherished each and every moment with him in the NICU. Going through that experience helped us realize just how unpredictable and amazing life can be. Those 31 days were the longest ever ... but yet it seems like yesterday we were heading to the hospital. So crazy how time can stand still, but still pass you by so quickly.

365 days later ... Hunter is 1!

I think he is probably the cutest little one year old around! I am sure his Dad, Mimi, Pawpaw, Grammy, Coach, aunts and uncles would all agree!

On his actual birthday he did a little bit better job of making a mess with his cake.

He did not eat any of the cake, just made a mess. But that is just fine!!! It was a mess I gladly cleaned.

Once everyone was clean from the cake. We took Hunter for a birthday ride on his bike.

You would never think he was a "preemie"! Happy Birthday Hunter! We love you!

Finally ..... Birthday Celebration Pictures! September 18th

We had a wonderful birthday celebration for Hunter...complete with cake, balloons, race cars and fabulous family and friends! It is so hard to believe that Hunter's special day has already come and gone!

Here is Hunter's cakes! Thank you Mimi for sharing your talent to create Hunter's first birthday cakes! They looked great and were very yummy too!

"One Good Year" Tire cake


This is my attempt to be creative, like my Mom. I made the number 1 with pictures of Hunter through the months.

Now the fun part......CAKE TIME!

He did not make a huge mess at all .... but that is okay!

Hunter received lots of wonderful gifts like toys and big boy clothes. He is going to have so much fun with everything. Here he is on his big boy riding toy from Mom and Dad.



He sure does look proud and independent! Pretty soon he will be zooming around everywhere on that thing.

Thank you to everyone who shared in this special day! Having each and everyone of you there made Hunter's day even more special. Your wishes and thoughtfulness is so greatly appreciated! Hunter is so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends.

Then and Now

Wow ... our little early turkey is a growing boy! Happy Birthday Hunter! We love you!

***Birthday and party pictures coming soon!***

11 Months

**I know this entry is a little late, but I wanted to post something. Better later than never! Enjoy!**

In just one short month Hunter will be a year old! When I think about it I get a little teary eyed, but at the same time I am so thankful Hunter is a healthy and a very happy growing boy! This month Hunter has been showing his independence ... which I guess is a part of growing up. Being a little more independent made this month's photo shoot a little more interesting that any of the others.

We have a crawler!!!! That is right, Hunter is officially crawling!!! It is so crazy that once he got the hang of it he has not stopped! He is everywhere and anywhere! He really has not been interested in his toys much at all. He is more interested in moving from couch to couch, from the living room to the kitchen, from the kitchen to the hallway, from the hallway into the bathroom ... oh no not the bathroom! He has seemed to pick up a little more speed with more practice. Getting pictures of him crawling was difficult! I would snap the pic and he would be gone.

See what I mean :-)

Hunter is also "talking" more. He is very fond of saying "ba ba ba ba". Although I swear I have heard him say "mama", "dada", "hi" and "I love you" - well that is what is sounded like anyway. Here is a short video of him "talking". The way he moves his little mouth is so cute!

Another talent Hunter has acquired is pulling himself up to stand. He is getting a little brave about letting go. I am sure before we know it he will be standing all on his own.

Well it looks like my next post will be when Hunter is 1 year old. Wow that still sounds so weird. Seriously, where did the time go?!

10 Months

Hunter is the big 1-0! He is a growing boy! At his last appointment he weighed in at 23lbs! He is right on the growing track for a full term 10 month old. Developmentally he is reaching some big milestones. He is an amazing boy!

Here are a few pictures from our monthly photo shoot.

By far THIS shoot was the hardest........


But SO much fun!!!

This past month has been full of rainy days. When the mosquitoes were not out Hunter and I would sit on the porch and watch the rain. He really enjoyed this. Soon enough I am sure he will not want to sit and watch the rain but run right into it!

Hunter also has a new passion.....BOOKS! He loves to look at the pages and touch the pictures. His books have now claimed 2 shelves on the aquarium cabinet. They are just at the right level for Hunter to grab and enjoy!

Hunter is still trying VERY hard to crawl. He is almost there! He can get up on his knees and rock, but then falls to his belly.

He is a pretty good "scooter". He has no problem at all "scooting" around on his belly. He is able to scoot to his books and the entertainment center ... which is NOT baby proofed. There are pictures and other things Hunter likes to get his hands on.

Hunter has been exploring a variety of different finger foods. He occasionally picks it up with his fingers, but most of the time he picks it up with his palm. He will get a handful of what ever he is eating and MAYBE one will make it in his mouth. Here are a few pictures of the finger foods he has tried this month.....

Peas

Spaghetti O's

Bananas

Veggie Puffs
(The first thing I have found that Hunter does NOT like.

He would put them in and spit them right back out.)

Animal Crackers

Ice Cream Cone

Just for fun here is Hunter's all time favorite game to play at his high chair .....the dropping game.

This month Hunter celebrated his first 4th of July. No fireworks this year. The mosquitoes have been horrible so it kept us inside ... maybe next year. Hunter had a very special patriotic shirt(thank you Mimi) that he wore. He sure does look good in red, white and blue!

As I close this blog entry, I leave you with one of my favorite pictures of Hunter. Hunter is starting to notice our cat, Snickers. Here is a picture of his little face lighting up as she is walking by ..... this poor cat has no clue what is in store for her in the future.