Doing Big Boy Stuff

Dylan has officially joined the land of the walking. He took his first three steps a week ago and has been adding to that every day since then. He loves it! Every time he realizes he is walking by himself, he gets a huge grin on his face and starts laughing. He knows he is doing something really cool and will look around to make sure that someone is watching him. He is also increasing his vocabulary. In addition to Dada, gog (dog) and yum, he has started saying Hi Tazzy (that is our dog, Taz) and waves Bye Bye on command. We are so excited to experience all of these learning steps with him. Being parents is such a wonderful blessing.

O Christmas Tree

My mother has always loved the Christmas season, and I picked up on her enthusiasm for it. I had no idea that having a child would make me enjoy it a hundred times more than I already did. Dylan has been so good with the tree, decorations, and even the presents. He has not tried to take any of the ornaments off the tree. He will just sit and stare at it and occasionally reach out and lightly touch the branches. Sooooo cute!

Dylan recently discovered our Swiss ball in the exercise room. He has made a game out of rolling it around the house. He gets this huge grin on his face and then just runs laps pushing the ball.

I believe that we have found the greatest toy on Earth. A box of trash bags!!!!!!

Dylan spent about 40 minutes taking each back out of the box, then rolling around on the kitchen floor, then trying to shove each bag back into the box.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Dylan literally spent all of Saturday morning whining and screaming, EXCEPT for when we sat on Santa's lap. Santa jingled the bells and Dylan actually laughed! I am convinced that he didn't want Santa to put his name on the naughty list. I, of course, had to sit between Dylan and Santa -- otherwise this picture never would have happened.

It's My Birthday, and I'll Cry if I Want To!

Dylan's special day started with a trip to the pediatrician for his 1 year check up. He is a shorty with a big head. He currently suffers from MAJOR separation & stranger anxiety and screamed for the entire 20 minute visit. He was running a fever from his cold and teeth, so no shots. Yippee! He did get poked in the toe for some blood tests.

Great Grandma & Papa Burt bought Dylan this 'motorcycle' for his birthday. Doesn't he look so cool on it?

Dylan was more interested in climbing all over and pushing around his presents than he was in opening them.

Dylan ordered Cheese Tortellini for his Birthday dinner. Mike and I could not cut it up quick enough for him. Dinner was a big hit.

Most people do not believe me that Dylan can throw a tantrum. But, here is the proof. These last two pictures perfectly exemplify the past two days.

Thanksgiving Aftermath

We had a wonderful time visiting with Mike's family. Our Thanksgiving meal was yummy. Dylan really enjoyed his first turkey dinner. His favorite dish was my Sweet Potato souffle - a recipe I got from my Mom.

Since Dylan's birthday is coming up in a few days, we decided to celebrate with his Elkington grandparents so they could see him enjoy the gifts they gave him. Grandma brought him this cool crown and bib to declare who the Birthday Boy is. Can you tell that he was oh so thrilled?

He never did quite get a grasp on what to do with the paper, but he really liked a couple of his gifts. He received some clothes, pajamas, a Christmas dish set (the spoon was a big hit since he is currently teething again), and a really cool turtle that lights up and plays music.

Michael, Jamie, Ashley, Brett, & their Dad spent much of Friday and Saturday playing Risk. It was everyone's goal to make Dad lose. This is Michael plotting his world domination.

And then there were three. Mike actually did end up winning, so I guess staying up until 1am plotting did him some good.

Dylan finally decided it was okay to chill with Aunts Jamie and Ashley -- an hour before they left to go home. He is still in his 'I don't like strangers' phase. Will someone please tell this child it's okay to play with someone other than Mom and Dad?!

Dylan is a very lucky boy. Grandpa & Grandma Elkington love him so much.

In Honor of Thanksgiving

I will post pictures at a later date. The Elkington family came to North Carolina to spend Thanksgiving with us, so I'm sure there will be lots of photo op moments over the next several days. But, in honor of today, I thought it fitting that I just post a few things that I am thankful for.

I am thankful for Dylan, who smiles at me as though I'm the coolest person in the entire world. I'm thankful for an understanding and level headed husband. I'm thankful for a mother in law who was so gracious to prepare half of the Thanksgiving feast in Delaware and then transport it to our home in NC since I have no idea how to cook a turkey dinner. I'm thankful for my parents and siblings and for all the love and support they give my little family. I am thankful for my many many friends. You are all so wonderful and I am truly blessed to have you in my life. Most importantly, I am thankful for my Savior and for the unconditional love He has for me and my family.

May you all have a wonderful day full of food, fun, and love.

Pre-1st Birthday

I know it's a couple weeks early, but I didn't want to get caught up in the holiday rush and run out of time. So, on Saturday, we went and had our first family picture taken as well as Dylan's 1 year pictures. I'm not going to post the family one until after the holidays because I'm sending it out with our Christmas cards and I don't want to give out a preview. But, these are the two poses of Dylan that I liked the best. I'm glad that it's not his actual birthday yet because otherwise I would be a blubbering mess right now. I'm having a hard time with the fact that my baby is quickly moving into toddlerhood.

Not So Halloween (& other fun stuff)

Most people think I'm just being lame and boring, but I really didn't see the point in buying Dylan a costume this year. He can't exactly trick or treat and we were out of town for any of the Halloween parties. So, in honor of the holiday, he donned a glow in the dark Peek A Boo t-shirt.

I just thought this was a cute picture of him getting around outside. It was the first time I'd put him on the concrete. He just kept looking at me like "What is this crap, Mom?"

He is so darn cute. He just puts a smile on my face.

This was a few weeks ago when we were out shopping. He was in awe of the water fountains in the background. He kept trying to touch the water.

How Does He Do It?

Dylan has been up to all sorts of mischief this morning and it's only 9am! So far he has pulled all of his books off the shelf and taken all of his toys out of the bin.

Helped mom do the laundry -- and by this I mean he was pulling stuff out of the dryer just as I was putting it in. Oh, and I should mention that he has finally realized the benefit of crawling versus the army scoot.

He also decided that it was okay to stand up on his chair to get to the blind cords. I'm not sure he realized how difficult it would be to get back down.

And the big TaDa of the morning, he thought it would be fun to try going up AND down the stairs. Mom about had a heart attack! After the adrenaline rush, however, I had to just sit back and laugh. He is just learning so much and I love being able to watch it all happen. He is such a joy and I absoluetly love being his mom.

Up to no good

Since my last couple of posts, our little man has been teaching himself how to do all kinds of new and exciting things. He is now pulling himself up to standing, walking while holding onto anything, harrassing the dog, climbing into baskets, etc. I feel like I spend the entire day telling him 'No' and pulling him off of things. The upside is that I'm losing those last few baby pounds! This kid cannot stay away from poor Taz. Dylan calls him "Gog." They are so fun to watch - they behave just like brothers.

Even big boys still need naps. Somedays, this is my best chance at some quiet time.

Dylan finally decided that it had been way too long and he needed to help me unpack from our trip to Delaware.

I'm not really sure why, but he loves the clothes hamper. The other day I actually found him inside of it, but my camera was nowhere to be found.

With all the mischief he is getting into now, I had to start putting him in his own baby prison. Doesn't he look so distraught?

Excursion to Delaware

For Labor Day weekend, we decided to drive up to Delaware to visit Mike's family. We needed to drive up some stuff that we were storing for them and it was his brother Brett's birthday. Dylan ended up not feeling too good the whole weekend. He had a REALLY bad diaper rash and is still working on getting his two front top teeth in. It amounted to him being incredibly crabby, not sleeping, and only wanting mom to hold him. By the time we were ready to leave, he did seem to be in better spirits. The only time he was content was when he was outside. So, pretty much the only pictures I took all weekend are outside. Grandma Elkington and Dylan had a good time on the swing Saturday afternoon.

Dylan and Daddy posing in the backyard.

Mike and Brett decided to have a bike race. Brett won.

Awww, three generations of Elkington's.

Dylan really warmed up to Uncle Brett and soon to be Aunt Wendy.

Other than Dylan being so miserable (and mom not getting a break from holding him), we had a really good time visiting with Mike's family. His mom is a great cook, so of course we all came back home a couple pounds heavier. Thanks Grandma & Grandpa for a fun weekend!

Just because he's so cute

Our Anniversary dinner at Cheesecake Factory was not the greatest night. After 50 minutes of sitting with just our waters, we ended up walking out without ever getting any food. Luckily, we have the cutest kid in the world, so he kept us entertained and somewhat in good spirits despite our crappy service.

Dylan is a little behind other kids his age when it comes to physical progress. I'm pretty sure it's because he's such a big kid and just can't support his weight well enough to move around. He has perfected the army crawl, but regular crawling and standing are a little more difficult for him to master. I spend a lot of time working with him to help get his muscles stronger. This is during one of our play sessions.

Daddy was trying to catch him, but he didn't want to be caught. He knew once Dad caught him, he was going to bed. So he kept scooting away and laughing. So cute!

I had to stand him up in his crib, but he thinks it is the coolest thing in the world.

Grandma Daniel bought Dylan this adirondack chair when we were in Charleston last month. He loves to sit in it while I read him stories or just to play with his toys. He is getting to be such a big boy now!

3 Years?? Really??

Today is our 3 year Anniversary. I honestly can't believe it's only been 3 years. I guess that is what you get when you date for almost 6 years before tying the knot. Unfortunately for us, we don't know anyone in town to get a babysitter. I think the most exciting thing we will do today is brave dinner at a restaurant with the lil' man. I'm thinking some Cheesecake Factory sounds might yummy!! Hopefully we'll be able to get some alone time in a few weeks when we are around some grandparents.

Switchin' things up

After 3 1/2 LONG days of driving in a cramped truck with a dog we arrived in NC safe and were all reunited as a family. We love our new home and all the extra space. We increased our living space by about 800 SF, but amazingly enough, we are already filling it up! Go figure.

Our little Dylan has decided to get two teeth in the past week. While I can't get him to let me take a picture of them, I was able to snap this one during a 'happy' period. Before I saw tooth #2 this morning, I thought perhaps my mom had brought me the wrong child. Even with all the crabbiness, I still think he's the cutest kid in the world.

After unpacking, Dylan thought it would be fun to explore all the boxes. He loved crawling around in this rubbermaid container.

Taz is now learning how to share his toys. Dylan seems to think that if it's on the floor, it's his to chew on. The two of them go back and forth stealing the toys away from each other. It is hilarious to watch.