Independent play

Thank goodness that Dillan is getting pretty independent and is content playing by himself for a little while.  Today, we found him happily enjoying a book....underneath his laundry hamper :) 

And...we're back! Dillan 15 months

Chillin at his 15 month Appt

So sorry about not posting for the past three months!  As you may have noticed, the second Dillan started walking, life got a LOT busier.  I'll be slowly posting (and back-dating) some entries about our summer, but I thought I'd fill you in on some of the things Dillan has been up to at FIFTEEN months:

- 23 lbs 9 oz (50%), 31.5" tall (60%)
- ALL over the place - walking, running, climbing
- saying a handful of words:  mama, dada, what's that?  duck, bao bao ('hug' in chinese)
- has 15 teeth - they started sprouting like crazy after his birthday!
- favorite foods: bananas, cheese (still), yogurt, broccoli - eats pretty much anything that he can chew
- starting to use utensils
- new baby signs:  dog, hat, thank you, please, milk, eat, pray
- can point to body parts when asked: nose, ears, eyes, tongue, teeth, feet, belly (my favorite)
- is becoming attached to his blankie (or any blankie actually)
- loves making sounds for monkey, cookie monster
- obsessed with hats
- favorite toys:  cars, balls, shape sorter, books
- slowly transitioning from two naps to one
- started getting time outs for throwing food, touching electronics :(

Poor dillan :(

Shortly after his birthday party, Dillan caught Hand Foot Mouth Disease :(
Don't worry, it wasn't as bad as it sounded. Really just fever and rash all over his face, hands, and feet.  Thankfully it was a mild case and no blisters.  He just didn't look as cute as he usually does!

Dillan's Birthday Party

 
Dillan's birthday party was a blast!  Filled with family and friends, he had a fantastic time.  We are so thankful to everyone who made our first year of parenthood bearable and enjoyable with help, advice, and support!

We had a party at Pau Pau and Wai Gung's house with both Grandparents on Dillan's actual birthday

Grandmas and Dillan

Dillan doesn't know it yet, but he's about to taste cake for the first time!

YUM!


Yay!  We survived the first year :)


Kisses for the Birthday Boy

We then had his big birthday Pool Party with friends and the rest of the family a few weeks later at Grandma and Grandpa Mah's house

Enjoying the water

Playing with Baby Patrick - they had the cutest matching monkey swim trunks!

Digging into the awesome Birthday Cake from Grandma!

COOL birthday hat made by Auntie Fiona and delicious cupcakes for the rest of us

Picture mural of Dillan's first year

Blurry Family Pic

Opening Presents the next day

GGP

Our dear GGP (Great Grand Pa) passed away on July 1st, 2010.  He was a loving father, grandfather, and great-grandfather whose joy in life was being around his family.  At every opportunity, he insisted on treating the grandkids out to lunch or dinner at one of his many favorite restaurants.  He always looked forward to when any of the family was coming into town and asked about each of his grandkids and great-grandkids often.  We knew he loved us all very much.

Dillan is so lucky to have spent his first year of life with GGP.  Seeing GGP would always bring a smile to Dillan's face.  They seemed to have a special connection that only seems to exist between babies and the elderly.  Every day, they would have 'Dillan and GGP time' and spend some precious moments with just the two of them.  They would have 'conversations' back and forth, that only they understood.  GGP loved sitting next to Dillan in the car, playing with him and taking care of him.  He was always concerned and looking out for Dillan as he grew from tiny infant to rambunctious toddler. 

We miss you, GGP.  We look forward to seeing you again one day.

Walking!

Like Father, Like Son

I come home from work one Friday, and it's really quiet.  I wonder where everyone is...

 this is what I find in the bedroom :)

Happy Birthday Dillan!!!

Can't believe our little boy is ONE YEAR OLD!  Exactly one year ago today, our lives changed forever as this sweet little boy entered our lives.  Never would I have imagined it would be so fun, challenging, fulfilling, exhausting, or rewarding to be a parent.  I clearly remember a moment in the hospital, holding Dillan for one of the first times after a very long day of labor and delivery, when everyone had left and Tim had fallen asleep (why was HE tired?!).  I was finally able to take it all in, that this tiny baby in my arms was finally here, and I remember wondering what he would be like.  Well one year later, Dillan is this rambunctious, happy, giggling little boy and has brought us tremendous joy and purpose in our lives.  We are so very thankful of the blessings that God has provided in our family, and pray that His guidance will continue to be with us.

Here's what Dillan has been up to at ONE year old:

- weighs 22.1 lbs, 29.5 inches
- switched to cow's milk and no more bottles!
- loves to wave hi and bye and blow kisses
- baby signs 'more', 'all done', and 'water'
- points to everything
- loves ceiling fans and lights
- first actual word:  a-dat?  (for 'what's that?')
- took his first steps at 11.5 months!  Still not 100% steady, but walking a good 10-15 steps at a time!
- losing some of that chub :(
- got his molars in!  Two on the bottom and the upper ones are coming in any day now



Check out how much I've grown in one year!

 One Day Old

 One Month

Two Months

 Three Months

 Four Months

 Five Months

 Six Months

Seven Months

Eight Months

 Nine Months

 Ten Months

Eleven Months

ONE year!

Diaper Wedgie

hee hee

Happy Birthday Grandma!

We celebrated Grandma's birthday over 4th of July.  Dillan is so lucky that Grandma takes such good care of him every day - playing with him, teaching him new skills, and spoiling him with yummy food.  Nothing is too good for Grandma's Dill-weed :)

Grandma with her grandbabies

Mah boys and Mah mama

The whole fam

Eleven Months

Eleven months!  So hard to believe that Dillan is almost a year old.  As we head towards the one year mark, we thank God every day for a healthy, happy, and very curious little boy.  It seems like every day he learns or tries something new, and it's so fun to watch him figure out how the world works. 

Here are some updates on the past month:

- 22 lbs-ish and losing some of that baby chub :(
- full on crawling (like a crab), pulling up, cruising, and climbing with no fear
- waving hi and bye
- starting to stand for a few seconds on his own
- smacks his lips when we do kisses now and is working on blowing kisses
- learned to crawl up stairs
- has developed this crazy high-pitched scream - both when happy and mad
- got his first pair of shoes
- starting to do baby sign for 'more'
- went swimming for the first time and loved it
- got his first professional haircut
- current favorite foods:  cheese and strawberries
- totally into books - favorites are Hungry Little Caterpillar and Cowboy Joe
- always exploring everything - leaves no cabinet or drawer untouched
- still loves Tucker and giggles and tries to pet him all the time
- 2 naps, 4 nursings/bottles, and 3 full meals per day

The monthly Bevo picture has been harder and harder to capture.  This month, we decided instead of making Dillan pose next to Bevo, we would have Bevo follow Dillan.  Here are some adventures of Dillan and Bevo:

 Chillin'

 stealing toys from Bevo

 Storytime with Bevo

 Picking Bevo's nose (learned that one from Daddy)

Pulling Bevo's hair

Child's pose

We find Dillan asleep in this position ALL the time.  It doesn't look very comfortable to me, but he obviously doesn't seem to mind.  Guess this where they got the name for the yoga pose :)  Does anyone else find their kiddo sleeping in this strange position?

Uh oh...

Look who figured out how to climb stairs...

I'm really glad we live in a one-story house.

Reunion!

Penny and Dillan reunited when Julie and Penny came from Cali for a TX visit. It was so fun to see the two of them together again.  What a difference a few months makes!  They have both grown so much since our visit in February, and the differences between girl and boy personalities were even more evident. The mamas also had some quality BFF time together, with a girls' night out :)  We wish we could hang out with them all the time and miss them so much already!

Summertime Fun

We kicked off summer with a pre-memorial day swimming at friend Lucas's house.  It was Dillan's first time in the pool and he had so much fun!  He loved splashing around.

Here he is at our neighborhood block party a week later.  We thought he would just stick his feet in, but ended up plopping right down in the water for some more splash time.  I'm sure this will be the first of many pool adventures, since it's the best way to escape this crazy TX heat!

First REAL Haircut

So after many complaints from several aunties (and both grandmas), we decided to get Dillan a 'real' professional haircut.  We took him to our awesome family hair stylist, Chi (who has been doing my hair for almost 15 years!), and he did great!  Her gentle touch was just the thing to keep him calm.

Before...

during...

After!

So sad...he doesn't look like a baby anymore...he looks like a boy!  My baby is growing up so fast :(