Boy Wonder

On August 23, 2010, this sweetness came into the world . . .

. . . a little guy at 6 pounds and 8 ounces . . . but big enough to change our lives forever.

And then on August 23, 2011, this happened . . .

Did you blink? Because you may have missed something if you did. The swaddling and cooing and sweet little gowns are all gone. There's no more bassinet and the bottles have been put away. No more Bumbo chair, no more lamb swing, and no more exersaucer cluttering the den. There's no homemade baby food in the refrigerator and no more frozen packets of milk in the freezer.

Wilson McLain Darby has turned a year old, and he is no longer a tiny little baby. I have to admit that this is quite bittersweet for his mommy. What is it about boys that is so different from girls? I can't quite put my finger on how to explain what I feel for this little guy. He seems to trust me and rely on me a little more than Mimi did. He needs to be snuggled longer and for me to be more patient with taking away the bottle and the pacifier. He wants to go to bed earlier at night and begs for two naps during the day. And I am more than happy to oblige.

This little guy has stolen my heart and he and his sister bring more joy to my life than I could have ever imagined. I'm happy to take care of them and watch them play and learn and grow each day, and there isn't much (except the occasional date night with their father who I rarely get to spend any time with) that I think could make me more content.

Mack's first year has flown by much more quickly than his sister's. There is a good chance that he is my last baby, so I have tried to hang onto every moment for dear life . . . but I have no control over time. He did everything before I was ready -- he slept through the night, sat up, crawled, ate solid food, climbed the stairs, and grew faster than I wanted him to do. I think all of these things occurred at a normal age, but it was all too soon for me. Not once can I remember saying, "Things will be easier when he starts to _____." Nope, I wanted to keep each moment as long as I could.

He started out as a sweet, relaxed baby who was easy to please. His smile and laughter have been contagious from the beginning, and I assumed he would be my easy child. BUT he has proven me wrong and turned into quite a wild little monster. He is only taking a step or two at a time, but that isn't slowing him down. This is what happens when I turn my head:

He's infatuated with the remote controls and knows we keep them on this little table.

Not like that stops him or anything.

This is why I can do absolutely nothing in the kitchen and have boycotted cooking for a while (that is until the Crock Pot Girls reminded me of my slow cooker that has actually been getting some use this week). He knows how to push down the "child-proof" levers to open the cabinets under the sink also.
I know that whenever I hear Mimi saying, "Go Macky! You can do it! Don't worry, Mommy. I helping him," that I need to be extremely worried. Thankfully my camera was on hand and I snapped a blurry shot of them racing -- the kid flies up stairs. Yikes. And, yes,we have pulled out the baby gate now.

He likes to climb in the bottom of this table and hang out.

Just a list of a few things to remember about my little Bubby at age 1:

1. He eats anything and everything. Kiwi, mango, peanut butter sandwiches, bacon, and anything else we throw in front of him. His favorite is fruit -- watermelon, grapes, strawberries, and bananas. He hates Puffs. Although he will eat peas, he loves to pretend his hands are windshield wipers and sweeps them off his tray while squealing with delight. Honestly, I would do the same thing with peas if someone tried to make me eat them.

2. As of this past Sunday, the bottle is gone. I've been trying to transition to a sippy cup for months, but he would only take a sip and hurl it across the room. He would sip on them a little during meal time, but refused to replace his "bottle times" with them. I've tried at least 6 different types of cups and someone finally suggested the cheap take and toss ones. They worked like a charm. But I am still warming his milk just a little . . . I know, I know . . .

Mimi giving him one of his last bottles. Yes, they giggled the entire time.

3. We still have the pacifier, but he only gets it at naptime and bedtime. As soon as I enter his room, he smiles at me and throws it across the room. He doesn't always get it at naptime, so I don't think it will be too difficult to take away . . . but I'm not in a big hurry to see it go.

4. He crawls like a maniac. If we're at the park, he will actually crawl on his hands and feet to avoid hurting his knees. One little boy commented that he looked like a spider monkey :). He took his first step a couple of days before his birthday, but since my mom was the only one who witnessed it I didn't think it should count. I got to see his next step a few days later, and, oh my goodness, he was so proud of himself. The most he has worked up to is a side step and then forward, but he's in no hurry because he crawls so quickly.

5. He has seriously strong lungs and screams so loudly that people stop what they're doing to make sure we aren't killing him. And he does this out of joy. As my neighbor recently put it, "It sounds like someone is pulling out his toenails," and it indeed does. We were recently at a neighborhood restaurant, and he was having a grand time and squealing his little blonde head off. The mean old bats at the table behind us kept giving us the stink eye and shaking their heads, so as I was leaving I looked them in the eye and said, "Oh my, is everything okay?" Believe it or not, they actually turned away. They were just jealous that their table wasn't as fun as ours.

6. He has a few words: Muhma -- Momma. Dada -- Daddy. Aye -- Hi. Buh-buh -- Bye. Anna -- Banana. He also says something that sounds like "tuck" for truck and "bok" for block, and he even says "Elmo" occasionally because Mimi has so many stuffed Elmos. Honestly, he isn't a big talker and would rather smile. And squeal.

7. At his pediatric check-up he weighed 22 lbs. He is in the 50-75th percentile for height and 25-50th for weight. He seems really big to me and looks really tall, but I guess that's because his sister was always so little (She's in the 50th percentile for height but only 10th for weight). The little guy wears a size 4 shoe and usually a 12 or 18 month in clothes. And in case you're wondering, the shots were extremely sad for me, but Mack was okay within seconds. Also, he has 9 teeth -- 4 on top in the front and 2 top molars, and the other 3 teeth are on the bottom.

8. Mack is mischievous and very much a boy. I always assumed that since Mimi was so wild that there's no way another child could be into more than she was -- even if he is a boy -- but I was so, so wrong. Mack is curious about everything. He wants to tear his toys apart and throw them and climb over them. He barrels through the den and doesn't stop to see what is in his way. If Mimi is building a block tower, he can't get to it fast enough to knock it over. If she's reading a book, he fights with all his might to steal it from her so he can rip out the pages. On the other hand, he is extremely tough and can take it when Mimi climbs on his back and puts him in a head lock. If another child at the park accidentally (or on purpose) steps on him, he just looks up and smiles most of the time.

9. It has been fun to watch how Mack plays with all his toys a little differently than Mimi did. It usually didn't take her long to figure out how to put things together, but Mack is more concerned about taking things apart. "How can I rip the doors off the school bus? Can this barn hold my weight? What will happen if I throw this block?" I can normally put him in the floor with his sister and he will look over and explore every toy. His favorites are anything that makes music. He loves to press the buttons and then smiles and bounces up and down. He is a little obsessed with a pink Disney princess guitar, and I have to hide it in Mimi's closet because I've heard the Beauty and the Beast song so much I want to pull my hair out. Because he's a boy, Mack likes

cars and trucks and trains. He also likes blocks -- at least knocking over blocks. He loves playing in the big red Cozy Coupe and pushing his sister around, and he also has a few other riding and push-toys that he's begun playing with more. The little guy also loves any Little People toys and will crawl around with them around the house.

10. Mack really loves his sister. And she loves him, too. This is all I could have ever hoped for, BUT I know they are partners in crime. Together they open the cabinets and pull everything out and make a mess and scream to the top of their lungs. She throws her pillows off the bed, and he rolls around in them and encourages her. He throws food off his tray, and so does she. She looks at Clint and says, "Thhhpppttt!" and spits all over him . . . and Mack does the same. And then they both laugh hysterically. But when they're in the stroller, Mack puts his little foot on Mimi's legs, and she pokes her hand through the side to tickle him and make him laugh. She tries to give him a toy when he's sad, and she loves for him to dance while she sings. I'm so glad he has her as his big sister . . . even though they will give me lots and lots of gray hairs when they're in high school.

And I'm not the only one in love with this little peanut . . . his Daddy seems pretty smitten, too.For Mack's birthday, we just celebrated with the fam at home and enjoyed a fantastic cake from Bittersweet (you must try this place!) sent from Clint's family. Mack thought the hat and candles were fun and was in love with the cake.

He laughed.

He even fussed a little.

And Mommy took him to Little Beans to play for a while.

We had a birthday party for both my August babies a few days later, but that post will have to come at another time . . . some little blonde thing needs to go to bed.