Buzzy Bee

When I was on vacation at about 5 years old, I recall being allowed to pick out one souvenir from our trip. We had gone to various beautiful places in Colorado including Durango and Silverton. It was a great trip that included horseback riding and mining for gold. It's still one of my favorite vacation memories to this day. One stop we made on this trip was to a store called Honeyville. It was there I discovered my must have souvenir. His name was buzzy bee. He was a stuffed bee that chirped when shaken up and down. He still lives at my mom's house and I still like that that was what I picked. Now, 26 years later, I got to dress up my sweet little daughter as a bee for halloween. Buzzy bee's got nothing on you, Miss Courtney.

 Happy Bee

 Serious Bee

 

Flying Bee

 

 Silly Bee

 Drone Bee

 Sweet Bee

 Sleepy Bee

 Hospitality Bee

One year old!

So this should have been posted about a month ago, but um time somehow continues to get away from me! Courtney had her first birthday on September 11th. It was a very low key gathering at our house with just us and all 4 of her grandparents. Christopher's parents came out from Florida to be there for it. I think it is just what Courtney would have told me she wanted if she was talking. She doesn't like large gatherings of people and likes being around the people she knows best (sounds like her mama ;) ). We did two days of celebrations for her. Day 1 was swimming at our pool and day 2 was opening presents and cake at home.

I made a pumpkin pie and Christopher and I decorated it together. Of course we didn't give Courtney any of it as she is still mainly just eating purees (she has a hard time with new textures and tastes so we are taking it pretty slow). Plus her dad doesn't want her to have any refined sugar, which is actually a good thing. We are training to train her to have a palate for healthy food from the get go :).

It is hard to believe my baby is over a year old. This last year has been the most difficult and challenging year of my life but it has also brought unexplainable joys. There is just nothing like having a baby. It completely changes your world. She is such a delight and I just feel so fortunate and blessed to be her mother.

 She had just gone in the pool for the first time the week before. She loved it!

After church on her birthday

We bought a cake decorator and got a little carried away

 

See she doesn't care she didn't have any. Wasn't even excited about it.

A few of her favorite things

She isn't old enough to watch Sound of Music and doesn't yet understand about raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but she does have her favorite things. Here are a few...

Turning lights off and on

Smiling and hamming it up for the camera

Jewelry...any and every kind...take note, boys-you're in trouble

Pulling hair...I find this one very unfortunate and have my hair pulled back 90% of the time

This one shows her teeth (she has 8 now) and she loves to bite everything except food...strange I know

 

 Loves playing the puppy game in which I run around in circles with a stuffed dog and she tries to chase after us

Naptime

For some reason Courtney has never been one to want to nap. I guess we don't really learn to value our sleep enough until we are old and have too many responsibilities and can't get as much as we might like. I thought I had hit the baby jackpot when I got Courtney. For the first couple of months she slept more than most babies her age. She would go for 4 hour stretches in the first few weeks. Then was sleeping up to around 7 hours a stretch by month 3. I am not sure when exactly it all went downhill, but downhill it went starting at about 4 months. We tried sleep training. I read numerous books. All really to not much avail. Now she is down to waking up usually once per night, which I can live with but unfortunately the better sleeping at night has pretty much ruined her ability to nap. Even when I know she is so tired she will sit and play, talk, complain, etc. When I finally go in to get her (sometimes after over an hour of entertaining herself and/or complaining) she is happy as a clam. I guess I will just try to be happy that I have a pretty content kid even if she doesn't sleep like she should.

Who? Me?

Now this takes skill...

 I don't think I look tired

Mobility and Court's latest obsession

Christopher had to leave Tacoma early to get back to work. The day after he left, Courtney began really crawling for the first time and the following day began pulling herself up to a stand. Now that she is mobile I sense that I am in big trouble and my life as I knew it was over. I can't leave her alone in a room for any period of time anymore or who knows what mischief she will manage to get into. We're still working on baby proofing.

 

This picture is more recent...she has now climbed up all the stairs in our tri-level condo

 

I'm not mischievious..

  

When Courtney first started using this table it seemed to be the only thing that could keep her attention

While she still clearly loves it, she is also expanding her horizons

 Check out my sweet ride..

Tacoma

In early July we went to Tacoma, Washington. My sister and her family were in the process of moving there. We went to help unpack and to spend time with the whole family. My brother came up from Oregon to help with the move and my parents assisted too. I hadn't seen my sister since Courtney was 2 weeks old, so it was great to see her and my newest nephew who is nearly 4 months old. None of the cousins had met before, so it was fun getting them together and being able to take some pictures of them.

Our first day there we went to a bbq at a friend's house in Gig Harbor

There was this huge beautiful park in Tacoma a few minutes from where my sister lives...I fell in love with it

Jen and mom

 

A cowgirl and a doctor...that is my kind of girl

 

Maddie is so sweet and would go to hug Courtney. 

Courtney was never sure what to make of it.

 

Cute baby Caleb

Cousin love

Nana loves her kiddos

Play dates

Courtney has a friend named Dasha. I met her mom, Julia, in our birthing class. Dasha is about two weeks younger than Courtney but looks older and has hit some of the milestones before Courtney. I love meeting up with Julia. She is a very sweet person and it is fun to compare and contrast the girls. It is fascinating to hear them make the same noises and see them do some of the same things, but they each have their own quirks too. It is nice to have a friend who is going through the same things at the same time as you. We can commiserate and also give each other advice. When Dasha and Courtney first would get together, they would mostly ignore each other and do their own thing. Now they interact more, but sadly that sometimes means Courtney is harassing Dasha by pulling on her necklace, clothes, stealing her toys, etc. It is interesting that they already seem to have a sense of  what is 'mine'. I hope Courtney learns to be a little nicer to her friends.

See how much fun we're having?

I think I will take this...

Why is she crying?

 Happy Dasha

Hi Mama

 

HI MAMA!