1st Birthday Party

Warning: This is a long post of mostly pictures but since I make a blog book for Ramsey I wanted to include them all.

We had Ramsey's 1st birthday party this past Friday evening. He doesn't actually turn 1 until the 4th but since Cope was in town for Thanksgiving we pushed up the party a few days. Let me begin by saying that 6:00pm is not the best time to have a party for a 12 month old who woke up from his only nap of the day at 1:00pm. Not sure what I was thinking but we pressed on. Ramsey did AWESOME pretty much up until the end. We sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY and he had his own little cake to dig into. He gave the term smash cake a whole new meaning. I really had no idea how he would react to everyone staring at him and singing to him at the table but he grinned and dove right in. He got cake everywhere. Cope had to take him to the bath right away (which totally confused him b/c bath time usually signals bedtime for him) and then he rejoined his party for opening gifts and playtime with his little friend Anna that attended.

It really was a fun party and I was so proud of Ramsey for how sweet he was even though he was way over tired. Around 7:30 he had had enough and begun to meltdown so we hurried everyone off and got our little birthday boy to bed for some much needed rest. Cope and I love to entertain and we are so thrilled that our first party in our new home was for our sons first Birthday party. We love our little guy more than words can say and we know we are blessed beyond our dreams.

Here he is getting his first look at his cake and not really sure what to do with it. I seriously thought he would either throw the whole thing in the floor or possibly just put a finger in it:

But you can tell by the look on his face he knew exactly what to do:

He only tasted a small bit and much preferred to discover it with his hands first:

He was so into the cake he did not even notice I had put that silly hat on him:

Stopping for a little clapping break:

It is hard to clap with a wad of icing in between your hands:

I mean he was seriously taking charge of this cake:

What?

Sharing some with Mommy:

Rubbing it in his hair:Take that Mr. Birthday cake. I sure showed you who was the boss:

After his bath he got to open presents, He did wear a nice outfit to start the party but after that cake fun we decided he should be more comfy. After all this was his party:

His friend Anna helped him learn about maracas:

Aunt Paige and Ramsey testing out his new wagon from Grammy and Grampy.

Thank you to all who attended. It was fun. Ramsey got lots of nice gifts including a sand and water table, an entertainment table, bath toys, musical instruments, clothes, and lots of other fun goodies. Oh, and he danced a little for the crowd too. He is quite the party boy. Hum..wonder where he gets it?

Dancing Machine

Ramsey decided to perform for us all after a wonderful Thanksgiving feast today. We were all laughing so hard we just about peed our pants. Notice how he kicks that one leg out to get even more into it. Does this kid have rhythm or what?

Scroll down for more pics from our fun Thanksgiving Day.

Last First Holiday

Today was Ramsey's last first holiday. We had a wonderful turkey day over at Cope's parents and my Mom and Morgan came along to celebrate and give thanks for year well lived. Here are several pictures from our fun day.

Daddy and Ramsey checking out the new toy:He found this broom on the hearth an proceeded to sweep for at least 30 minutes. At least I've taught him something thus far:Looking through the glass door:

My Dad and Donna come over to bring Ramsey his birthday present early since we're having his party tomorrow night and my Dad has round 3 of high school football playoffs:Ramsey being a ham:Fun day with a fun little boy:

Thankful

On a day such as Thanksgiving I suppose I tend to reflect a little more than usual and step back from my life and see all that we have and how full it truly is. I am so thankful that Cope made it safely to Georgia last night to be with Ramsey and I for the holiday weekend especially when there was a major snow storm in northern NY and many flights were grounded. I am thankful for our new home that is more than I ever could have dreamed of. I am incredibly grateful for Ramsey. Even though he is challenging me quite a bit lately I have never felt more joy in my whole life. He is one amazing little boy. I remember Thanksgiving last year when I was eagerly anticipating his arrival. This year he will be seated at the table with us munching on all the delicious goodies and sharing in our thanks for such a wonderful day of reflection. That is of course if he doesn't climb out of his chair in the meantime :) I am thankful for our dogs, Sage and Bentley, and our wonderful parents who would truly do anything for us. Last but never least I am super thankful for us getting through this past year with our heads up and our hearts full of love.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Baby Manual?

Where is that darn baby manual when you need it? Ramsey has been super uncooperative at eating time and when placed in his high chair he tries to climb out and when I make him sit down and eat he basically cries the whole time. Now there are times he'll be sweet and eat 2 jars of baby food and then finger items as well. Not lately. I thought maybe he was over baby food so I tried putting veggies on his tray but he would try those and spit them right out or throw them in the floor for the dogs. If I put cheese and bread he likes those but I don't want to start my child off on the wrong foot in the food choices department. He has been so fussy lately that I took him to the pediatrician this morning thinking maybe he is cutting his molars or maybe his ear infection is back. Nope. The doctor was very nice but informed me that he is no longer a baby and now is considered a toddler. She said at this stage they are exercising their independence and are learning that they have some control over their environment. Great. Maybe that is why lately when we go shopping he only wants to sit in the cart for like 5 minutes before trying to stand up. I then put him in the big part of the buggy and let him ride standing only he also tries to climb out as soon as I stop. I'm thinking Christmas shopping will be a blast this year. As Ramsey is getting older he is getting so much more fun but darn if some things get harder. So if anyone knows where that baby/toddler manual is would you please send it my way? I sure could use it on a day such as this.

Almost One

Ramsey will turn one in about 10 days and we're having his party a few days early so that Cope can be here for the bash. I've invited about 15 people. I promise I am way more excited than anyone for him to get new toys and other goodies. New toys always keep his attention for at least a little while??? I ordered his cake today from Publix which I am drooling over just thinking about the deliciousness. Really, I know we'll all have a fun time and if it isn't perfect that is fine. It will be perfect just because we are celebrating our little boys birthday in our first house and his Daddy is finally home. My friend Katie and I are taking him to Monkey Joe's on his actually Birthday and I know if he can climb and be ALL BOY he will have the best birthday and ONE year old could hope for. Here is his invite my Mom (AKA Photo Shop Genius) created for his party:





I'm not sure what happend to the color when transferring it to the blog but where you see blue it is red and not so weird looking. Yes, those are our dogs in the wagon (Emma (mom's dog), Sage, and Bentley):
Side Note: Our little French Bulldog, Bentley's Birthday is today. He is 4 years old!!! WOW! We didn't have our usual dog cake ingredients ( wheat bagel, hot dog, peanut butter, and cheese) so he happily settled for a PB sandwhich while Ramsey and I sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY BENTLEY!!!

Missing My Guy

I am truly missing Cope very much. It is so weird that he is finally home form Iraq but still not "HOME" with us. He is finishing his time in the Army at his duty station of Ft. Drum, NY. Cope will be home later this week for Thanksgiving and then pretty much for good (minus 2 more weeks in late January) starting around Christmas time. I am so thankful he made it safely through 14 months of deployment in a war zone but this still being apart is stinky. I mean it. By the time all is said and done it will be a total of about 18 months we have not been together. I try to not be negative Nelly but I just miss him. I am very ready to have him back in our daily lives FULL TIME so we can get back to the "us" that I miss so badly.

Touchdown!

My step-dad, Morgan has been working with Ramsey getting him to do the touchdown move during the Georgia games but usually Ramsey would just get a silly grin on his face and look at us like we were crazy. He has finally mastered the move and seems more pleased than ever with himself. So Papa Morgan this is for you and also for My Dad ( Grandpa Bruce) who is the head football coach for Gainesville High School and they just won their 12th strait game this season and are headed to round 3 of the playoffs. Go Red Elephants!

1st Cookie

Ramsey got to taste his first chocolate chip cookie the other day at my friend Katie's house. I have not given Ramsey hardly anything in the sweets department yet but there is a first time for everything. As you can see he enjoyed it! He has sense tried pudding and a bite of caramel corn and LOVED them both. Wonder where this kid gets his sweet tooth?

Christmas Bibs Are Here!

I have added 2 new bibs to my collection specifically for the 2008 holiday season. Grab one for your tot and your friend's as well. They will make the perfect unexpected gift! Also, check out my other items at http://www.collectionsbytaranicole.blogspot.com/.

Wordless Wednesday- Crazy Hair

Sweat Shop

The sweat shop is up and running here at our new house. My Mom brought the embroidery machine over today so I would not have to make the trek back and forth across town every time I had an order to fill. So now when I get new orders I can get them out with the quickness. If anyone needs baby gifts just let me know. http://www.collectionsbytaranicole.blogspot.com/. Don't forget Christmas is coming up and the make excellent holiday gifts as well.

Moving Stinks

So the movers finally got to our house yesterday about 3:00pm (4 hours later than expected). I was a little mad at first but the guys were so nice and helpful I changed my tune fairly quickly. I am just tired of moving. I feel like I've been doing it forever. I know we are on the home stretch and I'll get through it but I sure wish Cope were here to help. He wants to be here too but since he is coming for Thanksgiving it is just not feasible to make such a trip on short notice ( we did not know they were delivering our stuff till Firday afternoon). I don't mind unpacking the boxes but I am just not sure where to put ALL the STUFF??? I am the type of person that needs a specific place for EVERYTHING!!! So figuring out those places is a little overwhelming at the moment. My Mom and Morgan have been miracle workers for us in that they have helped with Ramsey, put a new outlet on our dryer, cleaned out our flower beds, and helped me with the DVR box. I am very thankful for them. Cope is resting up this weekend for all the honey-do list I'll come up with by next weekend. Oh, and Ramsey has been such a trooper. He has been playing lots in his play yard, and the moving boxes have kept him entertained to no end. So I might have a long week ahead and moving sure does stink but it gets us to the place we ultimately want to be.

Saturday Morning-Waiting on the Movers

Ramsey and I have been very impatiently waiting on the movers to get here with all of our stuff from Ft. Drum today. They told us to expect them around 11:00am and they just called to say it might be more like 2:00pm. Darn it! I'm not sure how it will all go down with Ramsey fully awake the whole afternoon but it will no doubt be interesting I'm sure. In the meantime I took a few pictures of Ramsey in his latest game day suit. The video at the bottom is of his newest skill of being able to climb off a chair without crashing to the floor.

Day Trip

Ramsey and I took a quick little Friday afternoon trip to visit Cope's parents who live in Bowdon. It is about 1.5 hours away so Ramsey got in a good nap and was full speed the whole time we were there. We had a good time and he crashed 5 minutes into the car ride home. He is cutting his 8th tooth this week so it is making him a little fussy and not quite as hungry. Other than that he is being a total champ about it. We got a call today that out stuff from storage in NY will be arriving around lunch tomorrow. Yeah! I was hoping to enjoy the UGA game over at my Mom and Morgan's but I suppose getting my dishes, washer/dryer, and many other much needed things will just have to take a little more precedence. Thankfully we have a new 46' TV that will provide great DAWG coverage while me and the little wild man unpack.

What A Helpful Child

Ramsey is more helpful than ever these days. Below are a few examples of his latest handy work.
He is learning how to unload the napkins from our kitchen drawers:

He likes to leave them around for me in case I were to need one in a hurry. He is so kind:
He also is great as climbing through his clothes bags in his closet:
Who needs toys when there is a climbing gym right in your closet?:

Why Do I have the feeling this is just one of the many times I'll be posting about how "helpful" Ramsey is becoming these days? It is also funny that instead of getting on to him I run for my camera. Sometimes it is just way more fun to join them in their learning adventures.

Just Hanging Out

Here is a random short video of Ramsey and I just hanging out this morning. If you listen closely you can hear him saying "Bye Bye" at the end.

New Truck

Cope and I have had a very enjoyable weekend. We were able to find and buy his new truck which he has anxiously been waiting for since we sold his old one right before he deployed. We also were able to get a big TV to go over our mantle. So we've been shopping and enjoying our new toys. Ramsey has been in good spirits and we've all played and continued to get reacquainted with each other. Poor Cope has to leave his new truck behind and fly back to NY today. He has my Acura up there since it is older and the snow is often hard on vehicles we didn't want to chance a brand new truck getting banged up by the bad weather. I suppose it is true love when you buy the truck you've been dreaming of for 14 long months and leave it in the care of your wife. I'm a little nervous to keep it in mint condition. All I can do is try my best, no pressure right???

Cope and his latest new purchase:Mr. Ramsey:Ramsey being serious:Playing with the fireplace screen which is a big NO, NO. He really seems to care right?:

Cruising the hallway:

Diaper Boy

A diaper and t-shirt has been Ramsey's attire around the house this past week because of his diarrhea due to his antibiotic. My head is still stopped up so I can't smell when the bombs go off so I have to use the look and see method. He hasn't had to wear pants so I can check and change him as fast as possible. Ramsey had to go back for a recheck on his ears yesterday which are both still infected. They put on the antibiotic for 7 more days. AWESOME! I love trying to wrestle the wild beast to give him his meds and not to mention 7 more days of meds means 7 more days of booty blisters. Good times!

Reflecting

I've had a few moments of quite lately where I all of the sudden find myself completely overwhelmed with my life. Overwhelmed because I am truly happy. I knew we would get to this place in our life but often I forget to breath and take it all in. I am so happy that Cope is finally out of Iraq. It is wonderful to be able to talk anytime of the day we want. Whenever I have a quick funny story about what Ramsey has done or how I'm about to loose my mind I can just call him up and be comforted in an instant. Cope is coming to visit Ramsey and I for the weekend and see his new house finally. We have dreamed of our first house for 5 years and 2 deployments. To finally be living in it and loving it makes me very satisfied. Then there is Ramsey, the child beyond my dreams. He gives me such purpose and he challenges me to grow myself up. As I look around at what my life consist of these days I am more humbled than ever. It wasn't always a given that Cope would come home safely but thankfully he has and we are looking forward to our future as a family and all the fun and possibilities it will hold.

Recap on a Crazy Day

I suppose crazy days are a given with a child but today was a little more than normal. It started off wild because I had to get Ramsey and I out the door for my GYN appt. at 9:30 in Marietta. Yep, they let kids go to those things. Ramsey's antibiotic is doing a number on his booty and he had 2 outfit changes before we got out the door due to his plumbing working a little too well. Our female dog peed out bed. She isn't allowed on our new bed since the bedding is a little expensive and nicer than anything we've had in the past. I think she is protesting but I'm determined to win that battle in a hurry. Our other dog, Bentley, decided to throw up his entire breakfast on our new carpet and his dog bed. Have a mentioned our stuff from storage hasn't arrive yet so we don't have a washer or dryer. So all of Ramsey's poopy pants and our peed on bedding have to make a trek across town to my moms tomorrow for some laundering (just what I was hoping to do with my afternoon). The rest of the day was fairly okay except that Ramsey is in serious booty pain. Poor kid. I checked with his doctor and she assures me it is normal and to just keep ointment on him at each change. We're going through diapers like they were free. So that was my day in mommy land and I'm hoping for a little smoother sailing tomorrow???

11 Months!

Ramsey turned 11 months old today. I can't belive his first birthday is just around the corner. He is so much fun and I love being his mom. What a treat!

Baby Bootcamp

Yes, Ramsey has entered baby boot camp here at the Rowell home this week. I decided to switch him from two naps a day to just one. The reason for this is that we're just coming of a 10 days trip where there was not much schedule and also he has begun to sleep up to twelve hours at night making two naps painful for us both. When he was still taking two they we're lasting only about 30-45 minutes each and getting him down for that late afternoon one was horrible as he would cry and fuss even while laying down. So I've decided we'll just try it this week with the one nap and see how it goes. I have to remember that every day won't be perfect but so far so good. He is now getting ready for bed at 7:30 and asleep by 8:00pm. He hopefully does not wake until between 7:00-8:00am the next morning. Then he is napping from noon-2:00pm or so. The two hour break is WONDERFUL!!!! I have time to eat lunch and enjoy it, I can catch up on emails, and recharge for the second round. So far it seems to be working for us both!

Lots Of Pictures From Our Trip to Ft. Drum

Ramsey and I made it safely home yesterday from our 10 day adventure to Ft. Drum, NY to welcome Cope home. It was quite the adventure to say the least. Ramsey had a terrible cold the first part and an ear infection the second part. Fun times. Cope and I both have horrible colds now and we're not sure if it is from Ramsey or something about the heating system in the hotel? The flight back to the ATL was bliss. Yes, Ramsey did AMAZING! I seriously could not have hoped for better. He did not cry once but I almost did b/c the cabin pressure on my head cold made me feel like my ears might bust at any moment. Surprisingly Ramsey's ear infection didn't make him hurt and I just kept feeding him cheerios so he would keep swallowing to get his ears to pop. We we're both very glad to get home to our own bed but miss Cope very much. We'll get to see him this next Saturday when he flies down to spend the weekend with us and gets to see his new house FINALLY!
WARNING: This is a long picture post but I wanted to include them all.

Ramsey getting psyched for his trip to Ft. Drum to see his Daddy:

Ramsey on the plane. We flew on buddy pass as infant in arms but the seat next to us was empty (thank God!) so he had some room to move. This was Ramsey's 2nd round trip flight and he isn't even 11 months old yet. I did not fly until I was 18.:

We arrived at our hotel at Ft. Drum on Thursday afternoon but Cope did not get in till Sunday so here are some of the things we did while we impatiently waited on him to get in.

We watched some TV. Ramsey's choice of course:

We played in the massage chairs in Bed Bath and Beyond:

We bundled up for the terribly cold weather:

We took pictures:

We explored every inch of the hotel room:

FINALLY it was Sunday afternoon and we waited in the Ft. Drum gym for the guys to get there.

Ramsey decked out in his American Flags:

Posing for some photo ops before hand. Ramsey had an awful cold and you can tell he felt bad by the look on his face:

The guys marched in in formation:

A reunion 14 months in the making:

The Rowell family is finally as it should be. ..TOGETHER!:

Checking out his adorable son:

Cope's parents made him a sign. Welcome home Cope!:

Father and Son getting to know each other again:

More exploring:

Trying on Daddy's hat:

Taking a nap with Daddy:

Watching TV with Dad:

Hey Mom:

Ramsey's first snow:

Photo op with Mom:

Posing with Cope's parents:

Still feeling poopy but comforted by some cartoons:

We steamed the bathroom for Ramsey and here is Cope holding him over the steam. Cope called it the man spa:

Ready for trick or Treating. Not really b/c he had an ear infection but we costumed him for a few pics and then went on just one stop to our friends house:

Can you tell how excited Ramsey was? Again, not really:

1st and only stop at our friends Dave and Christine's House:

Posing in Daddy's hat:
Overall it was a good trip in that we were there to welcome Cope home. If anyone has not ever spent 10 days in a one room hotel with a 10.5 month old with a horrible cold and ear infection I suggest you try it b/c after that experience I know we can get through ANYTHING. Ramsey is starting to feel better but I however am not. I'm hoping it is not the flu but the cold chills, fever and body ache are making me wonder?