You Should See the Other Guy

I just had to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the dozens of bumps and bruises that Canon has developed over the last several months.

This is probably the most he's ever had at one time. When this picture was taken, he had a large bump and bruise on his forehead, a bruise on the side of his nose that could pass for a black eye, a bruise on his cheek, and a cut under his nose from being wiped too many times. Also note the pink spots on his arm. Who knows where those came from?

This is just a different view of the previously mentioned injuries. My theory is that he rarely closes his mouth because his face is too swollen from all of his falls.

The yellow-ish tint of this forehead bruise makes me think it must be healing.

He must have scratched his other eye on his own in this picture because I'm pretty sure he's only had one black eye so far.

And let's not forget the ultimate injury - the ever-famous Road Rash. This one will live on forever.

Of course, there are so many other permanent records of this poor child's tormented first year, but I'm starting to second-guess my competence as a parent so I'll stop here. I'm sure there will be more to report in the months to come.

A Long Overdue Do

Before anyone says anything about the fact that I gave my basically-bald child a haircut, I want to take this opportunity to remind everyone of the rough-neck we've been living with.

Notice the long, random, did I mention LONG strands of hair covering his ears. Also, notice the mullet-ish form in the back. And these pictures really don't do it justice. It was definitely time for a minor change. As a side note, is it just me or does Canon usually look like he just broke out of prison!? Yet another reason he needs a neat haircut - so that his overall appearance is not quite so misleading.

So, I decided to take matters into my own hands and cut it myself. I followed Canon around the bathroom with a pair of scissors in my hand, and when he stayed still long enough for me to grab and snip, I did just that. I'm pretty sure I cut it a little too short, but it's better than it once was. Barry is a little disappointed that I did it, though I still stand firm on the fact that he told me yesterday that I could cut the sides and the back (even though he really wanted Canon to sport the mullet as long as possible).

He's still the cutest little boy in the world!

Spring Break Road Trip

Many of you know that both sides of our family are continuously growing. Canon has welcomed two new cousins in the last six months, and he told me one night when I was putting him to bed that he was ready to go see them. What kind of mother would I be if I did not oblige?

We decided that my Spring Break would be the best time to take our Road Trip, so on Sunday, March 14, Canon and I loaded up the car and headed north. Our first stop was Birmingham where we picked up Nonna. Nonna's parents live in Nashville (where we were headed to visit my little brother's family), so she volunteered to ride with us to keep Canon occupied while I drove. It's probably at this point that I should mention how much attention Canon actually needs in the car these days. Don't tell DHR, but I turned his car seat to face the front one week before his first birthday so that he could get used to riding this way before making the six-hour trip to Nashville. He took to his new direction very well, at least for the five- to ten-minute trips we took around town. A multi-hour journey is quite a different story. I spent the last 45 miles of the Dothan-to-Birmingham leg belting out nursery rhymes to entertain my irritated toddler. Apparently, being able to see that I am a mere three feet away is much more frustrating than staring at the backseat of a Sequoia. Who knew?

Needless to say, Nonna spent a lot of time handing him toys, picking up his sippy cup, and trading out Baby Einstein videos (thanks Tuan and Alicia - they were miracle workers!). We finally arrived at my baby brother's house about 8 hours after leaving our own home. There, Canon and I saw Robert, Dauren, and Graham (our three-year-old nephew) and met Avett for the first time. Avett is six months old now, and yes, I realize I am a terrible aunt for meeting him now for the first time

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What can I say about Avett? He is one of the happiest babies I have ever been around (and you know I have been around a lot!). He seems to always look like he does in this picture. Even if he fusses just for a minute or two, all you have to do is smile at him, and he smiles right back. Canon was a little unsure about being in a new place, so he spent a good deal of time following me around. But he did have a lot of fun hanging out with his cousins.

We drove into Franklin the second day of our stay to attempt an outing with all three boys. That lasted as long as one lunch and one store, then it was time to go home. It was a good decision - all three boys fell asleep on the way back. The cutest moment of the trip, and of course I didn't get a picture. Here is one of Graham and Canon hanging out as the big boys.

I think Graham had a hard time understanding that even though Canon could walk, he wasn't as fast or as strong as he was. He would say "Come on, Canon," grab his hand and start walking away. Of course, Canon would fall down immediately, so Graham just drug him behind him. It was very cute, and a little bit sad because you could tell Graham wanted so badly for Canon to be able to do the things he could do. Though it was a very cold day, we were able to go outside and play with a bubble machine that Canon had gotten for his birthday. Graham loved being outside and ran all over the yard. Canon was a little more fascinated with the bubbles.

The next morning, Canon and I reloaded the car to head south to Muscle Shoals to visit Barry's sister, Leslie, and her one-month-old son, Xan. Canon had developed a fever the night before, so we decided that he would only stay for a few minutes then go home with Nonna to spend the night. I have to say, after so much driving and keeping Canon entertained in new places, it was nice to have a night off. Leslie and I took Xan to lunch, then hung out at her house watching movies and The Office reruns.

Xan is completely precious. His tiny little nose points straight up - not like a piggy nose, but more like a cute little elf nose. I don't remember Canon being so tiny, but I guess he had to be. Leslie and Grant are totally in love with him, of course. As soon as Grant got home, he went to get him up from his nap and held him the rest of the night (except when we went out for dinner). And Leslie just totes him around like he's still a part of her own body. They're already planning to take Xan with them on their next trip.

The next day, Nonna brought Canon back to us. He didn't care at all when I held Xan, but when Nonna held him - even when she held the cat - he started fussing, just like when Barry held our nieces at his birthday party. I'm having to except that I'm just not that exciting anymore!!

Nonna, Canon, and I loaded up the car one last time, then headed back to Birmingham to drop Nonna and Canon off. She graciously offered to keep Canon for the rest of the week so that I could get some much needed work done around the house. I think I did most of it!

Now that it's all over, I'm really happy that Canon asked me to take him to see his cousins. Not only did we get to spend quality time together, but I'm also so glad that Canon got to spend even more time with his cousins. Barry has no first cousins, and all of my first cousins are a good bit younger than me. Canon has six cousins already. The oldest one is five years old, and the youngest is four weeks old. I love that he is going to have so many friends to play with during holidays, family reunions, and random get-togethers. He is one blessed little boy!

You can tell from this picture that he was getting pretty tired of me by the end of our trip. Interestingly enough, when we picked him up from Barry's parents the following Saturday, Canon wanted absolutely nothing to do with anyone but his daddy. He reached for Barry immediately, even gave him a great big squeeze around his neck (something he's never done before) and cried if Barry was anywhere near and not paying complete attention to him. I have to admit, it made me sad. But we will always have our Road Trip.

The "It's-Not-Really-A-Birthday-Party" Birthday Party

Most of you probably know that Barry and I have vowed since before we ever thought about having children that we would not have a big birthday party for them until they were old enough to understand what a birthday party is. Well, I definitely ate my words on this one, and Barry desperately wishes I hadn't. Barry agreed that just having friends over was the best idea. We do this on a regular basis anyway, so what would be the big deal about doing it again on this night. This particular get-together would simply include one tiny cupcake for Canon to eat. We might even sing the Birthday song if Barry was feeling really generous. There would definitely be no presents, no invitations, and no big fuss made about the fact that this was Canon's birthday. I was on-board with this idea . . . until about January of this year. It just didn't seem right to not make it a little more special. I still wanted the simple get-together, but I wanted it to include more than one cupcake and the understanding that we were all there because it was Canon's birthday. I'll be the first to admit that I let my idea grow a little bigger than I had originally planned. I made invitations for Canon's friends (I swore I wouldn't do that). There was a banner with Canon's name on it (thanks to Mandy - it really was so cute and perfect for the party). And there were LOTS of cupcakes for the DOZENS of guests. It was worth it!

We (from now on, "we" refers to me and my girlfriends, not me and Barry) decided on a Bug theme because I wanted to have a picnic in the park. It turned out really cute. Mandy created the banner to look like a catepillar, I arranged the cupcakes to look the same, and Canon wore a shirt with a grasshopper applique. We threw blankets on the ground and carried nearly all of Canon's toys to the park.

Because the weather has been a bit unpredictable lately, we ended up moving the party inside toward the end. There we ate cake and opened presents. When it came time to eat cake, Amelia and Ceil (our nieces) wanted to sing the Birthday Song. Barry held both of them while they sang, and Canon was not happy about it. He insisted on being right in the middle of the music (and in his daddy's arms), so Barry held them all.

Canon didn't care too much about his cake. Even Barry smushing the cupcake in his face didn't help! He was more interested in the oranges and cheese.

Canon got so many great gifts - lots of toys and clothes to accommodate his growing mind and body.

Barry and I gave him a wagon for his birthday. Apparently, every child in Grove Park has a wagon, and who are we to deprive our own child!?! That morning before the party, Canon helped Sam put it together, then he enjoyed a ride around the park with his friends later that night.

He was a pretty good sport about the whole thing. He's always been pretty independent, so he spent some time playing by himself. All in all, I think he had a good time.

I really want to thank all of my wonderful friends (and my sister, who is also one of my best friends) for all of their help with the party. Like I said earlier, we have friends over all the time, but this time got me a little more frazzled than most, and I was so thankful to have so many friends who helped drag things to the park only to drag them back the house an hour later when it got too cold to stay outside. You guys are truly the greatest!

There were so many great pictures taken, so I'll share more of those now. I'll add more as I "borrow" them from other friends who took pictures.

Happy Birthday, MyGoo!

Birthday Blues

As I looked back at all of Canon's birthday pictures, I realized how sad he looked in most of them. I think it was mostly due to exhaustion, but it made me sad to see how depressing his birthday seemed. I've shared plenty of pictures so you'll know what I mean.

The day started off easy enough. Canon was his usual groggy self. Because of a late-night work engagement the night before, I wasn't able to give him a bath, so we took one first thing. He loves bath time, but morning baths usually go very quickly. He stays hovered down over the water because he's so cold.

Then it was off to see Mrs. Sharon, and then to Mother's Morning Out. I sent cupcakes to MMO so that Canon could celebrate with all the kids in his class. I should mention at this point that Canon is still taking a morning and an afternoon nap. Because he is in a class with older children who stay there all day, they don't take a morning nap. So on MMO days, Canon is usually asleep on the floor when Mrs. Sharon goes to pick him up. Today, however, because of the birthday party, he fell asleep somewhere else. I'll let the pictures tell the story.

Poor Colt felt so bad for him - probably because he was just as tired.

It really makes me sad to look at these pictures, but it's also kind of hilarious!

The rest of the day was much of the same. We went to Toy R Us to pick up a present from MyGoo and Doc. The cashier was very nice, and when she found out it was his birthday, she gave him a big green balloon. That seemed to cheer him up.

I guess Canon really does love his daddy the most because we went to the Red Elephant that night for dinner, the same place we ate for Barry's birthday last month. Of course, lots of friends joined us, and we had a great time. The women ate the complimentary Elephant Ear that they serve for birthdays. Canon didn't seem to mind.

Finally, it was off to bed to rest up for the big party tomorrow.