Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Christmas in Corpus

On Christmas day, we headed to Corpus Christi to visit Nic's family. Nico had a great time hanging out with Janny and loved seeing his great-grands who he hadn't seen in so long!


Playing on his new truck that Janny gave him!


Showing great-granddad his new truck




Takin' the truck outside






Nico hanging out with GG


Nico loved playing with g-pa Allan at lunch. He thinks g-pa is so funny!


Checking out the Corpus Christi bay from our room.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas this year was a lot of fun and so special for us. We loved seeing everything through Nico's eyes -- I think Nic and I had more fun than Nico. Such a joy to watch him play with his new toys. He wasn't super interested in opening the presents, but once we opened them, he was ready to play!


Finding the presents that Santa left under the tree!




Showing daddy his new toy


Nico loves Elmo!




Checking out the loot that Santa left in his stocking!

On Christmas Eve, we went to Nonni and PopPop's for dinner and presents. Before opening presents, Nico ate yummy homemade tamales and tortilla soup. He loves his Mexican food! Unfortunately, we probably waited a bit too late to open presents because Nico was ready for bed. (Lesson learned ... open presents first, then eat!)


Opening presents with Nonni.




Cauwe family on Christmas Eve ... what a difference a year makes!
We are so lucky and blessed this holiday season.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Meeting Jolly 'Ole St. Nick

We took Nico to meet Santa yesterday and he did a lot better than we imagined. We were expecting a complete melt down like the babies in front of us, but our Nico surprised us and quickly warmed up to St. Nicholas.





Playin' at the Park















1 Year Old



Hard to believe that 12 months ago our little Nico was born. This has been the fastest year ever!
Dec. 7, 2008, was the best day of our lives and since then, Nico has continued to bring us joy every day.

At one year, Nico is so sweet and loves to share, especially his food. It doesn't matter how slimy and gooey his fingers are or how mushy the food is, he wants you to taste it. He'll force the food into your mouth and look to you for confirmation that it is delicious. He also loves sharing his food with the dogs, which they also love.

Nico is finally out of his hummus, avocado and cheese phase and will try new foods. Unfortunately, we just found out that he is allergic to dairy. This makes planning meals difficult. Luckily, the majority of children outgrow this allergy -- hopefully Nico is a lucky one.

Nico is a very head-strong one year old and will fight to get what he wants. He will push you out of the way to get to a toy (or dangerous object). He pushes his limits and looks for approval, especially when he's doing something that he knows he's not supposed to be doing. Like, playing with the electrical socket. (Why do kids love electrical outlets and cords?)

Nico is very friendly to strangers and loves to flirt and talk as long as mom or dad is holding him. He's still a bit clingy but is getting better.

He thinks that he is really funny, and he is. He'll do something funny and then start laughing at himself. He'll also laugh uncontrollably if mom or dad does something funny. (Best sound ever!)

Nico loves to dance and loves music, the louder the better. He really likes rock 'n roll. Some of his favorites are: Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Iron Maiden (don't ask). He also digs Amy Winehouse. So, needless to say, the kid has good taste in music.

Nico is still practicing walking. He'll take a few steps in a row, but then chooses to go to the ground and crawl because he can get there a lot faster that way. The kid doesn't want to sit still and has us chasing him around the house.

Happy birthday to our Nico! Can't wait to see what the next year brings.

Nico's 1 year stats:
Weight: 23 pounds (In one year, he gained almost 18 pounds!)
Height: 31 1/4" (In one year, he grew 12 1/4")
Head circ: 48.1 cm

Monday, December 14, 2009

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Party Time!

(*This post is long over-due, but both Nico and I have been down with a cold for a week, making it tough to blog.)

Happy birthday to Nico! We celebrated Nico's first birthday with a party at our house. Seven of Nico's buddies came to wish him a happy birthday, and he had a blast. By the end of the party, he was so tired and delirious, he wouldn't take a nap.








The birthday boy and his daddy!


Some of the guests -- Cameron, Murphy, Parker, Kristin holding Maya, and Carter


Callie and Carter playing together.


The birthday boy with his Nonni ...


and with PopPop.


Singing happy birthday


Yummy icing!


Licking all the icing off the candle


Red icing stains the skin!


Trisha and her boy Carter came all the way from the Dallas-area for Nico's party.


G-pa Allan came from Corpus to celebrate Nico's special day.


Family picture with the little stinker sticking out his tongue!

After Nico's party, he had a sleepover with his buddy Carter. Carter will turn one next month.

Bath time!


Playing in their PJs before bed.

And, on Sunday, Nico's Janny made a special visit to see the birthday boy.