wow! so much has happened since i last wrote. i don't even know where to begin. i guess i mentioned that we were heading to california to visit with family. well, we did just that. you had your very first airplane ride and that could not have gone any better. you made friends with people on the plane, you slept, you only cried a few times, and a few people even commended us on how well-behaved you were. so hooray Jesus for giving us grace and comfort on the plane and hooray you for doing such a great job! while in california you got to meet so many amazing people. you got to hug, play, and share life with people who love and cherish you. a few highlights: you finally got the chance to meet your grandpa walker and your namesake - grandpa buel newman II.
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| grandpa walker & buel. |
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| the surviving buels - II, III, IV, V. |
they truly enjoyed getting to meet you and seeing your sweet face. you also got to meet your grandpa (namesake once again) and your uncle steven for the first time as well! you and your grandpa became very close friends. you grabbed him by the fingers and walked all over the house! you even tugged and pulled on his beard. OUCH!
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| buels III and V. |
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| uncle steven loves his babby nephew. |
oh! you also got to visit the ocean for the very first time. you were not quite sure how to feel about the waves. however, you were definitely all about the sand!
when we got back from california,we celebrated your first birthday!!!! oh my goodness. on the 11th of November you turned ONE! it was such a bittersweet moment for me. you are and will forever be my little baby, but something about remembering the day you were born and reminiscing over the past year got to me. i was a ball of tears for most of the day. i am the most blessed mommy to ever grace God's green earth. you are a light in this dark world and i pray and hope that your life continues to bless others. it is my prayer that one day you will use your light to glorify God and bring honor to His name.
we had a birthday party for you here in maryland. you were not so interested in cake this time. but really, that's okay. i think you were just full. you had been munching on food and were tired by the time cake was ready. but you still smashed it, you just didn't eat it.
somewhere in there we celebrated both thanksgiving and christmas, we celebrated my birthday, and somewhere in there - we celebrated the fact that you have 8 teeth, you like to say "leego leego" a lot, and you walk! yes! you walk! i am sorry that i did not write down the exact day that you took your first step. it is so difficult to keep every first in order! however, you started to officially walk a few days after christmas. oh, speaking of christmas - we had such a sad one. your uncle matt came to visit! thankfully you got to meet him and spend some time with him.
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| uncle matt reading stories. |
unfortunately, we all got super sick and didn't get to spend more time with him. and we missed out on the christmas festivities with the family. hopefully, we will have a better experience next year. we will see i suppose. i think daddy wants to visit california for christmas next year. we will see. we have lots of things that we are trying to plan and do... but that's another story for another time.
let's see, what else... you are 23 pounds, 31 inches tall and amazing. you are into EVERYTHING. let me repeat myself... you. are. into. everything! and while i love that you are walking everywhere, that you love to climb and be your excited and happy-self, it gets pretty tiresome repeating myself and removing you from situations all day and every day. but thankfully, these are all normal and great things for you to be doing because you are growing and developing and doing amazing. you have an inquisitive mind, you love to know whats going on and you are always ready to check things out. so that really is all i can ask for.
we are so incredibly proud of you. whenever given the chance to show you off and to talk about you, we take it. you are our beautiful little boy who we love and cherish more than we do this life. God knew exactly what we needed and when and He gave us you. thank you for being a huge blessing and part of our lives. it is near impossible for us to even remember life without you! we love you. i love you.
love,
mommy.
