Happy First Birthday Farmer Niko!

 Our little farm loving Nikolai is officially ONE!

We had so much fun celebrating our smiling boy.

Bryan and Anne came early to help; Bryan even ran out to grab ketchup from his house right after arriving!  Anne was instrumental in playing Niko and helping to make sure Sherry was taken care of during the party.

Aly and Andy came early to help set up, too, after lending us lots of last minute supplies to make sure everything was just right.

We had an egg hunt and a miniature fun zone complete with a mini hayride, rocking pony ride, and fisher price tractor for the littlest guests.  Alexander even set up a petting zoo inside of all our soft toys.

Our neighborhood park crew came out and the kids had a blast in the pool.  So did my first Vegas friends, Katie and her sweet boys Grayson and Owen.  We do not get to see them enough, so I was thrilled they could make it!  

The day was HOT and the water was COLD!  Daniel manned the grill and the homemade diving board, and escaped any actual pictures by staying very busy with both.

The showstopper, though, was the cake.  Alexander and I have come along way since the first time we played Nailed It!  Alexander planned and completed so much of our farmyard by himself.  We had so much fun making this together.  We also had a blast (with Aly's help) coming up with other farm inspired eats.

Nikolai was not shy with his haystack smash cake!

A huge thank you for our babysitter and friend Madison who took pictures at the party.  She is an award winning photographer and A+ sitter.  Having her take over photographs allowed me so much freedom to truly enjoy the day!

I think the party was a raging success

Milestones

Niko's love for the farm  has gone beyond Old MacDonald.  He now loves all things farm: the animals, the songs, the barn!  When Alexander was doing a big activity book, as soon as he turned to a page with a farm, Nikolai leapt across to point and explore the page.  

Nikolai's language has taken off!  He signs milk, eat, all done, up, and points to everything to let us know what he wants.

*He also created his own sign.*

He began putting both hands on his head and making eye contact.  We could tell he was trying to say something, but as we had not taught him this sign, we were at a loss.  Well, one morning, he saw his daddy and put both hands on his head, and then launched himself out of my arms and into Daniel's, hugging him tightly.  I said, "Oh!  Do you want a hug?!'  He smiled so big, put his hands on his head, and gave Daniel another giant hug.  I don't know whether to be more impressed that he created a sign for something important to him, or more melted by the fact that what is important to him is being able to snuggle and show affection.  I love this boy!

His 'hug' sign

Since we have realized what he was saying, he just loves to use his newest sign.  He points to his friends at the park, especially Emma, who always rushes to hug him.  He points, puts his hands on his head, and then leans his head into the hug.  He doesn't use his arms as much as he does his head, which must be how he created his personal sign.  Oh my heart!

Niko also has a couple meaningful vocalizations!  He says hi, sounding more like "Heh."  We thought he was saying hi, but it was confirmed when Emma's sister Claire, arrived at the park one morning, and Niko turned to her, waved, and said, "Heh!" with a huge smile on his face.  He also says, "Ah, Ah, Ah" whenever he wants to get Alexander's attention, and even if I am talking about Alexander in front of Niko when big brother is not around.

He took his first steps!!! Daniel definitely serves at motivation.   Just four days after his birthday, we got home from a run to find that Daniel was awake.  Niko reached for his daddy, and took two steps towards him unassisted!  It was such a gift for us to both experience it.  I don't know that either of us would believe it happened, because he has not attempted to take any other steps since.

He loves to eat.  His favorites seem to be most fruits.  He often eats more than Alexander!

Greek yogurt painting while I make dinner

He sleeps....sometimes.  He usually takes two naps a day for a total of around three hours.  Sometimes he will sleep through the night, and sometimes he wakes up every hour.  He usually sleeps better if we stuff him with more than seems possible at dinner.

He is over the bottle, preferring a big boy cup with whole milk over formula, but still wants to be nursed to sleep for both naps and for the night.

Another big milestone happened this week that nearly broke my heart.  Alexander has dropped maybe his last 'baby' pronunciation.  While reading a Peek-A-Boo color book to Niko, he read the color 'yellow' as it should be, rather than as his usual 'lello.'  He thought I was crazy when I asked him to say it again and got sad when he once again pronounced it with a Y.  I am so glad Uncle Craig got a final round of Black and Lello out of him while we were in Michigan!

Photo Drop

Grandmomma and Joey are here visiting for the foreseeable future

Niko and Joe get along so well.  Both are September 2019 babies

Our princess is handling the extra paws in our house remarkably well

His first time drawing with chalk instead of eating it!

My baking buddy

He loves the playground.  If only our HOA would get with the program and open the one in our neighborhood.

The best shot we could get on his actual birthday

Pure Fun in Pure Michigan

 

Michigan had the sentiment I have been holding onto during this crazy year.

After years of talking about making it to Michigan while my mom and Jan were at Honcho Rest campground, we finally made it out!

I couldn't believe it, but both boys were AMAZING on the flight.  Nikolai wiggled and danced the entire time, but stayed quiet until falling asleep for the last hour.  Alexander was so patient as his brother crawled on him, took his snacks and toys, and pushed buttons on the tablet.  I had at least ten passengers stop by our aisle to say what well behaved boys I had!  The grandmothers in the row beside us also commented on how I seemed to have an endless stream of new snacks and activities to keep them busy.  I was beeming!

We landed in Grand Rapids at 10:30pm and still had nearly 3 hours in the car to the campground, so we got a hotel for the night.  Bigger than the car ride, my reason for wanting to spend the night in Grand Rapids was to see my dear friend Julie.

I love this lady so, so much!

The last time we saw each other was when I was pregnant with Alexander in Japan.  It has been five years and three baby boys!

Julie brought wine and cheese to the hotel and stayed up way late with us.  Heidi flew in at the same time I did and Jan drove to meet us.  It was a party!

The next day we enjoyed gorgeous weather and better company at Julie's parents house.  This has always been family to me, since the first time I met Pat in Pensacola, just two days after her first grandbaby, Kayla, was born.

Scott and Niko bonded on our walk to the lake

The boys have requested one of these swings.  We don't have a tree fit for it, so I guess we will just have to make it a habit of getting up to visit the Mulders!

Pat put together a fabulous picnic lunch and we all were able to stretch our legs and breathe the fresh air before our crew loaded the car to head to Elk Rapids.

Gammie arrived at the campground shortly before we did and had lots of toys and clothes for the boys.  The jackets she brought for the boys were very handy in the cool Michigan weather.

Craig arrived later that night, and Alexander immediately attached himself.  He had been really missing Daniel, so having Uncle Craig around was a great way to take his mind off of missing his daddy.

He loved helping with the campfire and toasting marshmallows

On Sunday, one of my first Fort Walton Beach friends, Kendra, drove down from the Upper Peninsula to spend the day with us.  We saw each other 6 years ago in Michigan, but I haven't seen her daughter, Kenzie, since she was younger than Niko.

The kids bonded quickly, and my heart was truly overflowing from seeing so many people I care so much about.

Lake Michigan was truly incredible

We had so much fun on the playground.  Niko was so good about playing independently while I hunted eggs and played tag with Alexander, until Jan yelled, "The baby!!!"

I rushed over as I turned to see Nikolai on top of the play structure.  He mastered the ladder and soon after, he figured out how to go down the slide on his own!  We spent the rest of the trip spotting Niko as he went up, down, up, down.  It was a great energy burner!

Not a Florida boy, Niko's first beach experience was at a lake.  So different from Alexander's first year!

Being in a camper with two young boys had its trying moments, especially with Nikolai crawling and grabbing at everything in the small space, but Alexander has matured so much since our last trip.  I was so impressed with him and also so grateful for all the help my family, and our new best friend, Eddie, provided!

We loved Michigan and can't wait to go back next year!