CHRISTMAS COOKIES...
We have a new tradition in our family; Christmas cookies. I helped out! Mom taught me how to flip pancakes a month or so ago and I thought I should try to flip a few cookies too. Dad did most of the baking this year--and they were good!




















I got to eat some of the crumbs...mom and dad ate all the extras!

SILLY SOCKS...
Dad's socks are really silly...esp. when they are on me. Oh the little things that keep me laughing and entertained too! It doesn't take much money to make me smile (thank goodness.)




















Smelly socks!

GRITS...
Get me to a beach and fast! I love my new sandbox (thanks Uncle Jeff and Aunt Courtney!) I have played with all my sand toys so I decided to taste the sand. It wasn't so bad. Mom says she could see it coming. Why didn't she stop me...she just took a series of pictures instead. My hands were a bit wet so the sand was sticking. I don't like my hands to be dirty so I just licked them. Then I fed myself a bite right off the shovel. It looked a lot like a spoon to me.
I do lots of funny things with sand. Somedays I cover my feetin sand; other days I try to hold my legs up so the sand doesn't touch them. I fill up my shovel and toss sand into the air too. But, I mainly like to scoop it up and dump it OUT of the sandbox onto the flagstone. I just watch it fall there...here's my secret. I love to sweep it up. Mom made me take a bath and brush my teeth shortly after cleaning up.

What's with the weather...one day I'm wearing jackets and the next day shorts?

Lots of new foods...
Yum! I'm having lots of fun with new foods and the people sharing them with me. Quiz: Which foods do you think my mom approved of?

On Dasher, On Dancer...
Aunt Melissa and Uncle Gene got me a Radio Flyer wagon for my birthday. It is one of my favorite things. We have put miles upon miles on those wheels already. And, in case you were wondering, we park it in the living room.
I like to push it around the house, haul the mail back from the mailbox or just sit back and relax in the front yards of my neighbors :)
Mom wanted to turn my wagon into a sleigh. Trouble is, when the ride stopped so did my smile. We take lots of rides these days to check out all the lights and blow up Santas and snowglobes. Who knew he could be in so many places at once. I point and ohhh and awwww at all of them.
I love this time of year. I hold my cheeks when I feel the wind on my face and wave hi to everyone passing in a car or on foot. I think I am a favorite in my hood.
Aunt Melissa and mom say the hood on my wagon is important. I already have 2 freckles. They are trying to keep my skin so soft.

Ho, Ho, Ho!
Reagan is having lots of fun hanging the ornaments on the tree. He has even turned a few into musical instruments. Note: pewter makes amazing sounds when hit repeatedly on the tile or wood floors. I like to think that he is learning when doing this. High and low tones, soft or loud sounds; it is a lot like our music class. Reagan can even locate a few ornaments by name and pull them off the tree. He loves the bells tries to point out all of the lights. He says "mas" for Christmas and that means..."take me to the tree." We have never ending giggles and play time infront of the tree.

















Mom, too many pictures...PJ's means time for bed

HA HA HE HE HE!
I put a booger on the tree :) Reagan is having lots of fun teasing me these days too. I pull his finger out of his nose and he laughs and puts it right back in.















YUCK!

BIG DOG, LITTLE MAN...
Yikes! I hope Buster doesn't try to take my bell. Maybe I will just tease him with it a bit. This fence was probably a good idea. Buster does not take kindly to people holding on to "his toys." Mom interveins and Little Man is safe!















Dad, this was not a good idea!

Balloons Bust...
Who would have known that this balloon could bring a month of joy? Then, BUST went the birthday balloon! Needless to say there is a new balloon in the house. Reagan is back to toting it around, using it as a pillow, banging his hands on, watching it float to the ceiling, go round in circles with the fan and on and on and on. Hours of fun...PRICELESS!




















UT-Oh...what do you mean it's broken. I'm still having fun.

BEEP, HONK, VROOM, CRASH!...
I went to Will's birthday bash at Beyond Bounce and boy did I ever bounce. It took me awhile to get used to the big slides and how fast mom and I could make it down, but then I was ready to go. I liked all the cars too. We did a lot of driving that day. Mom thought this dump truck was the best until I slipped out. OUCH! Mom forgot that dump trucks DUMP their loads (that was me) and I had a bruise on my forehead. I just kept on driving.




















So big...16 is just around the corner

Flip Me Around!...
Finally, one year old and I'm facing FORWARD! It is a great feeling to be able to see where I am going. I have thrown all kinds of backarching fits trying to get out of this carseat recently. Grandma Malone even bought me a car to drive while we were driving so I could feel more involved. Everything works for awhile, but I am back to my old tricks. Cheerios solved the problem today--shake, shake! Got somewhere to go...I want to go to, but the way home will tire you out.





















Shake those O's

Gobble, Gobble...
I'm a bit bigger this year and I was really looking forward to all the yummy food. Too bad for me though--I did not like it! I was being picky so I ate Gerber instead. Happy Thanksgiving.

IT'S MY PARTY!...
I had no reason to cry. I was so happy to see all my friends and family. I wasn't exactly sure what to make of all the comotion in the ocean. One thing is for sure, I love balloons and cake too. Thanks to everyone who shared my big day with me.

Birthday Boy!...
It is absolutely amazing; the miracle of life, change and a capacity for love that I would have never known otherwise. Reagan is one! A year ago I sat in the NICU, in tears, praying that Reagan would know how much I loved him (we all do) and that he could breathe and eat on his own. Look at him now. I have to admit I am still wondering if I should pad him with the bubble wrap and bring on a helmet, but I am amazed daily at the things he knows and all he can do. His smile is enough to melt any heart and his giggles will bring you to belly laughing. He is so observant. I think he is spending a bit too much time watching doctors--either that or we have a doctor in the making. He knows that a tongue depressor goes in your mouth and that a stethsascope goes around your neck. He holds the remote control in the air to "change the channel" and chatters away on the phone held to his ear. Reagan is still climbing everything he can and pulling up on things too. He points to things that he wants and says, "that, that!" He cheers for himself and others, shakes his head no and calls things by name too. Nana (banana), tat (cat), sh (fish), da (dog), dada and mama of course. This little man loves to be outside and will go to the front and back doors to try to get out. He will still choose a book over a toy and finds the simplist of things to play with. Any scrap or piece of trash on the floor is his favorite. He cleans it all up. Reagan knows the way things should be yet he is so laid back. If you rearrange something he will try to put it back the way he knows. If you put clothes in the chair, he will pull them down or a bandaid on your leg--he will pull it off. Just yesterday, I filled his basket with mega blocks. Reagan put them all back out on the floor. He is very protective of me too. We go to MD Anderson often for my appointments and Reagan has started to object to them drawing my blood or even trying to examine me. He trys to pull the needle out of my arm. I reassure him of course, but he knows that it should not be there. Even daddy gets a no, no sometimes. Reagan wants all the hugs for himself :) He trys to pull Preston away from me and has even been known to bite him if he does not let go of me. Little boys and their moms. I would not change a day!
Reagan now weighs 26.2 1/4 pounds and is 31.5 inches long. He is still in the 97th percentile and his head (big like mom and dad) is off the chart. So many brains I am sure! We are still working on the walking and standing independently, but I am sure it is just around the corner. Reagan sometimes forgets that he has not mastered those two yet. He just lets go, stands for a breif second then hits the floor. I think he should get an E for effort :)
As you can see from all the pictures, we had a busy birthday boy. He was so excited and happy all day. I can honestly say it was one of our best days yet. So many new things for a new year in life. Reagan started his day with whole wheat pancakes and banana slices. He loved it! Then we had a play session at home and story time before meeting all our friends at Gymboree for music. Reagan cheered for his birthday song. We shared the song with Landon and Julia. It is their birthday week too. When class was over we headed to the zoo with dad. We had lunch on a bench and visited all the animals and fishes too. It was nice to have dad there. He is so tall that Reagan got to see all the animals up close. Then, Grandma Hamm and the fam met us at the coffee shop to celebrate with cupcakes and presents too. What do you know...Reagan liked the sweets. Yum was the first sound out of his icing filled mouth. He actually bounced up and down with the first bite. He was so excited! He loved his gifts too. The ribbons were of course his favorite. Then, we drove back to meet Grandma Malone and the fam for a dinner at Luby's. Reagan made a HUGE mess, but enjoyed every bite of his meal. Blue jell-o was his special treat. A perfect day for Reagan and me.

Landon's BDAY...
Mom and I went to Landon's birthday party. He has the same birthday as me. I played with balloons and my friends. I even wore a silly balloon hat! I had a monkey too, but it popped. YIKES! The sound of balloons popping startled me at first. I made the sweetest frightened face. Mom thought I might cry, but I held it all in.
The special treat came when mom let me try a hotdog! I only had 2 bites, but I think I liked it.
















Big boys have lots of fun!

Birthday Boy Wish List...
Reagan has had his eye on a few good toys. We have been working hard on learning how to hold up the #1 finger (for 1 year of course) and how to blow out candles too. He is wearing his birthday hat a few times each week and loves it. We sing him "Happy Birthday" so he should know the tune by next week. How exciting! Our little baby is a little boy.

Many of you have been asking, so here is a list of a few things that Reagan would love to play with...obviously there are lots of price ranges and this list can carry over to Christmas too. We had lots of fun shopping and trying out the toys. I had to practice restraint. I wanted to take them all home and watch Reagan's reaction to new play toys and books.

Fisher Price Peek a Boo tent
Cars--there is a firetruck at Toys R Us that is soft
Imaginarium--basically beads that you move around on different colored wires
Musical Instruments--we are looking for 1 year old safe cymballs
Peek a Boo Books (like Bath and Play Peek A Boo), Touch and Feel books--now they make sounds too. He loved these. He also likes the Tails book
Baby Einstein farm video, world animals video
Drop and Roar Dinosaur
Little People Farm
Build and Spill turtle or Infantino Jumbo Shape Sorter
Jack in the Box, Spiral Spin Top
Sandbox with a lid :) (We don't want a litter box.)
bath toys, some spray or just do different things
bean bag chair or like it
Animal train by Fisher Price

Please know that we are so excited to have you coming to Reagan's party. Any of your gift ideas are greatly appreciated too. Calling on family--some of the gifts are a bit more expensive. Please do not hesitate to share a gift and its cost. Reagan will enjoy it all!

Messy Mouth!...
Reagan has decided that he can feed himself. He is not liking babyfood so we are doing all solids now. Here he is with his sweet potatoes--Yum or Yuck...I don't know which. He seems happy though. Needless to say we had another bath directly after dinner.

Get Me Out!
I've had enough of splishin' and splashin'. I've played with all the bubbles and my toys too. Get me out so I can soak you! :)





















51 weeks in the tub!

My First Halloween...
For my first Halloween, I was a lion. Mom and dad were my lion tamers. Sometimes they feel like they work at the zoo. We went trick-or-treating at Grandma's house. She got me a toy instead of candy. How thoughtful! We tried out a festival, but the games were a bit too much for me. I liked watching all the people walk by in their costumes though. I kept my costume on all night! I guess all the trial runs in the weeks before helped out. I think I like being a lion afterall.















A family night--BOO!

Playing at the Park...
We have a new place to play; the JV park. Mom grew up going to the same park. She loves taking me back there. We meet new people each time and swing until mom starts feeling dizzy. I usually cry when it is time to go, so mom gives me a few more minutes on the swing. I love the slides and watching all of the children play. Outside is my favorite place to be.






















Look at me at 50 weeks!