Play Time

Dominic was having a blast last night playing with just a couple of the many new toys that he got for his birthday. We just had to share a few pictures of the little man in action!

Our little Walker

Dominic took his official first step about a month ago now. By the beginning of the weekend of his 1st Birthday, he was taking about 5 or 6 steps at time. At the end of that weekend, he was doing even better. Two and a half weeks later, he is a little walking machine. He mostly chooses to walk places rather than crawl, depending how much of a rush he is to get there. He can go pretty big distances now too - like doing a lap or two around the island in the kitchen or one around the couch and walking clear accross the kitchen and living room. The best part about it is how proud of himself he is when he does it. He gets the biggest kick out of it, giggling and smiling the whole way. He usually wants to make sure you know he's doing it so that you can clap or tell him he did a good job once he reaches his destination. The one thing that he has not yet mastered is being able to stand up by himself. He still needs something to pull up on. I know that's going to be the big turning point of when he truly becomes a "walker." Stay tuned...

12 Month Check Up

Dominic had his 1 year visit with Dr. Lerich yesterday. He's still a little pipsqueak only weighing 18lbs and 6.5 oz (3rd percentile), but is in the 20 percentile for length at 28.75 inches. The doctor has no worries and feels he's doing just fine in all aspects. She is projecting that he won't reach the 20lb mark until he's 15 months - sorry, Kiddo, looks like you're in the same old car seat for a little while longer!

He did not get his shots as it turned out that he had a double ear infection and got a cold after all of the excitement of Halloween weekend! He'll go back in two weeks to be re-checked and to get those shots.

Let's Go Giants

Daddy & Dominic all dressed and ready for the game yesterday...unfortunately, their support wasn't quite enough to give the team the boost they needed. Either way, my two men looked great!

Trick or Treat!

Dominic had lots of fun on Saturday celebrating Halloween. He even got to wear two costumes!

And just because I can't help myself, a little reminder of what our pumpkin looked like last year on his first Halloween at just one week old. What a difference a year makes...

Dominic's first trip to the Barber

We took Dominic to the Barber Shop for his very first haircut.
Even with all of the twisting and squirming, I think Eddie managed to give him a good cut. We have such a handsome little boy!

Celebration Weekend

We celebrated Dominic all weekend long. Thank you to everyone who came from near and far to help make it so special.

Birthday Bib - Thanks, Aunt Catherine!


When Dominic was born, ZiZi Denise and ZiZi Frank sent us a cookie boquet. Vinny and I took the one with Dominic's name on it and put in the freezer for him to enjoy on his first birthday. Looks like it was worth the wait - he got to have it as a breakfast treat that morning.

The three of us

Party favors that paid tribute to Dominic's love for Mickey Mouse - our party theme.

Thanks Aunt Catherine and Aunt Charlene for helping Mommy put them together!

More Mickey!

Dominic sporting his second birthday bib of the day - Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Zack and Natalie, otherwise known as "Littleland," the childrens' band who came to sing all of Dominic's favorite songs for him and his friends. Luckily, the rain stopped just long enough for them to set up, perform and get packed up again.

With Daddy!

Mickey Cake - YUMMY!

With Aunt Angela!

Singing Happy Birthday

Dominic's first taste of icing that Mommy smeared off the cake.

First piece of cake!

Messy face...

Opening presents

Playing with Aunt Catherine

More Daddy!

Relaxing in his Yankee chair like a big boy the morning after his big bash.

(Already looking older, don't you think?)

Saying good bye to Aunt Catherine. We miss you already - please come back soon!

Happy 1st Birthday, Dominic!

Dear Dominic -

Your first year has gone by so quickly. We are so happy to have you in our lives - you brighten our day, each and every day. We are so proud of all you have accomplished this year.

From when you were just hours old and learned to use your little lips to suck so you could eat, to learning how to smile and laugh, to rolling, then crawling and most recently, your first steps. You're not quite walking yet, but you'll be there very soon! You've also learned to give a kiss, do clap hands and high five. Your little personality emerges more and more each day - you love to laugh and play, but you can also be very pensive and serious at times. We like to think that you are the perfect mix of both of us! You are VERY talkative and we can't wait until you learn to speak our language so we can understand all of those exciting things you are saying! A few of your favorite things this year have been Mickey Mouse, bath time, carrots, applesauce and anything sweet, yogurt and cheese, and your musical zoo toy. You currently have 7 teeth - four on top and three on the bottom. You already love to brush your teeth all by yourself.

We can't wait for the adventures that your second year will bring.

All our love,
Mommy and Daddy

Early Birthday Present

Dear ZiZi Frank, ZiZi Denise, Brooke & Jake -
Thank you so much for my Yankee Table. Even though my birthday is not until next week, Daddy put it together for me right away so that I could use it. I feel like such a big boy sitting all by myself in a chair just my size! As soon as Mommy let's me use some crayons, I'll sit down at my table and write you a thank you note!
Love,
Dominic

First Bike Ride!

We took Dominic on his very first bicycle ride yesterday afternoon. He sat back, relaxed and enjoyed the ride! Not a peep came out of him the whole time, except at the very end when we stopped. We're looking forward to many more rides this fall. Thank you, Aunt Catherine, for the cutest helmet ever!

Hill Ridge Farms

We had a great time with the Brubaker's this weekend visiting Hill Ridge Farms in Youngsville.
Dominic got to pick out a pumpkin, go on a hay ride and play in a room that was filled entirely with corn. Best of all, he got to play with his friend Alexandria. We can't wait to go back again next year!

First Day of School

Daddy took Dominic to his first day of school today. There is a program for 1 year olds (they let Dominic in even though he's a few weeks early) that meets once a week at the elementary school. He got a book to take home since it is his birthday month and they even did arts and crafts. Dominic's first school artwork project is proudly hanging on our fridge - a scarecrow with moving hands and feet and a snake made from a paper plate. Ok, so I think Daddy had more fun with that than Dominic did, but we've got to start somewhere, right?

Woof, Woof!

Since Max has been temporarily relocated to our laundry room post-surgery, his crate has been vacant for the past couple of weeks. Dominic has been exploring around it more and more. He taught himself how to open and close both of the latches and also likes to pretend to be Max and climb inside...

Swing Time

The weather was so nice on Saturday that we just had to get out and enjoy it. We took Dominic to a nearby park after dinner. He loves the swing, but even more, he loved just watching all of the other kids play and seeing all of the excitement going on.