The Great Outdoors

MBB loves being outdoors so much.  He cries when we come inside the house in the evenings.  He doesn't care if it is cold, dark or windy. I think I will enjoy this more in the Spring. :)

Mack's Favorite Toy

Mack's favorite toy was given to him by his Grammy the day he got tubes. It's the best $14 anyone has ever spent on Mack (thanks, mom!). If he was stranded (and properly supervised) on a desert island, that book would be the one item he would take.

So it looks like we never change his clothes but I swear we do! I think what happens is Jon is always pulling the clean outfit on top and it's constantly getting re-washed & put back on top. It's so odd that Jon would do that because he is so particular about how he dresses himself *insert eyeroll here*.

Make It Right

Mack loves his tool bench (thank you, nonners!!!). Hopefully he doesn't mind sharing tools with his Daddy because there is no way I'm spending more money on tools!

Check him out in the last picture. He is not allowed to stand on the fireplace hearth although he may sit on it. That squat and look on his face is his "testing pose". He'll squat down and turn and look to Jon or I to see if we tell him "no".

He's only one, too. I think it's going to be like this for everything that could be/is dangerous until you master it. As long as he never wants those stupid wheely shoes, I think I can handle it.

Burns/Kartous Birthday Celebration

Jon's family got together the week of Mack's Birthday to celebrate his birthday and just see each other! It was such a good time and Mack had no problems eating the Bumble Bee Cupcake Cake his cousin, James, picked out for him!

Mack is One!

Mack Benjamin Burns turned One on Friday, June 25, 2010.

Is it possible for this to be both the longest and shortest year of our lives?

Being the Mean Mean Momma that I am, I took him for his one year check up the day of his birthday (hence the band-aids on his chubby thighs). He was excelling at all the important development milestones. I think that means we are doing an okay job. He had just started walking a few steps at a time and to show off for Dr. Yaeger he decided to continually walk laps in the examination room. There's been no stopping him since.

At age one, Mack is a combo of the 14 & 15 month milestone chart found here.
He is 31.5 inches (90th percentile) and 25lbs (75th percentile).  I'm sure he will get his dad's height and he is already starting to thin out and look like a toddler instead of the cutest baby in the world.

He is growing, moving and learning so fast, I can't even list everything!  I will admit that after getting his tubes in April I was very worried about his language delay but he seems right on track and at one year had a few words down (most children have at least two words at one) - Ma, Dada, Bon Bon (his care-giver, Bonnie), Ba (for bottle or sippy cup).

We had a lot of scheduling conflicts for Mack's Birthday so he actually had two parties.  The day of his birthday my family joined Jon, Mack and me at our favorite restaurant, Tony's, for pasta & cupcakes.  It was a simple day to celebrate the best thing about our simple little family.

Mack has taught us so much about how to love and be loved - we can't imagine our lives without him.  What were we doing before he was in our lives?  Clearly, it was not as fun as this because I barely remember that life.

I Heart Cupcakes

New Boot Goofin'

Mack was days away from walking (and only days away from turning one!) and he didn't (and still doesn't) take too kindly to shoes.  They've seemed kind of pointless to me until now so I got him these ones with a squeaker after seeing my friend Amy's little girl, Eleanor, wear them.  They are supposed to help train the new walker to walk heel-toe but I got them to mainly annoy the dogs :)



The way he acted when he first tried them on reminded me of this scene from Reno 911!

Mack is 11 Months!

Mack is 11 months old today!

I can't believe in just one month he will be one year old - where has the time gone? It's been the craziest year of my life for sure but Mack has been my one constant and my biggest joy.

Mack is all over the place, I can barely keep up. Look at those red knees - he is the fastest crawler in town and is just itching to walk. He has mastered standing on his own and "cruising". I have caught him several times when he would take a step and then realize what he was doing and stop and sit down. He can sit from a standing position and stand from a sitting position. He tries to climb anything and everything - stairs, coffee tables, couches, wagons, fireplaces, TV consoles, chairs and more.

He says Mama and Dada with a purpose, loves patty cake, "where's Mack?", his tunnel, Libby & Brown Bear (our labs), his mom - he is a mama's boy right now. He loves his dad's silly voices and being tickled by his beard. He thinks it's so funny when Libby barks. He can put smaller objects in large containers and remove them. His favorite toy is an electric book that Grammy (my mom) gave him when he got tubes. It sings different nursery rhymes.

He is as curious as ever, focusing on new items until he can figure out what exactly he can do with it. Jon had to child-proof the kitchen cabinets the other week after Mack pulled a bowl out and it broke. He is still trying each and every day to open all the cabinets. I love that he never gives up.

Mack loves books with texture. On his nightstand currently is Dog, Tails, Goodnight Moon and The Big Red Barn. We rock in the chair in his room and read the books, he loves to turn the pages himself and is so fascinated by the textures in Dog and Tails.

He is obviously a great eater, weighing in at 23lbs and 31 inches, 60th and 90th percentiles. He has been eating table food for a few months now and we have dropped down to two bottles a day - morning and night. His favorite foods are peaches, sweet potatoes, pears, avocados, cheerios, cheese ravioli, chicken and shredded cheese. We still haven't tried beef yet but there is no doubt that he would love it. He is a messy, messy, messy eater. He hasn't figured out that you don't have to throw the sippy cup when you are done with it but I'm sure that will come.

He has a love/hate relationship with baths these days - he loves playing in them but hates the actual bathing part.

Mack is excelling in his fine and gross motor skills and catching up on his language skills since having his tubes put in. He imitates so many sounds and noises - especially a bath toy duck that goes, "quack, quack, quack, quack".

He has dropped his 5pm cat nap for the most part but Mondays are always long days and yesterday we took a long cuddle nap. We haven't done that in several weeks and I have definitely missed it. There aren't enough words in the dictionary to describe my love for Mack and this is only the beginning.

Here Comes Mack Cottontail...

Easter 2010

Jon's Surgery - Round Two

Jon's back surgery in October did not go as planned and he will have surgery again tomorrow. Once again, it will be about 8-12 weeks before he can hold Mack again so I wanted to get a few pics of them tonight.

After surgery Jon will look like this:


or this:


If you think about it tomorrow, say a prayer for us!

Mack - Nine Months

Mack was 9 months on March 25th! It's an understatement to say that time flies fast. We go for our 9 month appointment next week (I think?) and we'll find out stats then. My guess is his weight is around 23lbs and height is around 30 to 31 inches.

Mack is pulling up on everything, crawling faster than we can keep up with, attempting to stand on his own, eating teeny tiny bite sized fruits and veggies (no dairy or meat yet), trying to master the sippy cup of water, clapping, laughing, standing up and jumping in his crib, he likes to hand us toys and then take them away, puts smaller toys into bigger toys, tries to dance to music, tries to kiss (open mouth only), is still saying "Ma" for me when he's fussy, expanding his language to "da da da da", still taking snuggle naps with Jon or myself and he loves books.

Last weekend Jon hung his swing in our front yard, we have two adriondack chairs out there and we've been swinging every day after his snuggle nap. Jon also put together the wagon that Grammy Kay & Grandpa got Mack for Christmas. He LOVES that - it has 4 cup holders!

We attempted this family picture tonight with the timer on our camera. Mommy looks tired.

Mack Applauds His Own Special Talent

We've been working on clapping and waving goodbye and of course while we are out of town this past weekend Mack decides to take up the clapping.  Looks like he's going to be a pretty funny guy, too.

Mack's First Ash Wednesday

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday so Mack & I went to the 6pm service (Jon went during school).  It was a bit crowded but Mack loved the singing and babbled through the entire service because he was tired.  He made friends with the couple behind us, tried to tear up the misselet and also wanted to gum the bench in front of us.  At one point during communion (when the bells ring - a very quiet, solemn time) he let a loud shriek! He got ashes (barely visible here since he was snuggling into me a lot) and a blessing during communion.

He was happy to get home to see his Daddy and get in bed!

Waiting for Dr. Yaeger

Jon and Mack are at the pediatrician's office & Jon just emailed me this picture.  Mack has a nasty cough/cold and probably a sore throat, too (he cries when he coughs).  Jon said he is giving himself kisses in the mirror, tearing up the paper and breaking the scale - he weighed in at 21lbs!

Cousin James' First Birthday

James' First Fiesta was scheduled for the Saturday of the funeral so Julie and Zach changed it to this past weekend. I was so glad that we got to be there for it, especially now that Mack can crawl and sit up and actually play with (or next to) James.

Best Friends - They just don't know it yet.

Mack's Fiesta Sombrero

Birthday Cake

Birthday Cake Over

Ma & her Mack

James and his dad, Zach

Nonners and her boys (the next generation)

Mack going after the Pinata

Heads or Tails?

Now that Mack can crawl he is spending more time inspecting the dogs' tails, paws and faces - especially when they give him kisses.

Reunited

Mack hasn't seen his Grandpa in several weeks (Bob's been in Rockford). He was thrilled tonight when Bob came over just to see him. (Jon obviously didn't get his hair from his father).