Bye-Bye Baby

Today was a another first in the life of Nico. With his 1 year old pictures coming up, Mommy and Daddy decided to do the deed...and get Mr. Mann his first haircut. Nico, unlike Mommy, had a great time. His seat was in the shape of a car, equipped with a steering wheel and all, and for entertainment purposes, there was a small television with the cartoon of our choice available. Our little guy thought the experience was great. He stood up and tried steering and driving his stationary car while having little bits of baby curls snipped off. There is something surreal about being able to put a little piece of my baby into a tiny ziplock bag as a keepsake. Nico came into Cool Cuts a baby and left a little boy.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving 2009. This year is no different from any other Thanksgiving, except this year I have so much to be thankful for. First and foremost for my wonderful husband. Over the last couple of years he has sacrificed a lot for various reasons, and I will be eternally grateful. I am also so thankful for my family's support. They are amazing and without their love and support who knows where I would be. Lastly, I am extremely thankful for my Nico. There are not even words to express how thankful I actually am. I cherish every minute with him and always try to keep in the back of my mind what could have been....Thank you Lord for what it is.

So Thanksgiving 2009 is different. It was Nico's first turkey holiday, and so in a way it was a first Thanksgiving for the Walden family. Our whole family started the day off right. We all woke up early and left the house by 7:00 am in order to walk or run the 5K Turkey Trot. It was pretty chilly starting out, but as we began moving, the sun warmed us up and we were all able to enjoy the nice brisk weather and massive amounts of people. I am pretty sure out of all of us, Nico enjoyed himself the most...he slept the whole 5K.

Later that day we shared our family tradition of yummy Babe's Chicken with some friends and watched some football. The next day put us in the Christmas spirit and up the Christmas tree went up, along with a nice solid gate to go around it. Nico loves looking at the pretty tree, the lights and shiny balls hanging everywhere. You can see it in his eyes...he would love to pull the whole thing down and play with every ornament on there. I mean after all, they do look like balls. Next on the list: Nico's Birthday!!!

Our Little Frequent Flyer

Ya'll will have to excuse the absence of my blogging. Things have been busy and with crashing computers and adjusting to a new one has kept me away from updating everyone on their favorite little guy.

This past weekend Nico and Mommy flew down to the Valley for some family time. This was Nico's fourth round trip flying; what a frequent flyer he has become! Thank goodness for portable DVD players and Tiger and Pooh! Nico is quite a squirmy boy now, but luckily none of the flights we were on were full, so Nico was able to sit back in his own seat and watch his friends sing and dance. He loved looking out the window and was overall, very well behaved.

Nico and Mommy had a nice time visiting with Pops, Mops and Ninny. Pops joined us on a trip to the Brownsville zoo, and boy, Nico sure got a close up look at the tigers! He had a great time, and at the petting zoo he practiced saying his new word, "gogk," which means dog on all animals, including little pigs!

Stay tuned to lots of exciting events, including Nico's first Thanksgiving, 1st Birthday and birthday party!

Trip to Houston

While Daddy went out of town for business, Mommy and Nico headed south...to Mommy's old stopping grounds. Houston may have smog, be over crowded with people and have horrible traffic, but I love it. There is just something about this city that draws me in. I love that I am now able to take Nico to do things that my parents took me to do when I was his age, such as the Houston Zoo! We met up with some friends and started our adventure. I had forgotten how fabulous the Houston Zoo is; with a carousel and a petting zoo in addition to all the beautiful animals there are to see! To top it off, the Hermann Park Train's renovation was complete and we were able to jump on for a ride; something else Gigi says I did many, many years ago. Next time, we definitely have to make time for a picnic and some play time in Hermann Park.

11 Months Old!

Yesterday Nico turned 11 months old...seriously where has the time gone?! This monthly birthday is the first one in which I have forgotten to blog that day. I guess monthly birthdays have become less and less important as we slowly creep towards the big 1-year old bash.

In the last couple of months, Nico has gone from being a baby to being a little boy. He no longer has the distinct baby features anymore, instead an adorable little boy has emerged. He has said a few more words consistently, some more frequently than others, but it is all very exciting. Nico is also cruising around now. He pulls up to stand anywhere and everywhere in the house, and will walk himself from place to place holding on to anything nearby. Problem solving skills are becoming more advanced and it is so amazing to watch Nico use trial and error in order to determine how to do things.

I suppose the next time I post a birthday post it will actually be Nico's birthday. One-year-old...Wow! I can't believe it is right around the corner. Stayed tuned for some great one-year pictures to come, as well as a fantastic birthday party.

Roar!

Nico's first Halloween has come and gone. The little man dressed up as a scary lion, with whiskers and all. Mommy, Daddy and Nico, along with Miss. Rebecca and Matthew, ventured out into one of the trick-or-treating hot spots of Fort Worth. In an older neighborhood with beautiful Victorian type homes the city blocks off the roads leading in and out so that trick-or-treaters can wander from house to house in the streets. The goal of the evening was not to obtain an obscene amount of candy, but instead to let the boys experience seeing the decorated houses and to observe other dressed up children.