52 : 52

Tomorrow K and I will wake up with a 1 year-old in the house --- how in the hell did that happen?! At 3:33pm on March 8th, 2012 Ewan Porter McDonald came in to this world and every minute since has been better. Savoring every second of Baby Ewan, before Toddler Ewan takes over!

This is the last installment of this project 52. I say "this project 52" because I am debating doing a 2nd round for Ewan's 2nd year --- 1 week to decide.

52 : 51

This week I was in NY for work and had this underlying fear that Ewan would walk while I was away. Every night when I spoke with K I asked if he had done it, and was reassured he hadn't. When I arrived home on Wednesday K decided to cut his day in the office short, don't be fooled he worked well in to the night from home, and bring Ewan home so I could spend some quality time with him. Within 90 minutes of my arrival home we were playing and K walked into the room, Ewan turned to him and took his first step! Along with that when playing I noticed his first molar, the top left, had broken through. While Ewan's first teeth were a disaster his 7th and 8th popped through with out us even noticing! Just 1 more week of "baby" in this house.

52 : 50

Kevin has been away this week, first for work and then for a boy's trip, so for the first time since Ewan was born he woke up and his daddy was not here... his curiosity about where he was could not be satiated by me, so he crawled around the house looking and then scurried up to his puppies saying, "Doggy - Daddy?!" He emphasized Daddy in a way that was obviously a question. Coco looked at him and walked away, and Barley seemed to join the search. We are all looking forward to K's homecoming!

52 : 49

11 Months! To celebrate the start of Ewan's last baby month he woke up early ready to party. Like I say every month he is more active, more verbal, and more fun! It seems impossible this guy will be a toddler in just 4 weeks. Life is busy, but so so sweet.

Ewan is on the verge of walking, he actually has been for awhile but now that he has been crawling for 4 months he is so quick at it that taking the time to walk seems silly to him. He has added yeah, uh-oh, and doggy to his dictionary and he keeps us entertained with his mimicking. Swimming is still one of his favorite activities, and each week in class we overhear the parents of the 18 month old and the 3 year old say "look at how the baby does it, you can put your ears in the water like him" - and we fist pump! In addition to our fist pumps we also do a lot of clapping, high fives, and waving (bye-bye and hi-hi now).

This month we will go to Tahoe, soak in the last bits of baby, and prepare for the 1st birthday that will end all first birthdays... or at the very least mean a lot to this family!

EP's official 11 month photo - taken February 11th, 2013

52 : 48

It's been a crazy few weeks. Kevin and I go to work everyday just trying to survive. Ewan goes to school everyday plotting his escapades.

This picture has entertained many this week. After a blowout Ewan's teacher changed his diaper and placed him on the floor to reach for his backup clothes, which he took as an opportunity to crawl over to his favorite lady, put his legs around her, and proceed to tickle her waist. Watch out ladies!

52 : 47

In just 5 more weeks our boy will be 1! Seems impossible, but everyday we see him grow and learn. His big accomplishment this week is saying "buh-bye" with the perfect waive of his chubby wrist at the perfect time of departure. He definitely gets what he is saying, and even Kevin melts a bit when Ewan shows off this new skill.

In all he says mama, daddy, coco, what, and bye bye. He also loves to look at pictures of our family, and when we say "where is Daddy?" He points right at K in the picture. He can identify daddy, mommy and the dogs, but those two are a little interchangeable at this point, and we don't blame him for that, their outfits always match. Yesterday when asked "where is mama?" He pointed and appeared to say "there", but further validation is required before we consider that his 6th word :)

This week's picture is of Ewan playing this morning as mama got ready for work, daddy had an early meeting so we were on our own! Trying to get Ewan to wave bye bye to the camera was impossible as he only does it if you are actually leaving!

52 : 46

This week calls for 2 pictures...

Life can be messy --- work, family, friends, etc --- things can go awry.

But with time --- love, understanding, communication, possibly soap --- things come clean and work out.

52 : 45

Ewan is starting to show his mischievous side. At 10 months they say babies can't understand discipline. It is hard to believe that when Ewan ponies up to the side table lamp, the electronics, or the fireplace tools (3 things he is constantly redirected from), looks at you, looks back at the forbidden item, starts shaking his head no, and then proceeds to play. If you interrupt him with a stern-ish no he looks at you with a cute "say what?" face and proceeds to shake his head no at you, and then returns to his evil. Things are starting to get real!

52 : 44

I recently told my bestie that if  K & I decide to have a second child I want her to remind me how sweet 10 months is when I am stuck in the 4 week fog of newborn exhaustion. Ewan truly gets sweeter everyday. He is quite the babbler and now picks up phones to have chats and then puts the phone up to the ear of anyone near him. When we pick him up from school he is immediately distracted from what he is doing and crawls to us with the largest grin on his face. His favorite activities include "clap clap" clapping, rubbing daddy's Christmas beard (which has now turned in to a new look for 2013), petting/torturing Barley and Coco, cruising rapidly around all furniture, walking on his new walker toy, and crawling insanely fast! He can now no longer simply focus on being mobile, he typically has a toy in one or both hands as he travels, which can be quite precarious and entertaining.

Ewan still loves watching and playing with the bigger kids, and is quickly growing larger than all of the kids in his class (newborns) and even most of those in the next class up (12 - 24 months). The majority of the 12 month clothes have now been retired, and we are in to the 18 month inventory. Saying good bye to his sweet yellow corduroys and dinosaur pajamas was much harder than it should have been for this mama. So many mothers say it, and I have probably at some point in this blog said it myself, but I wish I could just bottle this up --- I want to remember always how sweet Ewan's giggles are during bath time, how we try to make sense of his babbles in the car, how he puts his head on our shoulders when he is getting tired, and how he smells in the morning (warm and sweet and drunk with sleep).

EP's official 10 month photo - taken January 9th, 2013

52 : 43

There has been a lot of love in our house these days! Must be the merriness factor or the new year, but it seems to me we can't get enough of each other. And Coco, our typically most reluctant lover of Ewan, is even coming around. Happy 2013 from our family to yours!

52 : 42

Wow what a week. This one included Ewan's first trip to Southern California to visit his Grammie McD and other family, and his first Christmas. He was amazing on the trip, and when people ask me if he has stranger anxiety I can definitively say no as he was faced with 50 relatives at an annual Christmas party and not a tear was shed --- and this group is not a quiet group, they are loud and loving and were the perfect introduction for Ewan to his family down South.

The merriment of Christmas has never felt so real or magical. I will discuss the holidays more in a Christmas specific post, so for this 42nd entry in Project 52 I would just like to reflect on the beauty of my boy. While exchanging emails with a friend over the weekend I said something that I had not yet verbalized even to myself. I was explaining that I never knew I was supposed to be a mother until I met Ewan. Some roles (daughter, sister, student, employee, wife) I have struggled with in various ways, but motherhood has been a natural fit, not to say I am always amazing at it, but I have never doubted it. 2012 was amazing for us and I can't wait to see what 2013 has in store for us, come week 43 we will be in the new year!

52 : 41

I was pregnant with Ewan for 41 weeks, and today he has been with us for 41 weeks. Here is what I got all those weeks ago, and here is what I have today!

At his 9 month well baby Ewan weighed 24.5 lbs (92%) and measured 30.5 in (96%). He is meeting and exceeding his developmental milestones and is forecasted to be walking well before his first birthday. Cruising is at the top of his list, but he still loves to crawl a lot and FAST! This week he screwed the lid back on an Evian bottle, met a stair at Grammie McD's (didn't slow him at all), and continued his constant banter.

Our pediatrician said Ewan is exhibiting some cognitive skills that aren't expected until he is 1, such as following our glances to see what we are looking at and responding when we point by looking himself. Ewan is extremely curious and is enjoying a few days in Southern California by taking in all the new stuff and visiting the Santa Barbara Zoo and LACMA.

52 : 40

This last weekend Ewan turned 9 months, how has 9 months passed already?!

It has been a very busy month for our boy: he went on an international vacation, started pulling up and cruising and standing for quick moments, he stayed with his trusty babysitter Auntie M twice, he got his first Christmas tree, he continued to explore foods (like tofu), he now has opinions about things like the remote being taken away, he is really starting to love his friends at school, and he of course continues to grow. We refer to him as our beefcake, and he is also referred to as a sturdy boy at school and as a linebacker by Auntie M. He still doesn't seem to have much anxiety at all, but for the first time cried at a stranger. He loves early morning cuddles, bath time, all electronics, and his mobility.

I am not the first to say this, but I wish I could bottle this time up --- all the giggles and grins and kisses and love just own us. My boys and their manly shenanigans are very entertaining and the sounds of their chatter and laughter are the only soundtrack I need.

EP's official 9 month photo - taken December 12th, 2012

52 : 39

Today Ewan and I get to celebrate our favorite person. While Ewan is 39 weeks old, K is 1,774 weeks old. This year he is feeling old because he works a lot, has a wife, has a baby, has a mortgage, has two dogs --- but we equate that to a lot of hard work and love, not a lot of years. Our goal today is to let K relax with an easy dinner out and some video game therapy, then tomorrow a date with the wifey and on Sunday a family beer-xcursion. We try to celebrate each other everyday, but birthdays give us the perfect excuse to love on each other even more.

52 : 38

Christmas preparations are in full swing! The boys found the perfect tree and chopped it down. Ewan and I watched Home Alone for the first of hundreds of times, we really were enjoying ourselves. Ewan hung his first ornament, a special 1st Christmas ornament from his Grammie McD.

We also hung all the decorations outside, which included Kevin talking to us from the roof and Ewan laughing hysterically from his carrier on my hip!

Some of our indoor decorations did not make the cut because of the crawling/cruising baby of the house, but we are more merry than ever before and can't wait to create these memories and traditions with our son.

52 : 37

9 years ago I met a guy, 8 years ago I kissed him, and 4 years ago today I married him. This year he gave me the best gift ever, so grateful this Thanksgiving!

This week's picture is that guy and that gift watching the ducks in a pond on Granville Island in Vancouver.

52 : 36

It has been a week of firsts! Ewan's first flight, passport stamp, and boat ride --- all part of his first real vacation to Victoria and Vancouver. More to come on the trip when we are back, but in honor of project 52 a quick snapshot of our week, the 3 of us enjoying coffee and donuts at an awesome coffee shop in Vancouver, 1 of many coffee stops. Thus far the week has been amazing, no work or Facebook or email or phone calls (just this quick post from the Royal British Columbia Museum). Just our family of 3 on an adventure --- oh yeah us and the 3 new teeth Ewan sprouted - 1 for Monday, 1 for Tuesday, and 1 for Wednesday, but through it all he has been an amazing explorer.

52 : 35

Today Ewan is 35 weeks old, which is also his 8 month birthday! I am calling it his Golden Baby Birthday, but Kevin seems skeptical... he is turning 8 months on the 8th, of course we need to celebrate that!

I sound like a broken record, but Ewan gets more fun every single day. In the last week he has started scooting around on his butt, crawling even more quickly, and turning on a dime when something new interests him. His pulling up is increasing at a scary fast rate, and the coffee table is currently his everest. He is more and more verbal all of the time and his latest addiction is grunting, you ask him a question he grunts, you tickle him he grunts, you grunt at him and he laughs hysterically. I need to be sure to get a video of all this grunting. This boy of ours is such a love bug and I often wish I could pause time, but I am sure next week will be even better!

EP's official 8 month photo - taken November 8th, 2012

52 : 34

This last weekend the score was - Flu 3 McDonald Family 0! Ewan brought us home a treat from school and while he was only minimally effected (flu shot maybe?) K and I crashed and burned. I was done in about 20 hours but the war waged on in poor K for a couple days.

While having the flu is never fun it was a lot easier when we were just a couple, adding Ewan in to the mix we couldn't just feel sorry for ourselves because he had to be fed and played with. Luckily we have an amazing son who is awesome at independent play and he seemed to forgive our less enthusiastic play. We used the excersaucer more than usual to contain the beefcake, but he did start pulling up on furniture Sunday, you know just to keep us on our toes.

52 : 33

This week we have been preparing for and celebrating Halloween, but that fun will come in a future post. Teeth are still coming and sleep is a little less abundant, but Ewan is playing as hard as ever and is further perfecting his crawling, which has been his favorite pastime since he started 2.5 weeks ago.

This last week Ewan decided he wanted to crawl outside where his puppies play, we watched with curiosity to see how far he would go. The answer was the threshold of the rear french doors, then he saw the kitchen and that became his target, but last night he hit that threshold, saw Coco and there was no stopping him!