Pierce is 1!

Pierce turned 1 well over a week ago, but between celebrations, and a trip out of town last weekend for Laura and Halsey, I am just getting around to the post.

Saturday, August 14th was beautiful and perfect for our backyard birthday celebration. Pierce had both sets of grandparents and Aunt Darcy here in attendance to celebrate along with his good buddies Erin Bourque, Spenser and Tessa Deng, and Griffin Hall (plus their parents, and our good friends!). Pierce welcomed each of his friends with a hug before getting down to playtime. We had bubbles, the water table, sandbox and a ball pit set up in the backyard for kids to play in. The ball pit was the biggest hit for Pierce but after that got old, Pierce moved on to the water table, where he spent the end of the party loading and unloading the toys and water, and crawling around in the mud. Besides playing with friends and family, Pierce loved his birthday serenade and eating his delicious carrot cake. In fact, he couldn't wait to have a piece cut for him and stuck his hand right into the black frosting on the head of his ladybug cake! He was in such good spirits for the party, and even managed to continue the celebration with an ice cream and mini-golf outing.
Greeting the grandparents
Everyone loved the ball pit!
Getting ready for the birthday cake!
Getting down and dirty after the cake
We celebrated with gifts the following day, on Pierce's "real" birthday, and it didn't take long for him to dive into his birthday loot. He got a personalized chair that is just his size and he found his way into right away. He loves that he has his own place to sit, and crawls into it as often as he can. Pierce also got a walker wagon which has become a fast favorite, and all of his other toys and books now get carted around the house wherever he goes. He can really move, and is testing standing and stepping on his own. He spends his days loading and unloading the wagon to his heart's content. Here is a video of him moving and grooving!

It's hard to believe our little baby boy made it to a toddler so quickly! This first year was such a whirlwind and full of adventures and growth, and we are so grateful for all of the love, support and guidance we had along the way. So thank you to all of you who have read and commented on this blog and followed Pierce's life so closely. We are lucky to have so many people wanting to be involved in his life. We can't wait to see what Pierce's 2nd year brings as his little personality is just blossoming away!

12 month update

We just got back from the doctor's office for Pierce's 12 month checkup. He impressed Dr. Joyce by walking into the exam room (with assistance) and talking nearly the entire time we were in there. Dr. Joyce was wowed with his verbal skills and pointing/labeling of objects and said he was developing really well. Pierce spent the rest of the appointment cruising around the room, opening the cabinets and checking out the medical supplies. He was a trooper for his lead test blood draw and 2 shots, and got some pretty astounding stats:

height: 31.5" (95%!)
weight: 27 lbs. 1 oz. (94%!)

Guess we don't have to worry about the weight gain anymore...

Dartmouth Class of 2031?

We took a drive up north to New Hampshire last weekend to meet Steph, Joe and Hannah Hammond in Hanover. Halsey had a great time showing off Dartmouth on a glorious summer day (almost makes you forget about the frigid and snowy winters) to our friends and little Pierce. Hannah and Pierce were probably the youngest prospective students on campus that day, and loved spending time having a picnic on The Green. Steph and Joe were in Vermont visiting with his family and were able to squeeze us in on their short visit. We had a great time hanging out and meeting little cutie-patootie Hannah for the first time! Pierce welcomed her to his circle of friends with a huge hug. Hannah was a great sport.

Picnic on The Green
Making introductions
Pierce goes in for the hug....and Hannah looks to mom for support
Classmates in 2031? Dartmouth or Cornell?
On Sunday, Pierce tested out his (early) birthday present from Marmie and Papa, and got to ride in style in his own seat on a family bike ride. We headed out to Lexington along the Minuteman bike trail, and Pierce had a great time pointing out all of the sights along the way (trees! airplanes! kids!), and even managed to sneak a mini-nap in on the road. It was great to be able to get some fresh air as a family and will be a welcome treat on the crisp and clear fall weekends ahead. Our little chicken gets geared up for his 1st ride
The smiles start alreadyPierce is a moving machine, and pulls up and cruises along whatever he can these days. He loves to walk (assisted by Mom and Dad) and has even braved standing on his own for a couple of seconds. He is also doing more of the hands and knees crawling, though he prefers good ol' commando when he really wants to move somewhere fast! It's hard to fathom that his 1st birthday is in 4 days. We can't wait to celebrate with family and friends!

New Additions

Just in time for Pierce's 1st birthday, he has two new chompers! Two new shiny top teeth to make a beautiful row of 4 up top. So that explains why he woke up the last two nights....Will try to catch these beauties on camera. Looks like he may have two bottom ones coming in, too!

August already!?

The summer fun continues at Chez Morris, and has included recent trips into Boston for lunch with Halsey and a trip to the Children's Museum, a trek out to Acton, MA for a morning at the Discovery Museum, trips to local parks, a visit from "Aunt" Shara and her dog Max, and a visit from Chris, Liz and Foster.

The summer fun has also included endless movement from Pierce. He is a crawling, standing, cruising and stair-climbing 11 month old! I am wiped out at the end of the days (as is he) from the constant movement. His new skills have made him fearless, much to our chagrin. Last week he climbed our front hall staircase, smiled proudly at the top, then turned around to go down them face first. Yikes! We're working on going back down stairs facing backwards, but it is a work in progress. Pierce has had a series of bumps and bruises (and lots of "ooops-es") as he cruises, but it is great fun to see his growth. Seems like walking will be right around the corner! I will try and get a good photo or video of him moving. He favorite place to pull up lately has been the piano, so I get treated to a few concerts every day!

Our trip to the Children's Museum was great, and Pierce explored the bubble room and the special Play Zone dedicated to kids under 3. He worked hard on playing, and was zonked at the end of our afternoon visit.
Checking out the bubbles with Dad Ooooh, neat Aquarium!

We had so much fun at the Children's Museum, that we ventured to Acton to The Discovery Museum the next day. They have converted an old Victorian house into a kid's paradise. The house has about 10 "thematic" rooms ranging from trains and transportation to a diner to the jungle. There are things to see, touch, explore and taste (for Pierce) in every room. His particular favorites were the water table and the jungle room where he gave a good hug to every stuffed animal in the area. As an educator, I get in to both museums for free, so I am planning at least one more trip to each before the summer is out!Pierce continues to love the swings at the park, and is getting more and more interested in the sandbox. Unfortunately, the day we went to the park last week was a bit breezy, and Pierce experienced his first sand in the eyes. Ouch! It didn't stop him from playing with one eye closed, though.
Chris, Liz and an under-the-weather Foster arrived on Saturday for a quick overnight. Pierce was so excited to see his cousin, that he couldn't stop giving him hugs. He was chasing Foster around the mat to show his love and Foster couldn't shake Pierce. I missed the best of the hugging, but managed to capture this little bit on film. Hopefully the boys can get together again soon, since it is always a hoot to see them play together.

The summer is quickly flying by, and I can't believe Pierce's 1st birthday is right around the corner! This has been the fastest year of my life, and I am just amazed at how much Pierce continues to grow and change each day.