Almost 1

Well I can't believe how time has flown by! Zander is going to be 1 in 6 days! We are celebrating his birthday early this Saturday with swimming in Saskatoon and then a pizza party afterwards - and of course all of his cousins will be there. Chris got hurt yesterday - he sprained his ankle and tore a legiment - so he is on crutches for 3 weeks. He is pretty upset that he won't be able to go watersliding with Zander. And of course all of this happens as we are redoing our kitchen - so here we are with no kitchen and Chris hurt - thankfully Chris Uncle Mike is helping and Chris dad will help also, so maybe, just maybe I'll have something of a kitchen next week! (Everyone keep your fingers crossed!) For the past week Zander and I have been stranded in just 1 room of the house - his playroom - it's amazing how one can start going squirelly in a 10x12 room!
As Zander is nearing a year I find myself thinking back - I've come to terms with the 20 hour labor and have even convinced myself that I will do it again (now Grandma Rawson that doesn't mean anytime soon though!) Dad always bugs me that I take too many pictures but it's amazing how time flies and all you're left with is memories and the pictures so I'm definitely glad. Zander now has 4 teeth - 2 on top and 2 on bottom. He is growing like a weed and climbing onto everything! He has learnt that if he moves his one toy up to a chair that he can climb from the toy to the chair - he just about gave me a heart attack the first time I saw him do it! So nothing is safe from Zeus!
He loves music and he loves to dance! He says "Night night", loves to sing "eiei" (he can't say the "o" yet!) and his new word for the week is "stinky" and likes to put his socks in his mouth and then say it!
Zander definitely has a strong personality and is not afraid to stick up for what he thinks is rightfully his - as his cousin Aidan found out when I tried to do the unthinkable and hold Aidan instead of Zander! Needless to say Zander is quite a little bully. I'm not sure how he's going to do at x-mas time when he has to share grandma epp with other babies!
It's hard to put into words all the emotions and thoughts you experience raising a child - I feel very blessed to have this opportunity and to have Zander and Chris in my life - I wouldn't trade those 20 hours of labor for anything!