Thursday 17 April 2008

Happy Birthday, Baby

My baby turned one yesterday.

He's practically all growed up.

We had a wonderful day. We started the day with the usual - books. Some mornings I don't even get so much as a good-morning smile, just a yawn and a stretch and a roll over to the bassinet to grab a book and start looking at it.



That's okay. I'm a big girl, I can handle it.

After a shower, Crazy Mommy got Baby all dressed up just so she could plop him down in front of the microwave and start snapping pictures. Exactly one year ago - to the minute! - my baby was born. (Okay, you can't tell, but the microwave says 11:03.)



He weighed 8 lbs 9 oz and was 20 inches long. Now he weighs 20 lbs 10 oz and is 31 inches long. He went from floppy little newborn to this...



...in practically no time at all.

After Crazy Mommy took pictures of Baby sitting in front of the microwave, we headed outside to enjoy the beautiful weather. Since it was his birthday, we decided to take his throne (okay, his stroller) for only the third time since he was born. We had a few things to pick up at the mall, including tape (to wrap his last present after we ran out last night), potatoes (for stew that evening), and an Anne Murray CD (to be included in my mom's Mother's Day gift parcel). We had such a nice walk and, for part of the way, a nice nap for the boy.

Then we came home, and Mommy grabbed the camera. Dun-dun-duh!









I totally made this 1. I has mad crafting skillz.


"Here Mom!"


"Okay, I'll keep it!"


My boy is just too cute.


And oh-so-serious.


We're done being serious now.




Eventually I decided that probably I had enough pictures. Time to get stew cooking in the crock pot and make a birthday cake! It was his nap time, so up on Mommy's back he went.



That took the rest of the afternoon. My little boy napped, then we played until Daddy got home. Present time!



Present opening is Very Serious Business.


The baby crayons were a big hit.


Here's Daddy "helping" the little man get a present out of a gift bag...


...and here's the little man diving out of the way before it fell on him.


Oh yes, and here's the little man in the bag.


Watching Daddy cut into a present from Great-Uncle.


Daddy specifically went out to buy this book for the little guy's birthday. I thought it was really sweet. It was one of his favourite books as a child so he wanted his son to have it too. Here he is telling Baby all about the awesomeness of the Pickle Truck.


Presents!






We got him a set of wooden blocks, baby crayons, a Kleen Kanteen sippy cup and several books. My parents got him a praying stuffed rabbit, three sets of books, and a Moody Bear cloth book. My in-laws got him a sweater (knitted by my MIL) and a few books. He got the plush balls from his Great-Uncle, the plush picnic basket from my sister, and a cheque from his Great-Oma.

Lots of new books!


"Mom. Seriously. It's time to cut my hair."


And then!! The birthday boy stood!! By himself!!

But stoopid Mommy was too busy squealing like a girl over the fact that her son stood up by himself to remember that hey, I've got a camera in my hands, maybe I should take a picture! By the time I managed to think that and get the camera up, this is all I caught:


Daddy was cheering for Baby and laughing at me. The boy was like "whatever guys. I got blocks."

Then it was cake time. Turns out I'd never make it as a cake decorator.


This was a carrot cake with a no-sugar cream cheese frosting. It tasted better than it looks.

I love this picture. It looks like Daddy's stressing out about his son reaching for candle. In reality, though, he was trying to show the boy how to blow out the candle. The boy wasn't paying any attention, as you can see.


He wasn't so sure about the cake.


In fact, he thought the candle looked more appetizing.


Eventually he gave in and tried some cake.


"Mom! Mom! Let me slime you with my gross hand!"


"Dude. That cake was gross. I totally dropped it on the floor."


Funny, he wouldn't stop pestering me for some of mine at lunch today! We shared a big piece. It's full of carrots and applesauce and apple juice (just pretend that's healthy) and raisins and wheat germ (I didn't even know what wheat germ was before now) and no sugar, so I didn't mind him eating it.

After cake it was time to settle down for the evening. Mommy looked terrible but wanted a picture with the Birthday Boy:


Daddy and I watched a movie (Juno!) while the birthday boy crawled around the bed and eventually went to sleep. And so ended my son's 1st birthday.

I loved being pregnant with him. I loved seeing him on the ultrasound, sucking his thumb and bouncing up and down. I loved feeling his kicks. I wasn't so fond of his incessant hiccoughs, but I loved watching my stomach move. I was convinced he was a boy before he was born, but I kept reminding myself that he could be a girl so often that when it turned out he really was a boy, I was almost surprised. I had a hard time at first feeling like the baby that had been inside me and the baby they handed me were one in the same, but wow, did I ever love him. I loved his first smiles at 3 weeks, his first time briefly sitting at 6 weeks, and his first laugh at 8 weeks. I was so excited the day he rolled over at 9 weeks. I loved watching him admire his hands at 12 weeks and I grinned myself silly after his first long belly laugh that same week. I startled him with my clapping when he figured out how to pull his hanging musical toy at 15 weeks. It was so neat to see him really learn to sit by himself at 19 weeks. We had so much fun at his first swim classes and storytimes, and less fun during his first cold and fever. When his first tooth came through at 23 weeks, I had no idea six more would come through over the next 10 weeks. He pushed up onto his hands and knees at 26 weeks and was crawling a month later. I grinned like a fool the first time he reached up for me at 29 weeks. At 35 weeks he could pull himself to standing and started cruising along the furniture. I loved watching him learn new things - waving bye-bye at 42 weeks, pointing to things and telling "stories" about them, opening drawers and cupboards at 43 weeks, turning lightswitches off with ease by 44 weeks, clapping at 47 weeks, briefly standing alone at 48 weeks, saying "uh-oh!" at 49 weeks, taking lids off and on at 51 weeks, and signing "milk", dropping the circle in the shape sorter and handing things to people when asked all by 52 weeks. It's been so much fun watching him learn and grow. I've learned so much myself since his birth.

Happy Birthday, Little Man.

3 comments:

  1. Looks like it was a wonderful day! And so well documented for him when he's older!

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  2. your son is PRECIOUS!!! happy birthday to him. the photos are great and it looks like he had a great time!

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  3. What a little cutie he is! :)

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