Birthday Party!

So, this birthday thing happened.


We didn't go overboard with decorations or a theme because our guests were grandparents only. So the theme was just, uh, "birthday."




By the time we were ready to party, Jack was a little tired. We tried to get a smiling picture, but it wasn't happening. He still looked cute in his Birthday Shirt.




My mom made Jack this adorable First Birthday quilt. (You can see it draped over the Anywhere Chair in the earlier pictures.) Each of the four corners had significance. One had a little red headed boy. One had a train. Another had a bird because Jack used to sound like a baby bird when he got excited. And one has a teddy bear in honor of Cubby, Jack's one true love and best friend. He's on the only stuff animal that he tolerates. The whole thing is really adorable and special and I think he'll love it when he gets old enough to understand the concept of a quilt. Here's a close up of the center square.


Alex and I got Jack an Anywhere Chair. He doesn't quite get it. Why would you sit when you can stand? And then walk? And then fall? And then stand back up? And walk some more?


My parents also got him this helicopter which he LOVES. We took him to the store to help pick out what he wanted and he wouldn't let this go, so it won. He figured out the pull toy aspect of it really quickly. Plus it has buttons. Which are AWESOME.


My mother-in-law didn't get in until super late the night before, but we couldn't wait to have the party because my parents had to leave early on Jack's actual birthday. All of that is to say I don't have any pictures of him playing with this push toy, but believe me when I say that it is a HIT. He walks everywhere with it, squealing in glee. He also loves to ram it into the desk and the wall and the couch. Watch out if you're anywhere in his path of destruction.

After we opened presents, it was time for cake! I went with six cupcakes (one for each guest) because let's be honest, none of us really needs a whole lot of extra cake.




As you can tell, Jack was REALLY EXCITED by it. Or something.

We stripped him down to eat his first taste of full on sugar. And he really wasn't sure at first.


He got the hang of out it pretty quickly. We took probably 50-ish pictures and a 6 minute video of him eating that cupcake. I'll spare you all that and just show you that he was okay with it in the end.


After all that excitement, it was time for my parents to leave. So I forced everyone to take group pictures. I was especially excited to get this shot because we have exactly two pictures of the three of us together. (And the first one didn't happen until Jack was at least 3 months old.) So here we are, our happy little family.


I mentioned the other day that I was feeling blue about Jack turning one. I was really surprised by how difficult it was for me to accept the fact that he was a year old. I'm sure my sadness was a combination of things - my family leaving, Alex's long work hours (he didn't get home until 1:30 AM last night. AM!), plus the realization that my baby is no longer officially a baby. But it all hit me and I just sat and cried, thinking about the last year. He went from a smooshy newborn to a little boy in such a short time. And I hope I haven't failed him. I hope he had a good first. A GREAT first year. Those first three months were really terrible. Really, really terrible. I was struggling so much with the post partum depression and anxiety, that I was barely available to him or Alex. Alex and I fought way more than we normally do. And I really hate that. Really, really, really hate it. I feel like I was robbed of some of the most precious moments of my life. And I cried about that too.

But we made it. He's here. I'm here. He's all over the place. And I'm going everywhere he goes. I won't let anything stand in my way.