Happy 1st Birthday Eli!

One year ago, we welcomed Eliot James to our family.


He was instantly a blessing to our family and I absolutely love being his mommy. Maybe it was the 4 months of being up 24-7 together or perhaps it was just the millions of giggles I've heard, but I'm more in love with my son than I thought possible.

I have to admit that I was a little sad on Eli's first birthday. I have absolutely loved this past year and I'm going to miss this beautiful season of our life.

But Alison was not sad in the least. She was beyond excited to celebrate...and what better way to celebrate than decorating cupcakes in a swimsuit and rainboots (note that there were no plans for swimming on this clear, sunny day).

She wasn't jealous of all the attention and presents Eli got, but she sure did have a hard time being patient waiting for the party to start. Heaven forbid the birthday boy actually take a nap!

Isn't Eli's shirt cute? My good friend, Andrea, made it for him. Me, Andrea and my other friend Julie, all had boys within a week of eachother, so she made all the babies matching birthday shirts. Too bad we weren't in Michigan to join their joint party too!

All the grandparents were very sensitive to Alison not being left out and I began to wonder if she was actually getting more than her brother. I wanted her to learn to be selfless and just make the day about her brother...but I ended up learning that our parents really do know best and I sure was glad to have some things to let her open too!

We had a Micky Mouse themed party. I decided to make cupcakes instead of a fancy shmancy cake, because Alison barely touched her cake and I had spent a lot of time on the stinkin' thing.

I should have remembered that he is completely opposite of his sister. He devoured the cupcake...every single crumb was consumed. I think he sucked on the frosting for a good 5 minutes, just savoring the whole thing.

Ben, Alison and I got him Dino-his new walking friend. I've heard great reviews on the toy and so far it's been a favorite.

Poppy was here to visit for his birthday and did a great job helping us pick out some new boy toys...as you can see it was a hit.

While the kids took a birthday nap, Ben and I did some yard work (which has consumed my time, hence the delay on the post) and came inside to find the house entirely too hot to cook in. So we continued the celebration at a new Mexican restaurant. I wasn't too impressed, but Eli thought it was fun.

It was a low key day, nothing too exciting to rave about. I tried to savor the moments though, because I know that within the next 6 months, my baby will be gone and he'll be a whole new kid. Why does time have to go by so fast?

1 year check up:
25% for weight
75% for height
In rockstar health