Birthday Boy

Today was the big day. 6:38 pm marked one year for Jarett. We had a day full of festivities, so prepare yourself for way too many pictures and long videos. Hey, my firstborn only turns 1 once, right?

He woke up this morning at the usual time (around 7:30) and spent nearly an hour talking and singing to himself. Happens most mornings. Camden and I went in to greet him and give birthday hugs. He had some of his favorites for breakfast: scrambled egg, apple, and yogurt. He spent the rest of the morning like this:

He got sleepy early, but I wanted him awake a little while longer. We ended up having at least half an hour of uninterrupted snuggle time, an unprecedented rarity, and my favorite part of today. Hugs, kisses, and contentment to just lay his head on me and look out the window. He took a nap, but it was only half as long as normal. I guess he was too excited about his big day. We decided to do the partying early. He opened presents first:

Then came the birthday cake, which I'd say he enjoyed immensely.

After hosing down the high chair, the boy, his parents, and the path from his chair to the bathtub, it was time for vacuum wrestling and reading new books.

We had one of his favorite meals for supper, chicken parmigiana. He loved it, along with his green beans, peaches, and applesauce. He webcammed with his Grandma Henderson while he ate. After a fun bath time, he webcammed with Grammie, Gramps, and a whole herd of aunts, uncles, and even cousin Juliann. I fed him his bottle by the light of the Christmas tree, and he stared into my eyes and cuddled with me until I laid him in his crib. **sniff** Wish I could keep him this way forever.

Reflecting on Year One

It's a Monday night at 7:00 and I have quiet time for me. (!) Camden is out running a couple of errands, and Jarett is asleep for the night. As I finished feeding him his bottle tonight, I couldn't help but stare a little longer at his sweet, sleeping face and think about the occurrences of the past year. My baby will be a year old in less than 24 hours. Remember with me...

Newborn (Dec. 21, 2009)

Two Months

Four Months

Six Months

Eight Months

Ten Months

One Year

This little guy takes everything I have. He has helped me be more than I was. He has unlocked a new level of love. I don't know what I ever did without him. Happy birthday, Jarett. You're Mama's Love.

An Early Christmas

I have been thinking for quite a while that I wanted to make some blocks for the kid. I finally got around to borrowing a buddy's chop saw and cut some to length today. They are pretty simple. I just took some old 2X2's and cut them to the same length. Then I sanded the rough edges. As it turns out, Jarett is not worried about their simple nature. He just loves that they make noise and I keep stacking them up for him.

First Real Haircut and Other Big Boy-ness

I gave the little man a haircut on Saturday. I was nervous. It's hard enough trying to wipe this child's nose, so taking blades to his head in an effort to clean him up was pretty daunting. Camden and I planned out creative bribes to keep Jarett from grabbing at the clippers, and Camden held him on his lap. I somehow felt more than prepared. I hadn't planned on him being terrified. Despite crying through the entire process, we got it done. Now he is even cuter than before, and he looks so grown up.

Before:


After:Told you he cried. I'll post a better picture when I get one.


My baby will be 11 months old on Sunday. Has anyone else realized yet that he will be turning ONE next month?!? He seems to think he's a big boy. Here is 99 seconds of mind-blowing proof, complete with charging and head-butting Daddy, standing, sensational dancing, body-part-identifying, Tigger-loving, two kinds of crawling, and voracious reading MADNESS.

Skillz

I'm a proud mama.

Hubba Hubba

Never thought I'd see an attractive snail.
Hands off, ladies, he's mine.