Andrew is One!

Since Nathan and Jonah got home at supper time, we opted to have Andrew's birthday cake right after supper, by ourselves instead of waiting to have a party with friends.  I find myself torn between my preference to celebrate "on the day" and my fear of loneliness.  I think I'm getting better about enjoying celebrations with just our little family, without feeling like we have to share it with loved ones in order for it to be special.

So he got his cake, and was fascinated by it...

...but he sure didn't get the whole "blow out the candle thing", so he grabbed it.

Owie... poor baby.

After that, there was not getting that kid to maul the cake.  That cake bit him!  He wasn't about to touch it again!  He's no dummy.  He wouldn't even let us put some icing on his tongue.

...but when confronted with a slice...

...well, that's a different thing altogether.

He even had enough to share with Daddy.

I love how babies are so excited to look at their cards.  It's just all new and exciting to them!  They don't know enough to be wanting to "get on to the presents".

Tearing pretty paper is all part of the gleeful experience!

Soft new jammies with puppies on them are exciting, too!

Am I supposed to gush and wax poetic all about the great "vintage" puppy pull-toy I found for him?  Isn't that the trend these days?

Hm.  Well, I actually just pulled it out of a random bag of toys I've had around "for a rainy day".  And it doesn't have batteries or make loud noises, while still being quite interactive, so I'm satisfied.

He was delighted.  Evan couldn't understand why such a fantastic thing wouldn't be for him, since he's bigger, after all.  I saw Evan pulling it around and talking to it very sweetly when he finally got his hands on the coveted new toy.

So Andrew is a whole year old now.  That baby who made us wait and wait for his arrival, and has continued to insist on his own terms for everything ever since.

Oh, and not to overshadow Andrew's milestone (which I've been happily celebrating with him all day), but there's just one more thing...

Yeah, that shirt looks just a little big for him, doesn't it?  Well... he'll grow into it sooner than you might think.