One Year Old!

Happy first birthday to my baby boy!!! Here's an accurate representation of him today in all his snot-nosed glory. Poor little guy. He's under the weather and fairly miserable. Thankfully, on the day of his party, he wasn't as miserable as he is now but he was still pretty sick. He was up from about midnight until 3:00 AM on the day of his party and then was not his usual smiley self. He melted down before the party was over. It's his party and he can cry if he wants to.

The day of his party was beautiful sunny and warm weather so we got to use the backyard. It was a good thing because there were nearly 50 people here to celebrate his first birthday. How wonderful to look out onto the backyard and see it full of kids and families who care about him and are important in our lives. His party was a planting season theme and so the floral arrangements had carrots and watering cans, the favors were garden starts, there was a pennant banner made from seek packets, the food labels were tiny planters with plan labels, and the cake was dirt cake cups with a gummy worm. Surprisingly, Oliver didn't like his smash cake, perhaps because he was feeling under the weather. I didn't get many pictures of his party. In fact, I got zero! But I wandered around afterward and snapped a few pictures of the decorations.

I just got some photos from Oliver's grandma, Mary, from the party. Yippee! Here's a few from hanging out in the backyard, the cake smash, and opening gifts.

Well, that brings us to the end of Oliver's first year blog. It has all flown by so fast. With Eloise everything was a first and with Oliver everything was a last, and so there are some feelings of grief as we put this chapter of his life behind us. More than anything I feel so fortunate that the two kids I got are so amazing. Oliver loves life and is pure joy. He is big and strong and at times reminds me of the muppet Animal with his sudden bursts of wild energy. This was true even in utero with his sudden bursts of rapid-fire kicking and punching. He's mostly a go-with-the-flow guy, except when he's not. Like when he was breech at the end of pregnancy and refused to turn. Or when he refused the bottle after taking it for a while. Or months later when he weaned himself from nursing. He is my snuggler and my sweet mama's boy. I love when he throws his arms around my neck, buries his head in my shoulder, and gives a squeeze. I reflect on his first year with so much joy, look forward to witnessing his growth and development in the future, and most of all relish every moment of the present I get to spend with him.

52 weeks old: one year photos and food

Look at this guy in his new (to him) little track suit. I can't take it he's so cute. I recently sold some kids clothes that both of kids have outgrown at a consignment sale and bought this track suit for $6 on the 50% off day.

This week Oliver started weaning off the bottle and formula. I started by mixing in some vanilla almond milk with his formula and gradually increasing the almond milk part. Eloise hated whole cow's milk so I didn't even bother with Oliver, and he is drinking the almond milk right up. Now he's totally off of formula and onto almond milk. The wean away from the bottle, on the other hand, has been a little more difficult. Even though he drinks great out of a straw cup, he is really attached to the bottle. We're down to just one a day now. Hopefully in the next week or two we'll drop that last one.

Oliver is really proficient at self-feeding and drinking now. He manages finger foods like a pro and can handle a pouch, straw cup, and snack cup all by himself, too. Here he is with a snack cup in the stroller and a straw cup with dinner.

And boy does this kid like to eat! Some days I swear he eats more than Eloise! Yesterday for breakfast he had an entire banana, half of a kiwi, a whole container of yogurt, a sausage link, and a handful of Cheerios. He continues to try more new foods and likes most everything. He seems to be a meat eater, too. He likes turkey, chicken, and hamburger meat and will eat a lot of it. This week he tried cheese tortellini and liked it, too. He's not smiling in this picture but he devoured a tray full of it.

As Oliver's first birthday approaches in a couple days, we went to get his one year photos taken at Picture People in the mall with a $13 groupon, as usual. It's always hard to choose because he's so darn cute but here it is.

And here's a proof of one that shows his whole outfit. I thought he was adorable.