Happy Birthday Dude!

It is true.  I can no longer deny the fact that my baby is 1.  Saturday was the big day.  I blinked, and my baby turned one. In the whirlwind of a year Jude went from this:

to this:

Such a big boy!!  He is truly a delight.  We love him more than words can describe.  I catch myself daily saying just how much I love him and how gosh darn cute he is.

Saturday was a happy/sad day for me, but the busy-ness of preparing for the party kept me from getting too weepy.  I just can't believe my baby is 1. Aunt Ann come up to celebrate the big weekend with us, and she was a life savor; playing with the boys and helping with the last minute clean up.  Jude woke up on Saturday morning to find his present from us.

I'd say he likes it. (Eli too!) Overall, he wasn't sure what all of the fuss was about and was not having any of the birthday suit photo shoot I had in mind...heck...it's his birthday, he can cry if wants to.

Even though Jude may not have known what the day was all about, we sure had a blast creating a special "milk & cookies" pajama party for him.

 

 

All kinds of cookie treats to indulge in after dinner...including the always favorite, cookie dough cupcakes, and a cookie smash cake that I even managed to sneak up some veggie puree into.  Thanks, Sneaky Chef!

Our little cookie monster remained clueless that this was all for him, but he definitely had a great time.

I didn't take many pictures during the party.  I meant to assign someone that task, but in the end, I was happy to experience the party and not worry about taking pictures.  Thankfully I did hand the camera over while we sang happy birthday.  Jude is a little shy in big groups and gets especially upset when people cheer or get loud....I anticipated tears.  When he made it through the song without crying, I was impressed.  Time to dig in!

He was very unsure and picked off a chocolate chip at first.  Yum!  And then decided to go in for some more yummy goodness.....face first!

At which point the party guests got excited for him and let out a "whoop!"  Uh oh!.....

Poor baby!  I dug in for him and gave him some bites in between his whimpers until he decided it was worth it to keep nibbling a bit more. That is about all he did, nibble...and cautiously.  He enjoyed what he ate, but barely made a dent.  We ended up slicing it up and serving it.

 

After all the guests left, Jude attempted to open his gifts.  Thank goodness Eli was there to help, because Jude was soooo not into opening them, but once they were out of the box or the wrapper, he was all about them.

What a special day for such a special little boy.  

And this special little boy is doing all kinds of fun things these days.  He continues to take steps, with and without encouragement.  He is up to 5 at a time, but usually ends up dropping to his knees to crawl if he wants to get anywhere quickly. 

In addition to taking steps, this boy has discovered a love for music.  Boy can he boogie!  He has the cutest dance moves that range from dropping it like it's hot to swaying side to side.  Just. too. cute!

Jude has been refusing to use his sign language this month...but his vocabulary is booming.  He has over 10 words that include bye-bye with a cute little wave. After spending some time around dogs, he woofs whenever he sees a dog (or just about any animal...every animal woofs in Jude's world.). He blows and gives kisses on command, though he usually saves all the real slobbery kisses for Mommy.  He understands so much and will follow simple directions....if he wants to.  I am not giving up sign language, but instead adding more and more everyday in hopes to bring it back with some new ones.

This month has also brought on particular likes and dislikes.  For example, Jude LOVES corn on the cob and bread and he will promptly SCREAM if you take these foods away from him.  He does not prefer cooked carrots.  He's got quite an arm...that we discovered as he launches food off of the table if he is finished or doesn't want to eat it.  We can get him to eat veggies if we offer them first, but once other foods are an option, all veggies get tossed...with gusto.  Jude also loves balls and cars.  His newest obsession is books.  He loves to point to the pictures, "read", and tell me all about books.  I just love to hear him squeal with delight when looking at a book.

I never get tired of people asking me, "Is he always this happy?"  Of course he isn't always happy...not many babies are, but he really is only fussy when he's tired or you take his food away.  He is an incredibly happy and joyful little boy.

At his one-year appointment this week, he weighed in at 21 pounds, 8 ounces (~ 30th %ile), up to about 29 1/2 inches tall(~ 35th%ile), and head right around the 75th percentile. (Eli was shorter by almost an inch and weighed a little more.)  He was not a fan of the 4(!!) shots he got, but overall, he was a champ.

No, baby.  You are not 2 (...thank goodness!)  Mommy is still trying to convince you to stop growing up.  You won't listen though.  You are just a joy and light in our lives (...even if you haven't quite mastered sleeping through the night).  Thank you, Jude.  Thank you for making our family so fun.  It is a pleasure and a privilege to be your mommy.....but I think you are going to give me a run for my money soon enough.  Thanks for being our little stinker.  We love you!