Michael's First Birthday!

I can't believe Michael is already a year old!  It's hard to believe he started out as a little 8 pound, 3 ounce ball of sweetness.

 

He's still very sweet... just much bigger, louder, and more mobile. We're still pretty new here, so we weren't going to have a huge birthday party for him. He wouldn't remember it anyway, but it was important to me that we do something. So for the last couple weeks I've been collecting "party" things at the PX, commissary, and around town. 

 

After his morning nap, we rode our bikes to a park to play for a little while (and get really, really dirty. Part 1).

 

 

 

 

By the time we got home and ate lunch, it was time for another nap.  Then we did his big first birthday party!  First there were presents:

 

Then came the cake:

 

 

 

I've heard some people talk about how their babies were afraid to get dirty and just poked around at their birthday cake.  Not this kid. He tore the candle out and dug in with both hands.  There was cake everywhere. But it was really cute, he had a ton of fun, and it really didn't take us too long to hose him (and the high chair) off in the bathtub afterwards to get him clean. 

 

We went to the doctor last week and he's grown to be 20 pounds and 31 inches.  He's a sweet, funny, happy, healthy little boy.  In honor of his first birthday, here are some fun facts about Michael:

• He loves to eat.  Anything. But particularly grapes, bananas, cheese, and deli meat.
• He can say "mama", "dada", and "hi!" (very enthusiastically, while waving.) He also might say "banana", but we're still a little up in the air about that one.
• Likes to "talk on the phone"--he picks long things (like surge protectors or remote controls) up, puts them to his ear, and says "hi!" before handing it over to me.
• Loves the "stinky foot game" where daddy makes his stuffed animals sniff his feet and then fall over because they're so stinky.  He will bring over stuffed animals, then hold up his foot for you.
• He likes to read books.  He'll crawl over to his bookshelf, pick out a book (or four), then hold it up to you and say "huh?" until you read it to him. 
• Not walking yet, but he'll stand up on his own when he doesn't realize he's doing it.
• Is afraid of our washing machine.
• Still loves his blanket.
• Shakes his head "no." This is actually really helpful at meal times when he can tell me he's finished rather than just spitting everything out.
• Knows where his tongue and nose are.
• Looks at the door and whispers "dada? Dada? Dada?" every time he hears a noise while Robbie is at work.
• Loves to dance and listen to music! Especially in the bathtub.
• Hates getting his diaper changed or putting on clothes--but loves his shoes.

 

We had such a crazy, amazing, wonderful year.  I am so thankful for this little boy and so excited to watch him grow up this next year in Italy. 

 

Happy Birthday Michael!