Call It What You Want...

The Boy had a birthday. He is no longer a baby. He's a year old now. Crazy to think that just a year ago he was small enough to cuddle onto Daddy's arm and rest his head in Daddy's hand, that he barely knew how to be, that he was just meeting us and we, him, for the first times.

Now he's a big kid. He has things he likes (wheels, dogs, fish, books) and things he doesn't like (mommy going out of sight, boring car rides, ads on the radio). He likes to sing and talk and play, and has words he says, like "Mamama" and "Dadada" and "Dog" and "Fish".

And now he's a year old. (This is a preview of the birthday pictures, soon to come.) He had pictures taken in honor of the big day, and then the day arrived!

Most of the fun waited for evening. Some friends joined us for the obligatory birthday cake and presents, and Mark did not disappoint us in his joyous reaction to the cake. (Video will follow; I'll include a picture now.)

Perhaps you see a spot of icing in his hair. He was encouraged in patting his head by dear aunties Ericka and Melissa. When he did, and we all laughed, he cried, poor child. Friend Cara was hoping for some icing in the nose, as she did as a child. He did not disappoint in this either.

Gifts were opened, cards read, bows and paper played with. He toddled around the room, occasionally with no one's hand to hold, and then got worn out, and it was off to bath and bed.

Happy Birthday, Mister Sir, and many, many more. :) We couldn't have picked a more terrific little guy to call our own.