Happy 1st Birthday, Robbie!

One year ago, this is what was happening on March 15th, very early in the morning!...

And now our little boy is one year old. ::sigh::  We had a wonderful weekend celebrating Robbie's first birthday, and especially enjoyed having all of his grandparents with us to celebrate with us!  

Robbie and his friend Riley preparing to eat lunch.  How cute are they together in their stripey outfits and matching high chairs!?

The cake!

Getting ready to have some fun with his smash cake...

Please overlook how enormous I am getting.  Yeesh.

Friends and family egging him on...

He was very subdued in his approach to eating the cake, especially enjoying raking his fingers through the icing.  Notice my dad motioning to him that he should bang on it!

Digging in.  Grammy Livingston was amazed (concerned!?) at how much of the cake he actually ate!  And I kept waiting for a blue and green diaper later in the day.  Apparently cake agrees with him.  He even took 2 2-hour naps that day!  Maybe I should offer cake daily?...

A new wagon for the birthday boy.  He decided to take Riley for a spin down the hallway.  I think we will be seeing a lot of these 2 in the wagon this summer.

Opening presents from friends, which of course held his attention for about 1 minute.  Then it was off to play in the ashes in the fireplace.

A good-bye picture with Grammy and Papa this morning before they flew back to New Jersey.

What a blessing, to be able to celebrate your baby's first birthday.  It was every bit as much fun as I imagined it to be!  Rob and I are so thankful that the Lord has given Robbie to us, and kept him healthy and safe throughout this first year.  

I take Robbie to the pediatrician this afternoon for his 1 year checkup (and shots), so I will have growth stats for you later.  But here is what Robbie is like as a brand new 1 year old!... (this is mostly just for me, so that I remember what he was like at 1.)

Eating:

Eats 3 solid meals a day, and 3 medium sized bottles.

Loves peas 'n carrots, grilled cheese, cheerios, apple juice, pears, yogurt, cheese, pasta, and meat sticks (gross, I know).

Only lets mom feed him oatmeal and yogurt from a spoon.   Everything else he wants to touch as it goes into his mouth.  We bathe after dinner almost every night, it's a disaster.

Almost impossible to eat out at a restaurant anymore without causing a scene or making a huge mess.  

Sleeping: 

Sleeps 12 hours through the night, to the minute!

Takes 2 naps during the day - one for an hour, one for 2 hours.

Does not enjoy being rocked to sleep anymore, and can put himself to sleep easily.

Loves to snuggle in his crib with his favorite grey blankie and Winnie the Pooh, whom he knows by name.

Is soothed by the waterfall sound on his sound machine.

Has gotten legs stuck in crib slats several times, thankfully we don't have to worry about his head!

Playing:

LOVES to be left alone in a contained area to play with his toys.

Hates to be held for very long.  He's a busy boy and has lots he wants to do.

Is learning to put large wooden puzzle pieces in their places.

Enjoys his toy hammer and lights-and-sound tool bench, as well as his xylophone and keyboard.

Will stand and play at his activity table forever!  Has mastered all of the features (flipping, spinning, sliding, turning the page, etc.).

Dances along the side of his pack and play, often letting go and standing unassisted.  Can ease his way to sitting from standing without flopping over.

Cruises the furniture, and also walks while balancing against the wall or window by himself.

Still loves staring at the ceiling fan, especially when it's on.

Can't resist the temptation to play in the fireplace at Grandma and Grandpa's house (not when it's on, of course!). Often has black hands when mommy forgets to pay attention.  Is fairly good at obeying when we tell him 'no'... at least for a minute or two until he forgets.

Enjoys playing with other kids the most - frequent playdate friends include Riley, Charlotte, Jackson, Amelia, Kyle and Ellie.

Loves the park and swings.

Loves going grocery shopping with mommy - looking at the balloons, holding my list, and chewing on the shopping cart (ick - drives me crazy!).

Favorite activity right now though is wrestling with Dad when he comes home from work, and playing together in his room before bedtime.

Talking:

Can say these words - 

Mama, Dada, tree ("chee"), juice ("chu" or "du"), cheese ("deez").

Knows what these words/phrases mean or refer to -

'Snuggle with your blankie', Winnie the Pooh, book, brush your teeth / toothbrush, bath, duck, 'lean your head back' (to rinse shampoo), 'sit down on your bottom', 'lay your head down', dance, 'give a kiss', 'make a fish face', pig, tongue, teeth, nose, mommy's hair, 'be gentle', ring, finger(s), toes, socks, diaper, juice, bottle / baba, 'come to mommy' (then crawls to me), 'daddy's home!', fire, fan, lights, baby... maybe more that we don't realize??

Temperament:

Studious when playing with his toys.

Excited when he sees a friend, relative, or another child.

Seems to be over any separation anxiety he used to have, with mommy in particular.

Loves to mimic sounds, faces and hand motions that we make.

Fairly sensitive, especially to reprimand.

Snuggly in the morning when he wakes up - best time to try and get a kiss out of him!

Likes to make us laugh with a funny face or quick movements.

Hates to hold still when I change his diaper, or to stay seated in the bath tub.  Constantly wrestling him down!

Continues to have a seemingly long attention span for his age.

Size:

Height: 33 inches (99th percentile)

Weight: 25 lbs 13 oz (84th percentile)

Head circumference: 19 inches (94th percentile)

12-18 month clothing.

Size 5 diapers.

18-24 month shoes.

2T hats fit best.

Just got his first haircut by mommy last week.