Happy Birthday Buddy

I may have taken a little break from blogging, but I'm not going to skip out on the details of my sweet baby boy's 1st birthday!

I'm not going to lie, I was a little stressed out about the fact that Collier's birthday day is so close to Christmas.  Ten days before Santa comes, you can still get away with having a party, but I'm not so thrilled about all the gifts (stuff entering our small, cluttered house) at one time (because I'm not going to "deprive" him on either day).  Birthdays = presents.  Santa = presents.  It might be shallow and materialistic, but for kids, it's a fact.  And it's fun!  The good thing is that at age 1, he doesn't know the difference and he really doesn't need a thing.  We gave him one riding toy for his birthday and let's just say Santa is saving up for future years when Isabelle might take a moment to think about someone besides herself and when Collier has figured out why we hang stockings on the mantle.  I'm thinking we might start just doing gifts on a half-birthday in order spread it all out.

Of course I'm obsessed with a good birthday party.  But this year I decided that a good birthday party doesn't have to be big.  It doesn't have to be elaborate.  A cute theme, some good snacks and our very best friends and family is all we needed.  Lucky for Collier he has instant buddies since some of my best friends had babies right after he came.  This year seemed like the year to do a puppy themed party (because you know I have a list of party themes stored away in my head).  I went simple (even sending out an evite…gasp), but I had lots of fun with it.

"Pupcakes"

I decorated a little fake Christmas tree with all the doggie ornaments we have.  Favors for the big siblings were these adorable plush puppies holding little stockings with candy canes (orientaltrading.com).  And for the babies, I personalized round red ornaments with their names, and had each of them place a painted hand on one side to get a cute "snowy" handprint.  Then I decorated the little fingerprints with snowman faces.  Forgot to get a good picture, but they were cute.

Snacks served: "puppy chow" (that addictive sugary, chocolatey peanut butter Chex mix, only I used sunbutter instead), my delicious "spinach brownies," mini hotdogs, and puffs/cheerios for babies.  

Collier was totally overwhelmed by the "crowd" of folks crammed into our house, so there were tears when we sang Happy Birthday.  But he started to mellow out at the first taste of cake.

Not sure how much cake got into his mouth, but he had a good time.

Collier's buddies:

Jack, William and Helen

Adorbs!

"Would you please stop taking pictures of us?"

At 12 months, here are a some ways to describe my little love bug…

1. Beautiful

Ok, maybe I shouldn't call my son beautiful, but everyone else does and I agree.  Maybe not something he'd be proud of, but since day one, people always think Collier is a girl.  Even when he's wearing all blue.  The hair, maybe.  But also that sweet, angelic face, and those eyes.  Man, those eyes.

2. Small (but mighty)

My little guy is just that.  Around 2%ile in height on the charts, about 20 lbs on his 1st birthday, a tad bit smaller than his sister at her first birthday.  As my husband and I both know well, short stature will never hinder!

3. Cuddly and Sweet

Collier loves to snuggle and LOVES to be held.  He's a busy boy on the move, but he's also quite happy being in my arms and carried around from place to place and I've learned how to do lots of multitasking while carrying him.  He grabs onto my hips a bit tighter than his big sister ever did.  It makes me cherish these hip hugging days that fleet by so fast.  I'm sure my spine is off kilter and my shoulders are slumped, but I love having a baby on my hip and I know I'm going to miss this in a few years.  

4. Happy and Smiley

This child smiles and laughs so easily.  His sister can really get him giggling, as does a simple game of peek-a-boo, and belly tickles.  He smiles at every stranger and in group settings (other than his birthday) he tends to be a social butterfly, crawling right up to people and charming them with his lovable face.  I couldn't believe it when he had no problem sitting on Santa's lap, and just stared up at the big white beard with wonder.  He's starting to show a few signs of separation anxiety, but this boy is pretty easy going.

5. Hungry

Since day 1, this child has been hungry.  I'll never forget my first night in the hospital with him, sitting there feeding him for 3 straight hours while watching my husband snooze.  The nurse didn't believe me when I told her that my milk had come in only about 24 hours after childbirth.  Today he eats 3 adult sized meals, lots of snacks and seems hungry in between them (and he drinks a ton of milk, which Izzy never did).  I guess this explains my appetite during my pregnancy with him…I was definitely much hungrier than I was with Isabelle.  The next description must explain his constant hunger….

6. Busy body, into EVERYTHING

A typical boy, Collier is so active and always getting into something he shouldn't.  He's a climber and quickly learned what chairs he could climb up onto and what cabinets aren't locked up.  The dog bowls are constantly being moved.  Isabelle quickly learned that it wasn't worth trying to always play in Crockett's water bowl because it will be moved.  Collier hasn't given up.  But I almost have.  Crockett's water bowl sometimes doubles as Collier's water play station.   His current obsession is finding all doors in the house to open and close, which usually ends in tears over a slammed pinky.  And trying to get a diaper on this child is nearly impossible.  Getting him dressed is sometimes a 30 minute process.

 Collier is sleeping great at night, but from an early age, sleep was not on the top of his list of favorite things to do.  He was the baby everyone described as "alert".  Sounds great on paper, but not so great for a tired mama.  His pediatrician commented on what an alert newborn he was and pretty much every person who met him in the first months was amazed at how open his big eyes were.  At age 5 months he was able to stay awake for over 4 hours, happily bouncing in his seat.  Convenient for when you are  hanging out with friends at a dinner party.  But scary for a mom thinking about what this could mean in 1 year.  

Shortly after his birthday, Collier decided he was old enough for just 1 nap.  He promptly refused to take a morning nap, and is now doing just fine keeping up with his big sis all morning and snoozing for a few hours in the afternoon.  This seemed way too soon for me, but now I'm just trying to enjoy the fact that he's a really happy boy and a pleasure to be around when awake.  Flexibility is a nice trait for a baby to have, especially a second child, and my little guy is very much so. 

Keeping up with my busy boy is quite a task.  When nap time comes around, I'm probably the one who needs it most of all!

7. Stubborn and Determined

As easy going as Collier can be at times, ironically he can also be set in his ways (like the whole nap thing and the dog bowl debacle).  When he's determined to do something, he won't give up.  Like when he throws his pacis out of the crib at bedtime, he's basically asking for a few more cuddles.  And he usually wins.  At 4 months I decided it was time for him to sleep through the night.  I was determined.  I was stubborn.  But not quite as much as he was!

Happy Birthday to my sweet boy.  I love each and every one of your traits and I feel so incredibly blessed to have a son.  I can't wait to see if these characteristics stay true as you grow up.  Collier, we love you so!