Simply One

Before my baby was even a few months old, I was overwhelmed by the amount of attention the first birthday gets. When we have birthdays, family comes to our house, I cook, and we eat. We keep things simple because we're not party people. So I knew there wouldn't be invitations, decorations, and guests watching us open baby gifts. We did have fun at Isaiah's first birthday though! Our families came over, I cooked, we ate. Isaiah wasn't in a great mood, but we went with it.

I gave him his own cupcake, which he took one bite of.

I used the only decorating trick I know for the cake for everyone else. And he opened gifts and played with balloons.

By the end we were all exhausted and went to bed early. Entertaining is not a joke, and I can't imagine how tired I would have been if we had invited more people. Having it this way kept the cost down from the comfort of our living room.

So far his favorite gift is this motorcycle his aunt got him.

Since his actual birthday landed on Wednesday this year, we opted to celebrate Saturday, and have pizza on his actual birthday.

We had a late lunch at his party which consisted of:

• Hawaiian Ham Sliders
• Sweet & Sour Meatballs
• Mixed Fruit
• Sweet Potato Fries
• Cake

Ham Sliders:
12 Hawaiian rolls
Ham
Sliced Cheese
1t yellow mustard
1t poppy seeds
1t Worcestershire sauce
1t minced onion
1/2 stick butter

Instructions:
Mix the last five ingredients in a bowl - this goes on top of the bun. Split Hawaiian rolls, add a slice of cheese and piece of ham. Close bun. Repeat until all rolls are filled. Brush mixture on top of all the rolls. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs: 
Frozen meatballs
1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ
1/2 jar grape jelly

Instructions:
Mix all together in a slow cooker on high for 3-4 hours or low 7-8.

Mixed Fruit:
Mix Grapes, Cantaloupe, Strawberries, Blackberries

Sweet Potato Fries:
I found these in the freezer section of the grocery store. I followed the instructions on the bag and added cinnamon and brown sugar when they came out of the oven.

One Year Old

Well, we made it. What a crazy/amazing year it has been.

Before Isaiah was born we weren't sure we'd even get the chance to adopt him, and here we are a year later with a full blown, almost walking, almost talking one year old.

Eating: He is eating solids like a pro and he is down to 12oz of formula per day. I'll keep him on that until it runs out. He loves yogurt, apple sauce, and anything in a pouch. Pizza is hands down his favorite though.

Sleeping: Sleeping is, and has always been a blessing with Isaiah. He sleeps solidly at night, and has learned to calm himself without his pacifier. Naps are hit or miss, but I think we're getting to where he only needs one. Some days he takes two, some days it's one. We just go with the flow on naps.

New this month: Walking. He walks when he wants to, and crawls when he needs to get somewhere faster. He has also switched from only saying "dada" to only saying "mama." Dada's feelings are a little sore.

Likes/dislikes: He dislikes having his nose wiped, but other than that, he's pretty easy to please. We're going through a "mommy" phase where he wants to see me all the time. We had been pretty good up until now with that, so we'll just let it ride out.

As parents: We're in awe that it has been a year since the whirlwind of his birth. The anxiety isn't gone, because when I think about all that happened I still feel panicky in my stomach. We're enjoying the ride and all of his new developments so much. We love having meals with him and playing on the floor. He is a dream to parent, and we are still overjoyed that we have the opportunity to be his parents.