Is it possible that a whole year has gone by?

This weekend was Eli's big first birthday weekend. That makes it sound really dramatic, like we partied for three days. we didn't but it was a big weekend of fun non-birthday-related activities that added up to one fun birthday weekend.

I wish I had lots of poetic things to say about Eli turning one. I don't. The fact is, it kind of snuck up on us. It seems like he was a "just a few months old" for so long then we've suddenly hit this major milestone. In reality, a first birthday is just another day for Eli since he doesn't have any idea what is going on, but for us it feels bigger than that.

He's moving into the toddler room at his preschool.
We get to face his carseat forward instead of backwards.
He can eat oranges.
He's totally weaned onto regular milk.

He's not so much a baby anymore and that is very sad for me. Incredibly, though, he is a really wonderful little kid, a snugglepuss with a great sense of curiosity (heaven help us) and no sense of gravity or self-preservation. We genuinely have fun around here. It is a blessing to live with this growing little kinetic force.

Kevin and I spent most of Thursday and Friday last week saying things like, "a year ago right now we were getting in the car to go to the hospital," "a year ago right now I was wondering what I had gotten myself into," "I a year ago right now I was wimpering for an epidural..." etc. A YEAR AGO? It was a lifetime ago!

Anyway, on to the festivities...