The Big One
(Bear with me…when your baby turns one, you use a TON of pictures to tell the story.)
For the grown-ups, the birthday started Friday night as we did some prep for the party the next day. Grammie & Grandad were here to help Matt and I get the cake ready. In spite of a few stressful moments when we weren’t sure we’d be able to get it into a refrigerator, we had a great time letting our creativity run wild.
So, needless to say, yesterday was a momentous day. Noah slept in until 8am. Just kidding….he really did sleep until 8am, but obviously this day was HUGE because it was our baby boy’s first birthday. Since his big sister didn’t hook us up with a chance to really sleep in, I had plenty of time to go get our party balloons filled and pick up some special treats for breakfast…donuts! When we were all awake, we had a special birthday breakfast of breakfast casserole and donuts.
After that, we spent the morning just hanging around playing with Grammie & Grandad and even practicing some walking. While he’s nowhere near proficient, Noah has taken about four or five steps at a time on several occasions. He’s such a fast cruiser he hasn’t had much incentive to get up and walking in open spaces. Because, really, when you can cuddle up with your big sister on the floor, why would you start walking?
Before we knew it, it was time to toast Noah’s birth and open his first present!
After lunch and during naps, we took advantage of some kid-free time to put some finishing details on the cake and decorations.
And, then, it was time for the main event…a first birthday party! The guest of honor had to be woken from his nap, but was ready to have a great time after a quick costume change and hair combing.
All dressed up in the outfit Matt wore when he turned one. Thanks, Grama!
With the guests arrived, we set about preparing dinner. For this party, we served Matt’s awesome In-n-Out replica hamburgers, pasta salad, fruit salad, baked beans, veggies, chips, salsa, guacamole & Liz’s famous green chiles. We determined that Noah is definitely a meat-eater…he really tore into that hamburger!
Once everyone was stuffed with dinner, we took a little break and then rolled right into cake and ice cream! Noah loved having everyone sing “Happy Birthday” and, just like his sister before him, reached right for the candle’s flame. He wasn’t a very messy cake eater but sure gobbled it up. After a while, though, the sugar finally got to him and he keeled right over. 
After cake and ice cream, we got Noah into his new chair to open some presents. He was surprisingly patient with and adept at the opening procedure. Maybe his name was a clue, but there was definitely a recurring theme to Doozer’s gifts. Animals and vehicles! From a musical circus train, to dump & tow trucks, to a whole jungle full of animals, little dude is set for Little People animals.
Talking on his hammer “phone.”
Of course, opening presents is always more fun when you’ve got an adoring audience ooh-ing and aah-ing over your every rip and shred of the paper!
The big hit of the night was a gift from Grammie & Grandad. Enjoyed by one-year-olds and 31-year-olds alike, the shiny red plasma car was an instant high-demand item!
Happy Birthday, baby boy. Wishing you many, many more. We love you!