The Long Family: Brady turned one!!

I have kind of been putting this entry off because it makes me a little sad. This baby that I prayed for and gave birth to is not a baby anymore. When I think back over the year, tears come to my eyes as I think about how this one little person has changed my life so completely in 12 months. He makes me smile and laugh. I look at him and am reminded of my husband and our marriage and good life. He laughs and I gain another smile line because I am so happy that he is a happy boy. As he discovers the world around him, I am filled with wonder again. When he falls and gets back up I am filled with pride. When he falls and cries, my heart hurts a bit with him. It's amazing to me that I spent 28 years without him but in the space of one year, I feel like my life actually began. His birthday was on January 15th but we weren't going to actually party like rock stars until Saturday, the 16th. That didn't stop me though! I wanted to make it special for him! Growing up in my family, we always woke up to balloons the morning of our birthday. So, I went to the party store on Thursday and bought him 5 helium balloons and snuck in his room in the wee hours of the morning and tied them to his rocking chair so when he woke up, they would be the first thing he saw! He LOVES balloons. I heard him giggling through the monitor the next morning and it made me so happy! I went in and got him and brought him downstairs for breakfast. On the menu for the birthday boy were heart shaped pancakes! WAHOO! He loves pancakes and I even let him have syrup - a first for him!

Next on the birthday agenda was dancing. I put in his Baby Einstein CD and we danced around our living room together. He just started to bob up and down to music so I wanted to have a mini dance party! Then, I let him bang on my piano. I NEVER let him bang on the piano because that sound makes my skin crawl but anything for my boy! Then he took a nap (and so did mommy!) That night was his cousin, Brooklyn's, 2nd birthday party and we went to Chuck E. Cheese. This is the first time Brady has been there when he could walk so he was ALL OVER THE PLACE! He kept going up to the games and acting excited! It was cute!

Then came saturday - party time!! Unfortunately, I have NO idea how to load videos so I only have a few picks! But it was so great! He loved having all his Long Family cousins around to play with.

We got him a new big boy car seat, a Noah's Ark book and the Baby Noah Baby Einstein movie. We also got him a new church outfit. His aunts and grandparents spoiled him rotten and got him lots of fun toys that he has been enjoying every since!

Our friend made him a homemade carrot cake from scratch - SO YUMMY!! - and Brady dug right in!! Well, not at first. At first, he just would get a little icing on his finger and when he finally figured out that I wasn't going to stop him, he dug right in!

It was a great day overall. I know I have said it before but I LOVE experiencing all these firsts with Brady. Everything is so new and exciting to him that it makes everything exciting for me all over again. I still can't believe he's one. But we sure do love this guy! Here's a trip down memory lane!

Seconds old - welcome to the world little boy!