Oh, somebody had a birthday...

Our Maxster is a whopping 1 year old! Hard to believe??? Trust me, I know. I spent a happy, weepy day with my little man yesterday. I just couldn't stop the tears from forming as the memories came flooding in. I guess that means I'm a mom. :)

It was a great day! The night before, I had a mini-breakdown because we didn't have crepe paper and balloons to decorate for a birthday our little dude isn't even going to remember. You don't have to tell me that I was being a little nutty - I absolutely know it! But my husband heard and heeded my cries. We came downstairs in the morning to find that Dad had woken up mighty early (4:30 was the word I was given later! I really don't deserve this wonderful man), ran to the store and bought crepe paper, balloons, a "1" candle and even a beautiful vase full of tulips for the nutty mom! All I could get from Max for the first ten minutes was the noise he makes that sounds like a breathy "Wow!" as he pointed to every balloon and string of crepe paper. It was awe-inspiring, really! You had to be here to appreciate the awe of the crepe paper. :)

Max got a special pancake breakfast while Mom sang every birthday song she could think of (and, thanks to primary, that's quite a lot!). Then we decided to open the present from Beth and her Men. It was quite a long, fun process. You know, pulling the tissue paper out, trying to get to the bottom of the bag...it's a lot of work! He received a really cute outfit (featured in the pictures below) and some great books. We LOVE books!

Next came Maxwell's first encounter with cow's milk. He liked the taste just fine, but is used to a warm bottle. We tried cold and in a sippy cup first which went okay, but then he wanted to do the kind of chugging that only a bottle can accomodate. So we dumped it into the bottle. Not warm, not drinking it. I heated it up and finally he went to town.

A nap refreshed the little dude (and allowed Mom time to wrap some presents) and then we had a good lunch and went out front for some good bubble blowing and play time. It's always sad when outside time comes to an end. :(

Dad got off of work early to go to the park (such a great man!), but Max was already down for nap #2, so I took around the rest of his party invitations and bought the present Grammy and Papa Dan sent the gift card for me to buy. When I got home we got all of the presents together and it was gift-giving time! He loved it all...well, all of the things that Dad picked out since that was the fun stuff. Mom picked out the shoes and clothes and socks. Although, he really liked the hanger his sunday outfit came on. :) Not nearly as exciting as a huge killer whale, a Safari Party, wooden blocks or the ride-on toy that makes tons of noise (thanks, Grammy and Papa! Thanks a lot! :) ). The one thing we forgot to pick up is a basketball hoop, but we think that will be a gift for the part-ay.

After a call to Grammy and Uncle Mak on the videophone, we put the new forward-facing car seat in the car and headed out for a night on the town. Actually, we picked up some Taco Bell and went to a cool park with a "Tot Lot" not far from our house. Max was in heaven! We played for a while and then decided it was time to head back home. We got home and did a web cam call with Maggie, Grandpa Mick, Aunt Meg and Uncle Adam. Lots of birthday songs for Max! Next came a bath and then a call to Papa Dan on the videophone. Bedtime soon followed because we had a very tuckered-out little man.

I closed the door after I put him down and was filled with emotion. I thought of how fast times passes and that before I know it, I will be saying goodnight to my teenage son. I won't have just rocked him to sleep, but I hope he will still let me kiss his head and tell him how VERY much I love him. I hope he always knows that I love him almost more than my heart can hold. (If you're wondering if typing that brought the tears again, the answer would be yes.) I am so grateful to be a mom. To be Maxwell's mom. What a good little dude! I love him more than I ever knew I would...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAXWELL TYLER!

Here's to many, many more years of happiness!