Happy Birthday Buddy

Has it really been a year? How is it even possible? This time last year we were waiting to get rolled from labor & delivery over to mom & baby at BCH. My parents had visited. I was getting my poor body all cleaned up. Oh...and we had a new baby boy that was not even four hours old. Now he's a year old.

We had a nice and small gathering at Grandma and Grandpa's house in Lakewood. Jason's parents flew in for Jackson's birthday, and we were also joined by Uncle Eric and Aunt Jennie, Blaine and Maggie and Sally O'Malley. We had some barbeque dinner, opened gifts and had cake. Then got Jackson in his jammies and rolled home. It was over in an instant...just like this year was! Everyone says, "Watch it, it will go fast" and as much as you know and you understand...you can't possibly imagine the blink of an eye that year one will be.

I look back at this year and think about a few things each month that I remember. Taking Jackson to the park for the 4th of July concert, hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa the night before I went back to work, him wearing the pumpkin hat on Halloween and being so cute, trying turkey on Thanksgiving, opening presents on Christmas in his 19 different Christmas outfits, crawling for the first time on January 2, various bouts with illness in the springtime, cruising around the living room, then walking and now here we are he is a year old! I remember when he smiled, when he laughed...the first time he said mama...the first time he said mama and meant it (this was this past Monday). There are too many memories to count and I'm glad I have this blog to remember a lot of them.

Jackson, you are a sweet sweet little boy. You have breakfast each day with your daddy, who makes you something yummy to eat along with giving you your bottle. You have a very sweet disposition, and as much as sometimes we don't act like we remember, you are a very, very easy little boy and have been since you were born. You usually go to sleep when we put you down for naps or for bedtime, and you eat almost everything we give you to try. When you are done eating something, you look us dead in the eye and start picking up individual pieces of food and dropping them on the floor. It's hard not to laugh. You have a tendency to pull hair and put your fingers in other people's mouths. Lately you are very cuddly and you grab our legs when you want us to pick you up. You have had two bottom teeth for four months, and your front teeth have been coming in for it seems like forever. You are very good at throwing the ball...I think you might be right handed based on that you eat with your right hand and you mostly throw with it as well. You now are a big fan of Buffy the dog, and you laugh all the time when you see her and try to chase her. You climb up stairs but haven't figured out how to climb down. You can climb off the bed. You give hugs and they are adorable. We have a goodbye routine when I drop you off at school in the morning and it's how we keep you from crying when I leave...and me too for that matter. When I pick you up, you crawl or walk up to me and say mama and hold your arms up so I pick you up. When you're sleeping you are the most peaceful and adorable looking little man ever. We are so lucky to have you in our lives sweetie pie...Happy Birthday.