birthday part 2

In the afternoon of Oliver's birthday we took him to a park in town to play. He enjoyed playing in the leaves, crawling around, and going down the slide.

I was so excited to give him a cupcake on his birthday. We got a red velvet cupcake from our favorite local cupcake shop, Sweets.

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you view it) he didn't like the cupcake! He looked at it and played with it, but would not eat it. (I may have tried putting some directly in his mouth to encourage him, but even that failed). 

Despite the lack of enthusiasm for the cupcake, it was a great day. Happy first birthday Oliver! I'm looking forward to seeing what the next year brings. xoxo

birthday part 1

Oliver turned one year old on September 20th. I'm sure many parents look at their child turning a year old and wonder how the time could have possibly passed so quickly, and we were no different. I had many flashbacks to Oliver's birth day and found myself saying things like, "at this time last year we were on our way to the hospital" and "at this time last year I was in immense pain", etc. I'm guessing that will happen every year as we relive such an incredible day. A day of extreme highs and lows but mostly one of pure joy.

First, a few photos from September 20, 2011:

the white board in our labor room

moments after birth

What an eventful year we've had learning how to parent this little guy. He's taught us a lot. We were excited for his first year celebration. Since our family all lives far away, we asked for birthday video greetings. We loved what you all sent so much, thank you! We decorated for him the night before and it was fun to see his reactions when he woke up in the morning. After breakfast we opened presents. He had fun ripping the paper off and playing with his new toys.

And lastly, a few photos that highlight his goofy side.

Part 2 of his birthday coming soon...

family photos

On Oliver's first birthday, I asked Chris to take some family photos. Since I chose "red" as Oli's birthday theme, I thought my favorite red door would be the perfect place for the photos. As Oliver is getting more mobile, it's getting increasingly tricky to photograph him, but I think Chris got some good ones. (Belated birthday posts to come. Thanks to all who sent birthday messages and gifts!) 

Videos From Our Travels

Here are a few (random assortment of) videos from our travels this summer.

A walk up to Dalkeith House


Inside Dalkeith House


Oliver eats a plum, at Dalkeith House


Oliver tries his first scone, at Larder Cafe in Edinburgh.

Oliver's First Scone, 9 1/2 months from Melanie Ayres on Vimeo.

Oliver's first sandy beach, in North Berwick, Scotland.
 
Oliver's First Sandy Beach, 10 months from Melanie Ayres on Vimeo.

Walking up the Arc de Triomphe

End of summer & end of first year

In the last few weeks we have been enjoying the end of summer and the end of Oliver's first year of life. This has mostly meant two things for Oliver: 1) playing outside (parks! lake!) and 2) being naked! 

Oliver's been working hard at perfecting his stair climbing skills. He's quite good and no longer tries to go head first on the descent.

Last week we took advantage of the nice weather and went to Cedar Lake in Minneapolis. It was warm enough that we all got in the water. We had a great time.

tiny turtle we found by the lake

father and son on the beach

Oliver took his first steps on September 8th (at 11 1/2 months). He still prefers crawling but is quite fast at walking while assisted. He also likes to "rearrange the furniture" (i.e., push his highchair or chairs around) to practice his walking skills. So helpful, that one. 

I can't believe he'll be one year old in a few days! Watching him grow up is so bittersweet. As a developmental psychologist, I have always been fascinated by development, but before having Oliver, I didn't realize how emotional it could be. It has been exciting and heartbreaking at the same time. I am so excited for him to get older and learn new things and yet I want him to stay a tiny squishy baby forever. xoxo Oli!

Smoosh