Connor's First Birthday

We have a one year old! We wanted Connor's first birthday to be special because it was his first one. However, we also wanted to keep it simple for that same reason. He is only one, and most likely won't remember it. We had a small birthday party for him with family, and it was perfect.

That morning after feeding Connor breakfast and getting him cleaned up and dressed, I sat him down on our couch so I could take some one year old pictures of him. It was impossible to get him to sit still AND smile. I was really hoping to capture just one photo of him sitting and smiling, but had no such luck. The days of getting him to cooperate long enough to snap the "perfect" picture are long gone. After trying a couple of different times, I called it quits. I do love the pictures I did get of him though--he's adorable whether he's smiling or not!

     

The day was warm and sunny, with no snow. It felt more like September than November. The day he was born was also sunny and warm, but there was a lot of melting snow--there'd been quite the snowfall the day before.

My Mom and sister Annie drove down for Connor's birthday and spent a couple of days with us. I'm glad they were there that morning to help watch him while I got things ready for the party. He loved having visitors and followed them both around our apartment the whole time they were here. Grandma gave him a "Superman ride" around the apartment, and after that he wouldn't leave her alone. That's all he wanted to do.

     

My Mom decorated a birthday cake for each of our birthdays while we were growing up. It was a tradition that we all loved, and I wanted to keep that tradition going in my own family. So I borrowed a dog-shaped cake pan and some decorating supplies from my Mom and made Connor's cake myself. I'm glad she was there to guide me and give me tips. After a little bit of practice on wax paper I got the hang of it and went to work. It wasn't really hard to pipe the frosting on, just time consuming. The hand I was using to squeeze the piping bag started hurting if I went to long without a break, so I had to pause here and there to shake it out. Again, I'm so glad that Mom and Annie were there to watch Connor while I decorated. I wouldn't have gotten it done otherwise. 

I love how it turned out. I think it turned out great seeing it's the first cake I've ever decorated.

We got Connor a few balloons and he wasn't sure about them at first. He wouldn't touch them, and if they floated too close, he'd back away. He kept pointing at them and babbling excitedly in his whisper voice. It was very cute.

Since Connor didn't want to play with the balloons, I put them next to the banner. Our party decorations were simple but cute.

I couldn't believe all of the presents that Connor got. There were presents from all the grandparents and most of his aunts and uncles. He was quite the spoiled one-year old. I'm kind of glad though. We really hadn't gotten him any new toys since he was born, and he'd long outgrown all of those. All of the sudden he was going to have more new toys than he 'd know what to do with!

After everything was ready for the party, we had a a few hours to wait until Brian got off work and the other guests arrived. We spent the time talking and playing with Connor. He was pretty chill about the whole day, and after a nap ate some lunch and then kicked back with a bottle. Have I mentioned how much I love that he holds his own bottle now? 

The party was very low key. Brian got home from work just a little before Layne and Kris arrived. Tom and Sarah came a little later. Connor wasn't sure what to think about all of the excitement. He wasn't shy, but stuck by Brian and I at first. Soon enough he decided he liked all the attention and was the star of the show.  

     

We started with opening presents. Connor didn't know what to do with the presents. Brian and I ended up doing most of the unwrapping, and he occasionally helped. We start a tear in the wrapping paper and he would pull on it a little then stop and wait for us to finish the job. He was mostly excited about the bows.

     

He didn't care much for the unwrapping, but he did want to play with every object once it was unwrapped. It took some convincing to get him to set aside each object to unwrap another.

     

Connor started to really love the party once he realized that he was the center of attention and could get everyone to copy him. At one point he started clapping and got so excited when we all started clapping with him. He clapped faster and harder and started laughing. He had the biggest smile on his face. It then became a game. After opening a present, or playing with one of his new toys for a minute, he would start clapping again, waiting for us to join him. And of course we did. Needless to say, there were multiple rounds of applause that probably had the downstairs neighbors wondering what was happening. Haha!

     

Connor loved the music mat that Tom and Sarah got him. He loves music and was quite fascinated that the mat would play sound when he pushed on it. It's been a hit ever since.  

     

Here's a quick list of the gifts he got:

• Animal hand puppets and a set of blocks in a wooden wagon from Brian and I.
• A stuffed Elmo and two Sesame Street book about letters and numbers from Layne and Kris.
• Two pairs of pajamas and a pop up toy from my Mom, Dad, and Luke.
• A wire and bead maze toy from Jamie and Annie.
• A block slide and book from Scott and Kiley and girls.
• A Cheerio themed book from Tyler and Kelsey.
• A music mat from Tom and Sarah.

Everyone was so nice to get him something, and we appreciate their generosity. He is definitely very loved by all of his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I think he loved everything he received. He should be entertained for quite awhile with all his new toys.

     

We ate pizza and spent some time visiting, and then it was time for cake and iceccream. Brian held Connor up to get a good look at his cake and he wanted to reach right over and touch it. 

Before we let him destroy it, I lit the candle and we all sang happy birthday to him. We tried to get him to blow it out, but he wouldn't, so Brian and I helped him. 

     

We moved his booster seat to the kitchen in preparation for Connor's mess-making. While Brian cut the cake, I stripped him down and put him in his seat. He immediately went to work tearing off the banner I had taped to the front. 

We placed a good-sized chunk of cake on his tray and let him have at it. Connor looked at the cake for a few moments and then grabbed a handful of it. We all waited in anticipation for him to shove it in his mouth. He lifted his arm towards his mouth, then changed his mind and went the other direction, dropping his handful of cake on the floor. He picked at the frosting a little. I think he may have taken a tiny taste of the frosting but that was it. He tried to shake off the frosting that was sticking to his fingers, and then started to cry. He reached for me, wanting out of his chair. Haha! He had smashed the cake a little, but didn't really eat any of it. He just wanted out. We didn't prolong his torture. I pulled him out and we put a onesie back on him.

     

Even though Connor didn't enjoy his cake, the rest of us did. It tasted really good with ice cream. I tried to share my piece with Connor, periodically offering him a bite. He wouldn't try it. 

That night when it was time for bedtime, Connor fell right asleep. He didn't fight going to bed at all--he just laid down and was out. It was a big day full of excitement for our little boy. A perfect day.

Happy Birthday Connor-bug! We love you so very much!