Caleb turned 1 this week. Monday was his first birthday and we mostly spent it at home alone as a little family. We only left home for a little while, and when we got home we spent the rest of the afternoon and night inside. It wasn't very eventful as far as birthdays go. Maybe that is why I didn't feel as if a lot had changed when the day was over.
Shawn had the day off of work and we needed to bring the car back to the dealership for some warranty work. While we were waiting for the work to be done, we walked to a nearby Mexican restaurant for lunch. Caleb managed to charm the few other people in the place with his new found love of waving and saying "hi!" Shawn and I took turns feeding him and, surprisingly, he stayed awake the whole way home from Sandy, Or.
When we got home that afternoon, we let him open some presents and play with them for a while. I let him feed himself dinner, which I don't normally do. He really enjoyed feeding himself and now he wants to do it all the time. He had popcorn chicken that I made and he did a great job of eating it all up. He kept cramming as many as he could into his mouth all at once. Of course, I got it on video! =]
He played after dinner for a bit and then we gave him a little cupcake for dessert. Again, I let him feed himself, and again, he crammed as much into his mouth at one time as possible. He ate almost every little bit of his cake and didn't make a very big mess, either.
Even though we did all kinds of birthday things, it still didn't seem real until I was going to bed. Shawn and I went into Caleb's room to check on him and tuck him in before we went to bed. There was my little
Tonight we celebrated his birthday with family and friends. We went to another Mexican restaurant; Caleb's favorite. We have been going there since before he was born, and everyone there loves him to pieces. He is pretty much allowed to do whatever he wants and they always treat us like family.
We had a pretty big turn out, 20 people, and a banquet room all to ourselves (gratis, of course). We passed Caleb around, had a great time talking and laughing, and a fabulous meal. After dinner, Caleb opened his toys and was playing with them when some of the restaurant staff came in to sing him Happy Birthday. They put a little sombrero on his head and they were very careful to take a really cute Polaroid for us. They usually bring a cinnamon & sugar tostada thing with berry syrup for birthdays, but since Caleb is such a favorite, they brought him a huge scoop of fried ice cream!
We cut the cake and fed Caleb his big honkin' corner piece first. He ate it in huge bites and dazzled everyone with how much he could fit into his mouth at once. Then he tug o' warred with Uncey Monkey over a paper plate of frosting, laughing and shrieking with happiness the whole time. After cake, most everyone left, but the other parents stayed to visit and let the kids play. Grandma and Grandpa stuck around to visit and watch the kids.
When we finally got home, we let Cal stay up extra late playing with his new toys. I went upstairs and lowered his mattress all the way. I was remaking his bed when it all became real to me. He is so big. I was picking up some toys in his room listening to him make truck noises downstairs, when I realized, he is too big for most of the toys in his toy basket now. His rattles and dangley car seat toys are no longer interesting to him. He really is growing up.
I lifted the railing of the crib and took comfort in that, it is still a crib. I folded some of his pajamas and put them away... size 18 months ... but they are still measured in months. I refilled the diaper hanger, size 3 diapers; they get much bigger you know, he'll still be in diapers for a while longer.
I went downstairs and watched him push around his new trucks. He plays with them just like a big boy. He puts a hand on top of each of them and pushes them around on his knees, almost using the trucks as roller skates for his hands. He crashes them together and makes car noises as they go. He even makes a screeching tire noise when he turns them.
The whole time I was watching him, it felt so bittersweet. Is he my baby, or my big boy? He plays with trucks and toy computers... big boy... Just before 10:30 he crawled over to my feet on the couch and climbed up my leg. He sat down next to me on the couch and watched a few minutes of a Christmas movie on TV. I remember when he first sat up and how excited I was, now he sits on the couch and watches TV... big boy... After about 5 or so minutes he climbed into my lap and snuggled in my arms. Well, he just goes where he wants to go and does what he wants to do... big boy... Another 2 or 3 minutes and he turned around in my lap, wrapped his arms around my neck, laid his head on my chest, closed his eyes and fell asleep... my baby.
Love,
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