Someone's excited about turning ONE!

Yesterday was James' first birthday.  I'm taking the opportunity to gush on my little guy. 

 I never knew I could love a boy so much.  Seriously, when the doctor told us the gender, I was a bit worried if I would love him as much as I love my baby girls.  The idea of having a boy was so foreign to me.  But he has brought nothing but joy into our lives.  I'm totally head-over-heels enamored with him, the girls dote and fuss over him constantly, and Daddy especially enjoys launching him in the air, bouncing footballs off his chest, and watching him do face plants in the dirt.  It's all good for his character, or so he says.  I think he's trying to balance out our feminine influences.

This year has flown by.  It's hard to believe that this was me a year ago:

July 2, the day James came into the world.  I went into labor that night.

Don't mind the beached whale

Bringing a 9 lb. 6 oz. baby boy into the world with no anesthetic (not by choice, mind you) has by far been the most physically painful experience, and I stand by my original statement that I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy.  And yet it was as if the extreme amount of pain was equaled by the extreme amount of love for this little guy.

If he looks inordinately large next to us, it's because he was. 

 I feel badly that since we are living overseas, he has had very limited contact with his extended family… the last time my mom saw him was when he was just a few weeks old.  Grandma and Grandpa had two weeks with him back in October, but no time since.  And he's met only two of his twenty cousins.  And four of his twenty aunts and uncles.  You get the idea.  It's been hard to not share him.   So that's why today I would like to help you get to know James better by sharing a few things that otherwise you may have never known.

1.  He is the KING OF DROOL. "Buckets of drool" as Ben says.   He's like a slug… there is a trail of drool that will always lead to him… across the couches (I'm lobbying Ben for new couches, ours have become so nasty!) across the wooden floor… he goes through multiple bibs a day just drenched in drool.  And it's happened before that he has SLIPPED and fallen on his own drool.  Caroline has also recently slipped and fallen in James' drool.  

2.  He is a walking machine.  He started walking about six weeks ago and hasn't stopped moving.  We weren't trying to teach him or anything, he learned out of his own grit and determination.  And now where ever we go… the park, church, the store... he always heads for the nearest exit… this is way different from our girls who had a very strong sense of boundaries.  Not for James.  He's outta here.

3.  He can splash up a storm.  In the bathtub James is like a bull in a china shop.  He stands up, he slips, he slides, he tries to crawl, he rolls over, and he SPLASHES soaking himself, his sisters, and whoever the poor fool is trying to bathe him (usually me).  It is the funniest thing ever though, his sisters are always laughing hysterically.

4.  He is quiet, yet stealthy.  It's not uncommon for me to be engrossed in some chore or activity at home and then all of a sudden exclaim in sheer panic, "Where's James?!"  Unlike his sisters, he doesn't like to make his presence known.  I'll usually find him playing with electrical cords, raiding the pantry, or stuffing miscellaneous objects into his mouth… which leads to…

5.  He will chew on anything that he can get his little paws on.  We have found rusted bottle caps, coins, lids, sand, sticks, (not bugs yet, but we know it's inevitable) and what ever other small object you can think of in his mouth.  I'm constantly surveying the ground picking up anything that could obstruct his breathing because he puts EVERYTHING in his mouth. 

6.  He is a happy little guy.  For awhile I referred to him as Odie because he always has this big slobbery smile on his face.  He has by far been my easiest baby and his overall temperament is easy going, happy, and playful.  So far, no drama.  COMPLETE opposite of his older sister Caroline.  It's just as everyone told me about boys… they are a mess, but there's no drama.  I'll take the mess thank you very much.  

So here's a wrap of our last year: 

First smiles

Future linebacker?

Just kidding of course

Flanked by his very loyal sisters

And the birthday boy… yes Nancy, he did wear the bib with the outfit but by the end of the day it was destroyed. Blood, dirt, drool.  True story.  

Happy birthday James!