one

James turned one. I'm in denial about it. He's just going to have to understand that he's always going to be a baby to me. That's it and that's final. hmmmmf.

For his birthday party, we decided to forego the madness of other little people in our house. We had a sweet, small family party full of delicious food, excellent company, lots of laughs, and one very, very content birthday boy.

Jared and I thought it would be fun to have a St. Patrick's Day themed party. Turns out, we were right.

Nana came all the way from Orlando, and she cooked almost everything on the menu. From scratch. I told her that day (and I'll keep telling her forever), there are no words to thank her enough for the ends she tied up to keep us moving towards the par-tay!

Aunt Heather made the cake again (I love this tradition), and this time, she even made fondant icing for it. I'm sure you'll be shocked to know that it was a big hit. :)

Mimi and PawPaw spoiled the little birthday grandson into oblivion (I love this tradition too), and James showed his gratitude by camping out on Mimi's shoulder for the better part of the evening.

Jon-Jon brought Henry a present for being such a wonderful big brother. I'm pretty sure it hasn't left his side since the 11th...yes, he tucked a 2-foot tall dragon into bed with him for a solid week. Here's Henry teaching "Pacey" how to play shuffleboard a few days later. Yes, Pacey. He came up with it on his own...

And the man of the hour -- our sweet baby James. He was just as angelic as always for his birthday party. He loved all of his family being at our house. He loved his presents. He loved his brother's help and company with his new toys. He was a little hesitant about the ooey-gooey birthday cake at first...but he quickly warmed up to it. He had a grand ol' time on the evening we celebrated his big ONE, and we couldn't have asked for anything better.

At one, James is walking all over the place. He started the week he turned 11 months. He is saying a few words, but most of the time he just babbles. For recordkeeping, the words he can say are: daddy, mama, en-en (henry), buh-ya (brother), beads, nigh-night, ishie (fishie), num-num (while eating), uh oh, wha-sat (what's that), owsah (outside), du-dis (Justin), heyyer (Heather), and bye-bye. Henry was much more verbal than James at this age (he said about 75-100 words without prompting or copying), and I think that's really cool and interesting. James is much more social than Henry was at this age, though, and I think that's really cool and interesting, too. It's amazing how different every kiddo is...even two only 20 months apart being brought up by the same parents in the same way.

James' favorite foods are pears (he eats them in huge slices that he gnaws down), any kind of meat off the grill, pizza, and club crackers. He strongly dislikes (and will throw it on the floor to prove it) anything with too squishy of a consistency...i.e. bananas, avocado, scrambled eggs, etc. His favorite book is "Ten Friendly Fish," and he helps turn pages and LOVES holding your hand to 'count' the fish in the picture. He also loves any Little People toy, toys that make sounds, and anything he can push around and walk behind. About a month ago, he learned how to throw a ball, and games of 'catch' are big fun around here for everybody.

At one, James has a head full of curly, sandy blonde hair. His eyes are still gray. His eczema is still hanging around. He sleeps 11-12 hours at night, 1 hour in the morning, and 2-3 hours in the afternoon. He likes to snuggle - all. the. time. :) He is the happiest baby/toddler I've ever known, and I am so (so so so so!) in love with this little sweetheart.

Happy Birthday, James!!