Ryan's First Birthday

I can't believe my little boy is already 1 year old! It never ceases to amaze me how quickly time has passed, and more importantly, how much more I love him as time passes....I didn't know it was possible! Ryan has been such a sweet, fun, loving baby. He's almost always a happy camper and has brought so much joy into our home.

We weren't able to be with any family for his birthday, so the Grandmas and Grandpas spoiled Ryan with presents before the big day.









On his actual birthday, we had a 4th of July barbecue with a bunch of our friends and then let Ryan enjoy some birthday cake.





























As you can probably tell, Ryan was NOT shy about eating his birthday cake. I didn't even have him out of my hands before he was sticking his face in the frosting. He dug right in and didn't quit until the cake was taken away. Takes after his mother, I suppose :)

After the birthday festivities, we finished up the night with an awesome fireworks show in the cul-de-sac. It was a great day!



A few tidbits about Ryan at 12 months:

• Ryan weighs 15 lbs, 14 oz, is 28 3/4 inches long, and his head is 17 1/4 inches around. This still puts him off the growth charts for his weight and head, but he's moved up to the 10th percentile in length. At his 12 month appointment, the doctor was pretty unhappy about his weight. I keep telling myself that he's just small and not to worry, but because his weight actually dropped on the growth chart, the doctor is not very pleased. Although I really think he's doing fine, the "what-if" always runs through my mind, so we are doing a few precautionary tests just to play it safe. Other than being a tiny little tyke, Ryan's a happy, healthy boy!

• Ryan now scoots around with ease. He still doesn't get up on his knees to crawl much, but it's impressive how mobile he's become with the "army crawl." He also just recently figured out how to get from laying down to sitting up, so that provides endless entertainment.

• A bigger deal for me than for him, Ryan is now officially weaned. When he was very small, we spent a great deal of time trying to supplement breastfeeding with a bottle, but Ryan wouldn't have it! Out of the blue, one day about 2 weeks ago, he took a bottle without any problem. So, when the doctor encouraged me to start giving him whole milk, the weaning process began and ended without incident. Although Ryan was a great nurser, he's loving cow's milk, and we're hoping it'll help him put on some weight. He's also doing really well with food. He pretty much eats whatever we're eating, and he likes basically everything. I've yet to see him refuse to try something new! (knock on wood....)

• Ryan is still as sociable and musical as ever. He loves to be around other people (especially kids - he'll laugh at them forever) and he LOVES music. The second a tune comes on, he starts jammin' out - literally. The "bobble head" has turned into full-out dancing.

Hope you had an awesome 1st Birthday, Ryan! We love you :)