The Birthday Boy!

Aiden turned one on Wednesday and to say he loved having a birthday is an understatement.  Tuesday night Ben blew up 70 balloons and we somehow sneaked then into his room without him waking up.  When he woke up Wednesday morning his whole room was full of balloons.  He loved it! We should not even bought his presents and just gave him balloons.  We are still playing with them. 

We had a small family birthday party at 5 that afternoon.  I hurried up and rushed home from work to get everything together and when I got home, I was informed he hadn't taken an afternoon nap.  Uh-Oh!  I quickly put him down and he screamed and stood up in his crib for about 5 minutes and then just passed out.  It was perfect because it let me get everything in place.  Yes I did go a bit overboard for a family birthday but how many times in your life do you turn one?  I had a theme of "Under the Sea" and because it was summertime it was pretty easy to find decorations for.  At 5pm (party time) he was still sleeping but we woke him up and he was not happy.  As soon as he came downstairs everybody started singing "Happy Birthday" to him and he immediately cheered up.  I fixed him a plate of food and he ate every bite of it.  His favorite was chicken salad.  We then opened presents and it was too much stimulation.  He didn't know what to do.  Next year we are initiating a one present limit from family. Two great-grandmothers, two set of grandparents, mom and dad, aunt, uncle, and a cousin was way too much.  He is just plain rotten. 

After that, we had cake.  I had a small cake made especially for him so he could just destroy it.  At first, he wouldn't put his hands on it.  He wanted us to feed it to him.  Then he realized we were serious and he could make a mess and he went to town.  I'm not sure if he liked the cake or ice cream more.  We were definitely hyper after that and stayed up past our bedtime but I know he had a blast and he is so lucky to have so many people in his life that love him.  It has been a crazy year and I can't wait to see what the next year has in store!

Thursday morning we made our way to Green Clinic for our 1 year checkup.  Here are your milestones:
weight: 18lbs 7oz. (3rd percentile)
height: 30.5 inches (92 percentile)
diaper size: 3
meals: 2-3 bottles a day with 2 meals (baby and table food) along with snacks.  Unfortunately, you are not allowed to have strictly whole milk yet because your weight but I am hoping you will at least transition from Alimentum to  milk based formula and save mommy some money.
clothing size: 9-12 month. 
shoe size: mostly 1's but some 2's
sleep: morning and afternoon nap averaging around 1.5 hours.  Nighttime schedule is 7pm-7am

You cannot walk unassisted yet but spend the majority of your time cruising up and down the couch.  You try and pull up on everything.  No new words to report except for your cousin's name.  You love her and just repeat her name over and over when she's around.  You still love books and music.  You can crawl up stairs no problem and are learning how to back yourself down them.  I know it is just a matter of time before you are everywhere!

This was his first impression when he woke up and discovered the balloons!

I had several foods that went with the "sea" theme.  Thanks to pinterest for some great ideas as well as target, etsy, and hobby lobby for the decor. 

The lady who made the cake is a nurse at an office I call on.  I love that she made a special one just for Aiden to tear into.

At one point, opening presents became too much.  I think it was alot of stimulation for a one year old to handle.

I had to capture this moment.  I was trying to change his diaper and he took off. Not ashamed obviously!

Loving the cake!

The hats were almost as big of a hit as the balloons were.  I think he knew he was special when he had it on.