Sawyer Turns 1!

So way back on March 22, Sawyer, our little baby turned one-year-old.  I could go into a whole spiel about how time flies and how we miss our sweet little newborn, but honestly, for me, time with Sawyer has become a weird vortex where hours, days, months, and years don't really exist.  To me, he's a newborn and a toddler at the same time.  It's hard to explain, but I feel like he's always been here and yet he's still a brand new addition to my life.  Sometimes days go by slow but weeks go by fast.  And this year may have been simultaneously the longest and shortest 365 days of my life.

One thing is for sure, this year has brought more love and joy to our lives than we ever imagined possible.  Sometimes, when I think about how worried I was about taking the plunge and having a kid, I seriously want to kick myself.  Having Sawyer in our lives has been the single most uplifting, happiness-making thing that we have done.  He has strengthened every aspect of our lives.  I'm not saying that this "strengthening" has been painless; it hasn't always been easy evolving into a mom and dad, but, to be cliche, it has been more than worth it.

I want to write an update email about him now (at 15 months), but I think I should save it for later, because his 1st birthday celebrations were so epic they deserve their own post.

Sawyer celebrated his birthday over a two week period.  Because Jonathan traveled with a school club to Japan over his spring break, which was the week before Sawyer's birthday, Sawyer and I decided that we would also take a trip to visit my parents.

Our first stop was Grammy's House in Pennsylvania.  As per usual, Sawyer was ecstatic to see grammy and the adventures that await at her house.  From spending time with Aunts and Uncles, to playing with cousin Olivia, and petting/slapping around the dogs, Grammy's house is everything that a little boy baby could want. This time was especially special since Grammy threw Sawyer a birthday party and showered him with so many toys that we hardly had room in our car to take them all back to Boston.  He got lots of great new toys, but the best part of his party was when Grammy served Sawyer cake!  He looked at it with his nose turned up, but when Grammy shoveled a finger-full of icing into his mouth, Sawyer really expressed his disgust.  This kid was so grossed out that he crumbled in to a bath of tears at the horror of sugary goop in him mouth!  I'm happy to say, that since this time Sawyer has developed quite the sweet tooth, and we expect his second birthday cake to make a bigger, I mean, happier impression on him.

As you can see, Sawyer really enjoyed his cake!  Yuck!

This was Sawyer's big birthday gift from Grammy.  He loves it! Olivia is playing her role of older cousin and showing him how to work it.

After the successful celebration at Grammy's, we made the trip southward to Virginia to visit Grandma and Grandpa Barden.  We stayed a little longer with them because they live so far away and we see them less often.  Again, Sawyer and Grandma and Grandpa were a match made in heaven.  Between chasing chickens around the yard to torturing the little shitzu Bella, Sawyer lived like a Little Prince for the week.  Sawyer found himself in a paradise of attention and delicious food!  Grandma and Grandpa also showered him with gifts, including a brand new tree swing that Sawyer could not get enough of.  The big event of our week in Virginia was Sawyer's second 1st birthday party hosted by Aunt Jenny.  Let's just say that Jenny is the kind of girl that every mother aspires to be like.  She loves kids, all kids.  She knows kids.  She's confident with them.  She's a natural mother.  So, it's no surprise that she has made a career successfully mothering children while their parents are at work.  If I ever go back to work, I pray that I can find a nanny that is half as good as Jenny. Aunt Jenny threw Sawyer an Elmo themed birthday party, complete with Elmo cake, poster, and cookies.  This kid is spoiled!  Sawyer continued to be unimpressed with sweets (even an Elmo cake), but he discovered a passion for cheese puffs!

                               
                           

Thank you Aunt Jenny for such a wonderful party!

Sawyer and Scruff were constantly fighting over this toy during our trip! 

Sawyer loves his tree swing!

Also, Clara celebrated her birthday during our visit!  She wore this crown all day in celebration.

True Love.

In true princely fashion, Sawyer was carried from room to room in this wagon made especially for him.

When Sawyer's actual birthday rolled around, we were partied out!  Sawyer had received so many gifts there wasn't a thing in the world that we could get him.  So, we didn't have a party.  We didn't have a cake.  We didn't even sing him happy birthday.  We decided instead to take him to the beach.  We met up with his cousins and played around in the sand for a while.  Then we headed home for a bath and a good night's sleep.  Happy Birthday Little Baby!