Level Up Player One {first birthday party}

The red mushroom cake was set before him. Maclin studied it for a second & tentatively touched it with a chubby finger. No one was telling him ‘no’ or ‘stop’ so he kept testing it. Finally a little bit went in his mouth & he decided, yes, this is tasty! He dove in for more, but not before signing ‘more’ & looking at us quizzically. Our hearts collectively exploded with the cuteness overload.

My favorite moment of the party was when Maclin finally remembered he was wearing a hat in the middle of eating his cake & pulled it off his head. For a split second I was upset that he got icing on the hat I made for him, but then my heart melted when I realized I now had a perfect little handprint on his hat in dried icing. The perfect souvenir from his first party.

Last month we celebrated Maclin’s first birthday Super Mario style! I may have gone a little overboard with the decorations, but this was a celebration & I wanted to make sure we all remembered it, even if Maclin doesn’t! We had piranha plants, boos, a castle, flag pole, stars, & plenty of question mark boxes, & I spent way too long trying to figure out how to hang the bricks on my wall.

Maclin, it has already been one year since you came into this world. (Actually it’s more like 13 months by this point, but who’s counting? Oh yes, me.) Every day I marvel at how much you’ve grown both physically & mentally. You’re trying so hard to say more than just ‘dog’ & we hear you. You’re walking like a drunken sailor & trying to climb on everything. Your favorite game right now is pulling photos off the wall above the couch & throwing any drink on the ground when you’ve decided you’re done taking a sip. You love daddy’s cup more than your own. We’re still trying to convince you to like milk more than formula, but I think you’re slowly warming up to the idea. As much as I don’t want you to grow up, I love watching the small changes every day. I love watching your face as you concentrate on whatever task it is before you, & that intent stare you give me when you know I’m teaching you something. Don’t ever stop.