My Baby is turning ONE year old! How His First Year Went...

I cannot believe my baby turns ONE tomorrow! This past year has gone by so fast. 

I had a pretty uneventful first half of my pregnancy with Cocoa Puff. We found out about him 2 days before Froot Loop's 3rd birthday. I ran a half marathon at 16 weeks. Then, a few months later, I got VERY sick, having massive panic attacks, stomach episodes, insomnia, and other issues. I ran ANOTHER half marathon at 30 weeks, which I probably should have not done. 

He arrived over a week late, but with a vengenance! I got very sick again right after he was born and I wasn't able to enjoy the first week or so of his life. Fortunately, he nursed like a champ so I didn't have to worry about that at least. 

He was the easiest and happiest baby. So smiley. 

From day one, he loved to listen to music and dance with me.

He absolutely adored his brother, and Froot Loop was pretty interested in his little brother. He loved to show his little brother how to do things.

And oh, that baby loved to sleep. He also loved to hold his little Pooh Bear. He loved to sleep in his Rock and Play sleeper or in my arms. Basically, he took his sleep and his naps seriously!

He was so sweet and easy to be with. He loved to play and have fun.

He was absolutely in love with me from the second we met. He loves his Daddy, but man, he loves his Mama.

He's so cute. I can hardly stand it. He loved exploring and doing new things, although he would get overwhelmed.

He and his brother are buddies. They get on each other's nerves sometimes, but overall, they love each other. It's so awesome to watch them bond and grow together.

He was my little pumpkin on Halloween and he stole the show everywhere we went.

This is one of my favorite photos of him. He loves being in new places and looking around. He was waiting patiently for our order the first time we visited this restaurant, even though he couldn't eat anything but a chip and a bite of avocado. 

And like most babies, he was fascinated by lights. Christmas was a magical time for him!

Being in a small town, we know everyone. Even Santa Claus himself was asking about the little guy and finally got to meet him around Thanksgiving. 

Mrs. Claus was absolutely in love with him, and Cocoa Puff was pretty captivated by her too.

He finally got to meet my grandparents (his Great-Grandparents) just after Christmastime. This was very important to me because they live so far away and are not really in the greatest health. It was love at first sight. I wish they lived closer so they could hang out together.

Being up north over the holidays, he got to experience his first snow! I grew up up north and had my share of snowball fights and snow angels and so on. I hope we can continue to go up there in winter so my kiddos can play in the snow a few times.

He loved Christmas. He loved the presents, the family, the lights, the cold, the trees, the snow, and everything about it. Christmas is a big thing in my family, so I'm so glad he was so captivated by it. He was nearly 7 months old at Christmas, which was the perfect age for his first one!

Here he is waiting for his first hamburger (he didn't really get to eat it, but I let him nibble on a fry). He's so patient, until he's not, then he's CRANKY!

He grew up SO fast after Christmas. It seems like all of a sudden, he was standing and trying to walk. He also really wanted to explore new tastes and textures and would eat EVERYTHING in sight. Cheerios were his favorite for a long time!

His hair! He's got the cutest head of curly red hair and I can't wait to see how his hair ends up. Froot Loop had really curly hair for awhile, but then it got REALLY long and I had to start cutting it, and his curls never grew back! 

He is a very expressive baby. He is a major goofball and has intense emotions. I love this epic face palm.

He's just so happy. He loves stroller walks and being outside... anywhere where mama is!

Oh boy! Chocolate pudding! His favorite! He loves sensory activities, especially when he gets to eat it!

He's just so much fun. He's got an emerging personality (and eyebrows too!) and he's just a little different and a little bigger every day. I cannot believe how grown up he is already.

Happy birthday, little squirt. You are my snugglesaurus. You are my sunshine. You are my baby. You are my little curly head. You're my little dance machine. You're one of the loves of my life. You have given me so much joy in the last year. I can't believe my little baby is already a year old! I love you. I love you. I love you. 

How do you celebrate birthdays?