your first birthday

what a day. i want to make sure i document every single detail of this day because i just know that i'll smile as i relive it each time i read this blog post.

you came charging into this world 365 days ago and yet it literally feels like just yesterday that i held your tiny little body for the first time. you grew up before our eyes this year and i'm so proud to say that i didn't miss a single second of it. i'm such an impatient person that i just couldn't wait to see you crack your first smile, hear you laugh, watch you try to crawl, listen with pride as you said, "mama" and feel my heart melt when you said, "dada." i cried with you when you got your shots and did my best to soothe you during those painful teething nights, we discovered that you love babies as you cuddle and hug your favorite baby and you also love to give your favorite animals hugs and kisses. you have such a warm and caring soul, your daddy and i feel like the luckiest parents on the planet. so as the day of your first birthday approached, i couldn't help but think about all these milestones and my eagerness to see them develop and then my sadness as i slowly began to realize that all of these things just happen once. they come and go so quickly, i don't know why i was so impatient to see them happen.

so here we are, your first birthday. you woke up this morning with the biggest smile on your face. it's almost like you knew exactly what day it was. i pulled up this song on my iphone and we danced the entire time. we shimmied and smiled and it was just the perfect way to start our day.

i changed you into your outfit and made sure to put on your birthday hairclip. gladys showed up with a little gift for you and you loved it! then she took you on a walk, we bought a balloon at the grocery store yesterday so i made sure to tie it to your stroller so everyone would know that today was your special day. gladys said you were so happy at the park and that you were laughing the entire time.

you took your morning nap and as soon as you woke up we dressed you and got you ready for an afternoon at the zoo! the zoo was super packed, since it was veterans day, every single person within a 100 mile radius of the zoo decided today was the best day to go. luckily, we have a membership so we skipped the line and strolled right in. our first stop; the meerkat exhibit. i held you up while you pointed and smiled at the meerkats. they look just like peanut so you may have just thought they were chihuahuas. then we made our way over to the carousel where we heard one of your grandpa vega's favorite songs as you and daddy went around and around. {thank you for being with us in that moment grandpa vega.} then we checked out all our favorite animals: elephants, giraffes, monkeys and finally the gorillas. you were more interested in practicing your walking skills and smiling at all the other kids than anything else but we can tell that you were having a blast but you were also getting very tired.

we decided to call it a day so we headed back to the car. on our way home we stopped by our favorite cupcake shop to pick up some special treats for the evening. we also decided to stop by gymboree for some playtime since you seemed to have hit your second wind as we exited the freeway because you were screaming at the top of your lungs. you just kept yelling, "daaaaadaaaaaaa!!!!!"

even though you were getting into your afternoon nap time, you seemed to have so much fun at gymboree. you crawled and climbed and scooted to every single random ball. daddy and i had so much fun taking turns sliding you down the slides and you even made a special footprint sign to celebrate your birthday. we finally made our way home and i was easily able to get you to take your afternoon nap even though it was getting close to your actual bedtime.

you woke up an hour later in an extra cuddly mood and i gladly accepted the extra loving. daddy picked up mediterranean food (your favorite) and we all had dinner together. then we played and cuddled and chased you around the house before the final event of the night.....cupcakes!!!

daddy lit the candle and you instantly started blowing! we were cracking up because you were just so excited and kept blowing and spitting and spitting and blowing. then we placed the cupcake (vanilla with chocolate frosting) in front of you and you instantly started tossing the frosting all over the place. we had a tiny freak out moment because the dogs were scrambling to pick up your scraps and they obviously can't eat chocolate so we had to grab them and put them on the other side of the gate while we watched you eat your cupcake then your dad reminded me that with every bite of chocolate we were setting ourselves about 15 minutes back from bedtime. so i ate the rest of your cupcake :) then i felt bad so i grabbed some salted caramel gelato from the freezer and let you have a couple tiny bites.

after the cupcake and ice cream fun, i scooped you up and started to get you ready for your bath. i took off your chocolate covered shirt and kissed your little forehead as we walked to the bath that daddy was preparing for you. i held on to you for just one second too long because you decided to pee all over me so i handed you over to daddy, picked up your pee mess and hopped in the shower while you had your special birthday time with daddy. he then got you into your pajamas and read you a book. i walked in as you were sitting on his lap and smiling at the book he was reading you so i just stood at the door for a minute and soaked in every amazing second of that moment.

then it was my turn, my turn to have you all to myself. i nursed you and rubbed your little back as you gently rubbed my arm. i whispered, "happy birthday," and you smiled then i laid you down in your crib and sang you to sleep.

so that's it, year one is done. i promise to slow things down and not be so eager to see you hit every milestone moving forward. i'll likely say this a million times over again but life is just so much sweeter with you in it.

love, your mama.