Blade's Birthday!

We had SUCH a fun time celebrating this adorable little guy. How could we not- he is just so pleasant! 

He wouldn't sit still for pictures unless he was holding his favorite book.

And his favorite animal.

The day before, he got a haircut to look nice and fresh.

I love how chill he is. 

 Such a big boy with his short hair!

His actual birthday was on Tuesday, but due to time constraints, we celebrated on Sunday. 

Meagan and Grace were able to join us, and we had some last-minute visitors later- the Smiths were in town for a funeral and got to join in the festivities. 

He wasn't super into opening presents- good things he had lots of helpers!

I can't even handle this right now. 

Everyone wanted to check out the cool new toys. 

And Blade and Wilson bonded. Blade was super thrown off every time Wilson licked his face. 

Time for cake- the Smiths arrived just in time!

I went with just a smash cake and cake pops this year (and a last minute cake I bought at Smiths when I was worried that there wouldn't be enough).

At first he was pretty timid and wasn't sure what to do. 

We left him with the cake for a minute, and then really decided to go for it. 

And then he picked up the entire first layer and ate it like a sandwich. 

He had to double check to make sure he didn't miss any under the plate. 

I'd say he did a pretty good job!

So did all the other kids. 

Later that night he had whipped cream frosting, part 2. 

Tuesday morning we had another mini party. 

Funfetti frosting pancakes for breakfast!

Showing his best buddy how to work the new toys. 

This kid is just the best, honestly. SO good natured. In fact, he came down with another cold today and has been fussing at me a little and been kind of clingy, and it's caught me off guard. Usually he is totally happy to crawl and around and play by himself or with his sisters. Some things about him at 1 year:

Weight: 19.8 lbs (25th percentile)

Height: 28.5 inches (8th percentile)- shorter than last measurement? We doublechecked and got the same, so maybe there was a mistake on the last one. It's hard to say either way. 

Head: Can't remember the exact measurement but right on the 50th percentile. Lots of growth there in the past month! Only one more week with the helmet, but since he's since again I think we're basically done. 

Blade wears mostly 9 month clothing, with some 12 month mixed in (and 6 month pants). Size 1 shoes, size 3 diapers. He loves to crawl everywhere, tries to climb up the stairs, cruises along the furniture, walks with walkers, and stands independently for a few seconds. So close to walking! He has 5 teeth- all his front ones plus one more on top. He says a few words, most notably "turtle" and "uh oh". He is fully weaned and drink 4- 6 ox bottles of whole milk a day. He usually turns up his nose at baby food in favor of table food these days, and fruit, bread, meat and fried eggs are a big hit. So-so on the veggies. He can tell when we are eating something yummy and begs until we share. He loves to wrestle and play with his sisters. He likes to pull out books and look at them. He sleeps all night long (12+ hours) and takes 2 naps, approximately 2 hours each. He loves riding in the car and never cries- sometimes I have to ask the girls to double check that he is in there! Recently he stands at the back door and bangs on it when his sisters are outside until I take him out. He is loving the warm weather. He is equally obsessed with mom and dad. He grabs everything and points at things he wants. His voice/scream is still super shrill. It is a total pain to try to keep him still- he is go, go, go. I suspect that will only get worse...

A few other pictures from the last month. Still digging his baths!

Getting his head checked out.

First ride on the zebra!

Practicing his walking skills!

We are just the luckiest to have had baby Blade for the past year. Sorrynotsorry for all the pics- I can't resist. Can't wait to see who he becomes in the next year. We all love him so much!