Party Like a One Year Old

This has officially been the most amazing year of my life. We as a family have officially come full circle. I have watched my little boy grow up so much in the last 12 months. There are certainly some stand-out moments, good, bad, and ugly, but overall I think the best way to describe Ben's first year would be amazing. We've been through his birth, the craziness of the first few weeks, the frustration and anxiety of weeks 6-12, the relief at 3 months once things settled down, and the comfort of knowing we were exactly where we needed to be in life- and we had fun the entire way. I am so proud of our little family of three, and can't wait to (hopefully) add-on to it (in a few years... patience please!).

I think (and I believe that most, if not all, parents will agree) that when you have a small child they totally become the center of your world. All conversations eventually turn (if they didn't start off there) to your child being the subject, your thought process is centered around your baby, and all decisions are based on the well-being of your little one. As overwhelming as it sounds, it really is second nature after about day 2. I remember someone asking Evan and I what the biggest change was after we had Ben. That is such an overwhelming question because when you have a new baby, your entire world changes, almost instantly. There isn't a "biggest" little thing. Your life changes completely. To someone who is expecting a child, this may sound scary and overwhelming, but it really does happen within a blink of an eye.

We had Ben's first birthday party at my parent's house on New Years Eve. It was SO much fun. My Paul Frank monkey themed turned out to be easy because all we had to do was buy some coconuts, bananas, and pineapples, and throw them on the table for centerpieces. I also worked so hard to make Ben his smash cake. It (luckily) turned out pretty good! Unfortunately, Ben cared nothing for the cake, and got mad when I stuck his hands in it. HAHA. We are so lucky to have such good family and friends who joined us to celebrate OUR first year. I know it was Ben's birthday, but it truly felt like a huge milestone for our entire family. We made it!

Here are some pictures!

Ben and Maggie!