Today is Ryan’s first birthday. On June 2, 2008 at 5:19 pm we were blessed with the cutest bundle of joy ever. Here’s my first post after his birth. Remember when I posted this a few days later? And then this?

Well, here we are now.

We threw him a birthday party Saturday. It was so fun! We had about 35 people. I have a bazillion pictures but I currently only have the energy to post a few, so here we go.

Singing “Happy Birthday.”

Trying to convince Ryan that cake is good.

Success! Ryan realizes the goodness of cake.

All in all, it was a blast. We had a kiddie pool for the kids and beer, horseshoes, and washers for the adults. All the family and a bunch of friends came in to celebrate our baby turning one, and (I like to think) Mason and I surviving the first year of parenthood. Was it as hard as everyone says? Eh, I think it was harder. But how many really great things come about with no difficulty?

Now we are moving into toddlerhood as Ryan gets ready to take his first steps, and parents with more experience than me keep telling me how it just gets more difficult (“look out for the terrible twos!”; “good luck getting him to eat anything!” etc.).  And while all that is probably true, after the last year I would prefer to not worry about what’s to come, and just celebrate each day’s successes, like watching Ryan figure out how to make a rattle out of a Pirouette can and a block, or seeing him joyfully splash in the bathtub.  So that’s my goal. I’m not sure if I can do it, but I’m gonna give it my darnedest. I hear babies grow up fast, and I don’t want to miss a thing.