Daniel's 1st Birthday

Daniel's birthday rolled around on March 7th. A lot of people have asked me if the year flew by and my answer is always "No, it feels like it has been at least a year or longer." It seems like Daniel has been part of our family forever.

For his birthday we invited one family over for dinner and cupcakes. I felt a little bad for not throwing Daniel a big party for his first birthday but I worried a big party would be too chaotic. My kids aren't big fans of large crowds so I knew I would just end up hosting a party that I didn't even get to enjoy. My instinct proved to be correct. Having just one family over was perfect! The kids played so well together and the adults were able to eat dinner and talk. Daniel ate two slices of pizza and all of his cupcake!

When I gave him the cupcake, he grabbed the whole thing and stuffed it in his mouth. 

Yay! I think we finally have another chocolate lover in the house! Chris and Katelyn don't care for chocolate!

Katelyn was excited to eat her cupcake too but she only licked the frosting off the top.

Our little guy loves to eat. He will eat almost anything but once in awhile he won't like something and refuse to eat it. Instead of throwing it on the floor he will just stick the unwanted food into the cup holder space. So sweet!

 Daniel LOVES Baby Signing Time! I have all four DVDs and I let him watch one everyday. He is glued to the t.v. for a solid 30 minutes. He also knows a few signs and I have found signing really helpful in our communication.

Daniel loves to read! He will find a book, sit in my lap, and then hand me the book. If he wants to read the book again, he will give it to me again or find a different book if he is ready to move on. He likes turning the pages and often points at pictures to have me say the word. He will also want to read books for a really long time! I usually get tired of it before he does. He could easily sit and read with someone for 30 minutes!

Daniel also enjoys music. I play children's music everyday and the kids really love it. Some of Daniel's favorite songs are "Old McDonald", "Big Red Car", "Wheels on the Bus" and "If you're Happy and You Know It."

Daniel loves being outside. He likes riding around in his car and watching the other kids ride their bikes.

He does great at the park! He is happy to be pushed on the swing 

                                   play in the sand

                                    or go down slides!

Daniel took his first step exactly a week after his birthday. He walks very well now and is pretty mischievous. I loves to walk over to Katelyn's seat and sample her food. In a perfect world, Katelyn would always finish eating her food and then take her plate to the sink but that rarely happens. Usually she takes a few bites of food and then walks away. Daniel will then reach for whatever he can grab or just pull on the placemat and let it all crash to the floor.

Daniel is a bit of a trouble maker. He is very interested  in toilets, trash cans, the diaper pail, the dishwasher, the shoe rack, etc. The pile of trash as I am sweeping! Of course the dirtiest items/places in the house. He is also fascinated with electronics. He is always pushing buttons on our printer, on the lookout for any iPhone, iPod, or remote left out. He likes to get the computer mouse and push it around the house like it is a car. Occasionally he will manage to get our wireless keyboard and do who knows what on our computer. This little guy is into everything!

Daniel has become a good sleeper. He won't resist nap time or going to bed. He still sucks his thumb. It is always the right thumb. If he is upset during the day and I can't stop what I am doing to pacify him, he will reluctantly put his thumb in his mouth. It seems like he is thinking "Mom, do you have to make me resort to this!" He is a sweet boy and easy to love! We love our little Daniel!