It is official...my baby is one!  We spent the second half of the week doing little else but celebrating the big event.  Tuesday was his actual birthday, and since that is usually my night to work late I switched with one of my coworkers so we could spend the evening together.  We started out by heading to the mall to go to Build-a-Bear where the boys got to, you know, build a bear.  Harry picked out a panda bear, dressed it in a fireman suit, and creatively named him Bear.  For Elliot, we picked out a black bear, dressed it in a polo shirt, and let Harry name it for him.  He chose the name Spiderman.  The toddler mind never ceases to amaze me!  We then headed to the shoe store to get Elliot some shoes as part of his birthday (okay, Harry got some new Crocs too for spring and summer which he insisted on sleeping with that night), and went to dinner at Johnny Rocket's.  The boys split a kid's cheesburger meal, and I'm fairly certain that Elliot ate Harry under the table.  The kid loves to eat!  While we were at the mall, we got the news we had been waiting for all day...baby Nathan was born that evening!  How cool is it that Elliot and his cousin will be sharing a birthday??  Four boys in the family spaced less than 3 years apart...what have we gotten ourselves into??

The next morning we headed out to Elliot's one year checkup.  We were heading to Great Wolf Lodge to spend a few days afterwards, and Travis was going to wait out in the car while we went inside.  We were anxious to be able to turn his car seat around to face forward and I was going to text him after the weigh in to give him the okay.  Here were his latest stats:

• Weight:  18 lbs 10 oz (5th percentile..shocker!)
• Height:  29 1/4 inches (50th percentile)
• Head:  47 cm (I think this was 50th percentile too, I was so floored by his weight that I was having trouble concentrating!)

So, no carseat turn around for Elliot.  The only reason we were looking forward to being able to have him face the other way is because he realizes Harry is facing the other way, and it is so hard now to get him buckled in with him squirming and arching his back trying to sit the other way.  But of course, we will do whatever is safest for our kid.  I knew it would be close, but I really was surprised how small he is especially when I see day in and out how much Elliot eats!  The doctor wasn't overly concerned since he is on track developmentally, and she gave the go ahead to start whole milk.  This is something he is not too sure about.  We've cut him down to 2 bottles a day, and we are trying to get him to try the milk during the day.  I don't think he is sold on the taste, and he is very excited when it is bottle time.  This may be a challenge for us!  It looks like we need to get as much of the fattening stuff in him as we can!

Great Wolf was a lot of fun!  Harry had a blast and was more adventurous than the last time we went, and Elliot enjoyed sitting in the shallow water and playing in the small fountains.  Harry went down a few more and bigger slides than the last time and when asked if he wanted to go down them again, he answered with an emphatic "No!"  One of his very favorite activites was located in the arcade.  They had 2 duckpin bowling lanes which he LOVED.  We will have to find a good one around home to take him to since he loved it so much and was actually pretty good at it! 

Yesterday was the big birthday party!  We are so blessed to have so many friends and family that want to share in our son's special day!  He had such a great time and received such awesome gifts and cards.  And...he loved the cake!  It is hard to explain what a blessing he (and Harry!) is to our lives.  He is perfect, and God is so good.

I'll have to post some pictures later...the weather is so awesome that we have to get outside!!