Charlie is ONE!

Happy Birthday little Charlie! I really cannot believe our little baby is ONE. This year has flown by, and although I am nostalgic about the time that has passed, it makes me so happy to reflect on how incredible this first year has been. Charlie is such a fun little boy and we have had so much fun with him. I really never thought a baby could bring this much laughter and joy into our house (and a few tears, every once in a while :).

At one, Charlie is just as funny as ever. He loves animals, but I think he thinks they are all dogs, as he barks at all of them. We went on a walk today and he barked almost the entire time we were outside, as we saw dogs, cats, and birds (each of which required quite a bit of barking). Charlie is talking more and more, and has a few words. He says Dada (and sometimes DaDEE), Mama, Uh-Oh (his favorite), Baba, and Night Night (when he's really tired). He is trying to imitate sounds more and more.

Charlie is still a bit of a daredevil, and particularly loves swings, stairs, and slides. He is hilarious (but frightening) to watch at the playground. He loves to climb all over the playscapes and plunge headfirst down the highest slides (he is not as fond of the small baby slides anymore). He looks so funny careering down the slide, but he is always smiling and laughing at the end. He loves to wrestle, especially when we put a bunch of pillows on the floor and roll around on them. He also loves cars, balls, and blocks--we always have quite a few of each of those down on the floor with us at any given time. Luckily, Charlie still loves reading, and I just treasure our story-time breaks during the day. He really enjoys all his books, but especially likes ones where he can lift flaps (some favorites are "Where's Spot" and "Pat the Bunny"). Charlie's other great love is people. He is a true people person and loves our big extended family, all our friends in Dallas, and basically anyone who shows any interest in him. :) We joke that he's a little budding politician--he can turn a bad mood around in an instant if someone new comes over to the house or we go visit someone. I love Charlie's extrovert-ness, but the only downside is that he does have a high need for attention--sometimes hanging out with Mom around the house just doesn't provide enough excitement! :)

We had a family birthday party for Charlie at Aunt Dede and Uncle Robie's pool while we were in Seguin (post to follow!), so we just relaxed today on his actual birthday and enjoyed some downtime at home. We started off the day with a candle in his waffle, but Charlie was a bit too eager to get to the waffle and was not so sure why we had a fire built in it.

After breakfast, we did presents! In addition to many other fabulous gifts (not pictured, unfortunately :), Charlie got a Cozy Coupe, an activity cube, and a shape sorter from me and Clint, and a Radio Flyer rocket (arrived in the mail last night!) from his Aunt Sally. Charlie could not believe all the fun new toys at his house.

The Cozy Coupe was a huge hit. We spent most of the day getting in and out of the car and driving wildly around the house. We couldn't get outside this afternoon due to the rain, but are hoping to take the Cozy Coupe for its first outdoor excursion tomorrow. Stay tuned... :)

We took a walk to the park this morning, trying to fit in one of Charlie's favorite activities before the rain hit. Charlie loved our little excursion and was as wild as ever on the slides.

He also loved crawling through this tunnel, and particularly liked to keep us guessing as to which end he would emerge from...

My brilliant idea for a birthday photo shoot didn't really take off. Charlie was upset that he wasn't getting to play on the slides, so I had to cancel my photo plans.

Since it was raining in the afternoon, we took Charlie to the Dallas Aquarium, and had a blast. He loved seeing all the animals and fish, and barked wildly at everything. All in all, it was a truly wonderful day. I still cannot believe I have a one-year-old! Thank you Charlie for an incredible first year!

And, to cap things off, here are Charlie's one-year stats:

Weight: 21 lbs., 14 oz. (60%)

Length: 30 1/8 in. (65%)

Head: 18 3/4 in. (85%)

Doctor's appointment went great, and we are so grateful for our growing, healthy boy!