Ike's Birthday

 I blinked once and Ike had already finished his first year of life.  I thought for a long time about how to best celebrate.  The more birthdays that this family has the more I dislike birthday parties.  The problem that happens is that I get so focused on making sure that the party will be fun for our guests that it ends up turning into being more about me than the kids.  So instead of a party I decided that we would spend the day letting the birthday boy do all his favorite things.

The only issue is that most of the stuff he wants to do is dangerous or gross.

 He obviously doesn't speak but his body language couldn't have been more clear.  He was the happiest little birthday boy.

 He went up and down the stairs several times to the delight of several adoring fans.

 And participated in his favorite guilty pleasure, chewing on flip flops.  This is no joke.  We have all learned to keep our shoes out of his grabbing range because he is worse than a dog.

 It seemed only fitting that he would spend his birthday with Katie since she basically delivered him.

 He also loves any type of computer or screen.  He can't get enough of pushing buttons and messing up phones with his fingers.

 He pulled a bunch of food out of the pantry and then waited for me to put it away so he could pull it all out again.

 We don't know what he would have chosen for dinner but we made sure that everything we ate that night was Ike-sized.  He does have a clear preference for fruit, especially watermelon.

 When we gave him his cake he didn't believe that we were really going to let him eat it but once he got the hang of it he was shoving it into his mouth by the handful.

 The blue frosting was a poor choice as I realized later while trying to clean up.  Not only was it all over the high chair it was on the walls and floor of every room in our house.

 After a quick bath it was onto his nighttime hobbies.  After the girls go to bed he gets to hang out by himself.  He has learned that if he is cheerful and darling during this time he gets to stay up even later.
During this sweet spot he chose to bang on the DVD player, just like he does every night.

 And he finished his perfect birthday celebration with a quick bounce in his Johnny Jump Up.

 We love our Isaac.  He is a charmer and a wild animal.  He can be sweet and sour depending on his mood and while most of the time remains pretty mild when he wants to speak his mind he will.
He has only been around for one year but I can't imagine a life without him.