Jack's 1st Birthday!

What a difference a year makes! This time last year I was meeting this handsome man:

Now I get to hold and laugh with this one everyday!

A run down of Jack at 1 year: He has 1 tooth (bottom right - we are wondering when more will get here, but I'm convinced the answer is, all in good time). He can roll both directions, he can sit and crawl with ease. He can move from sitting to crawling independently and easily. He pulls himself up to a stand and cruses using the furniture. He can transfer between pieces of furniture and can walk holding onto your fingers. He doesn't yet stand independently, and hasn't taken any independent steps, but we're sure those milestones aren't far off. He laughs and giggles and is delighted by his sister. He has 3 word approximations that he uses consistently: Da = Dad, Ma = Mom, Dah = Dog. So far Ellie is out of luck in terms of words to talk about her, but hey, Ellie and sister are both tough words! He loves to read books and sing songs. Playing with mallet toys and anything you can bang to make noise are favorite activities. He is quick as a cat and can get into anything before you know it - especially cords, plugs, and the TV cabinet. He knows when he is being bad and giggles about it. He doesn't listen when he's told "NO", but he will look at you and smile (the stinker!). He raises his legs into a sitting position when you pick him up and he doesn't want to be picked up. He loves to let toys hang out of his mouth (as I'm sure you've noticed if you look at pictures on this blog with any regularity). He screams with delight when you help him play with a balloon (leftover from his birthday party). He doesn't really like drinking from a sippy cup (yet - or maybe we just haven't found the right one). He's the happiest child ever. He only cries when he's hungry or sick, and in the mornings he is content to entertain himself in his crib until we go get him. Oh, there are so many wonderful things about Jack right now. He's a fantastic boy, and we are so lucky to have him!!
Opening a present from Momo on his actual birthday.
Another present - this is a remote controlled car. Pretty cool!
The packaging from the Amazon packages was the best part!!

On Saturday the 19th we had a party with our friends to celebrate Jack's year. It was a great "birth by fire" for the new house. I think everyone had a fun time, even though it was a bit crazy!
Everyone playing in the new toy room.
Jack's big birthday cake. We had a smaller one for him to eat by himself.
He started out cautiously. Using his finger delicately to taste and try the frosting. Then...
He figured out that 1: frosting is delicious, and 2: nobody was going to take the cake away from him, so...
He went for it!! Icing was flying everywhere, but he had a blast!
What remained of the cake when he was finished.