Happy birthday little man!

yay for us, we made it through the first year. i must say, it's been one of the most challenging and rewarding years of my life. everyone says that, but now i understand what they mean. the big day probably won't go down in the books as one of cohen's better days. he was battling an ear infection and just wasn't in the mood for celebration. We had Pevestorfs and Giffords (the neighbors) over for a casual meal and cupcakes. It was a nice gathering, despite the guest of honor being a little cranky.

cohen is so fun at this age! here are a few things i never want to forget....

how much he loves dogs, and his expressionless imitation of a dog's bark (uh uh uh).
how he puts his soft little hands on my knees when he wants to be picked up.
how the 15 minutes after a bath are his favorite part of the day, how he races around naked and squealing.
how he rotates the yogurt container looking for the picture of the baby.
how he plays independently and happily, occasionally checking to make sure i'm still around, and when he sees me he comes over and gives me a hug and kiss without being prompted.
how happy he is to see me when i pick him up from daycare
his giggles when dominic plays with him.
The notorious pouty lower lip.
that he could listen to me read the book gossie 20 times in a row and never get tired of it.
how he kisses his favorite pages in books (i.e. gossie walking in the snow)
his love of bananas, cheese, yogurt and cantelope.
shaking his head no, even when it's directed toward himself (rolling around on the changing table).
how cuddly he is when he first wakes up.

The list could go on. i've been so bad about documenting those endearing little behaviors. They've been occuring dozens of times a day lately, and i just don't want to forget a single one of them.

he's walking really well lately. just in the past couple days, he seems to have figured it out. dominic and i make such a big deal out of it, and he just looks at us like we're mental.

he is also happier than he's ever been. the smile is practically nonstop and the giggles come so easily. it's infectious!

Anyway, sorry to be bragging so much. i'll post pictures soon of the trip to Dominic's folks and our newly painted house.

and i apologize for the poor use of the shift key, which is busted at the moment. i blame rudy.