birthday numero uno

To celebrate Jed's 1st birthday, we kept it pretty simple.  We invited the St. Clairs up and planned a small joint party with the Curtises (whose daughter was born in the same hospital just a few days after Jed), at the Dixons' house.  Sadly the St. Clairs weren't able to make it (between pnemonia and colds, they are feeling pretty crummy!), so it was just the 3 families who gathered for a quiet evening.  Katie made a gluten-free, baby-friendly cake (less sugar, and topped with whipped cream for ultimate spreadability), and I baked a gluten-ful adult version.  We braved the snow and arrived at the Dixons' a few minutes late, but the Curtises pulled up at the same moment so we didn't feel too bad.  After some yummy snacks and friendly chatting, we spread a tablecloth on the floor and pulled out the baby cake.  We lit the candles (1 for each of the babies), sang Happy Birthday, and set the cake in between them.

Jed of course reached out and grabbed the flame, which scared Scott, and he in turn scared Jed by gasping and yanking Jed's hand away from the candle. Jed cried.  Little Eve just clapped.

The cake was pumpkin spice with whipped cream, and was SO good.

Eve dove right in, but Jed kept crying and refused to touch it.

Scott and I both tried to get Jed to taste the whipped cream by putting some on our fingers, but he sealed his lips and shook his head violently.  Eve took another huge handful of cake and shoved it in her mouth.

I stuck my fingers in the cake, and took Jed by the hands to help him to the same.  Then I stuck the now-broken candles back in the cake to pique his interest.  He just looked at his daddy for help.

Eve used her Jedi powers to keep her older brothers away from the cake,

and Jed wandered away to play with toys.

We let 18-month-old Maylee have a turn with the cake, which she thoroughly enjoyed with no qualms whatsoever about getting messy.  After that, it was time for a bath. We threw the two girls in the tub, and Jed wandered in to see what was going on.

I told him that he wasn't allowed to have a bath since he hadn't gotten all messy. :)

Scott and I had plans of having an adult party after Jed went to bed, to celebrate surviving the first year of parenthood (and Jed surviving his first year having us as parents), but when we finally got Jed home and in bed (about 8:00) we were exhausted.  So we did nothing.  And loved it.

The next day, Grandaddy & Grandma Deb came over to visit.  They were thoughtful enough to bring over some party hats for us all to wear, but Jed disapproved.

I don't blame him for not liking the elastic strap under his chin...let's be honest, does anyone really find it comfortable? We took turns trying to calm Jed down, and finally he stopped crying but looked pitiful:

Besides the torture device disguised as a hat, Jed enjoyed having his grandparents over to hang out.  They brought him a cute card, some books, and some Wrangler jeans, but he liked their company most of all.  He hadn't napped well that morning so we put him down a little early for his afternoon nap, and chatted and played Pegs & Jokers while he slept. When he woke up we played with him some more, and then my parents left.

Of all the things that happened to him that weekend, the most exciting for us was that we were able to switch him over to cow's milk.  Not all babies make the switch smoothly - some don't like the unfamiliar taste - but Jed had no problems.  And cow's milk is SO much easier and cheaper for us that we are very happy about that!  Other new foods, like nuts, eggs, and fish, are coming soon.  Jed has no idea what this coming year will bring him!