The Fat Lady Has Sung

Birthday Bash 2006 is coming to an end. I am one tired mama after this four-day long celebration of Isaac turning one.

Thursday morning we completed our swimming lessons (which Tobe and I like to call Swim Team Practice and refer to Isaac as the "captain." Aren't we obnoxious parents?). I am not sure how I thought taking everyday lessons was a great idea during the week before and the week of Isaac's birthday, but they turned out to be a success. Isaac can now kick in the water, blow bubbles, put his face in the water to retrieve something, and jump from the side (sort-of, since he doesn't stand on his own I still have to hold onto him). He loved swimming lessons and was the only baby who did not cry at some point during each session. Thursday the class sang "Happy Birthday" to Isaac as our closing song rather than the standard "Motorboat" song we had sung every day before. Isaac somehow knew this song was directed towards him and immediately buried his head into my neck and stayed that way a good two minutes after the singing was finished. What a shy baby we have sometimes! My parents and Grandmother arrived in town that afternoon and Isaac awoke to find new people in the living room to play with. That night Tobe's parents joined us as we all celebrated Isaac's birthday at Don Pablos (he did not have to wear the sombrero nor endure the singing by the staff).

Friday was "Get ready for the party day" and my parents took Isaac for most of the morning until his afternoon nap so I could decorate the cakes and get the house in safari-mode. That evening we joined Tobe's family for an night of pizza and ice cream at his parents' house before getting the birthday boy home early for a good night's sleep in preparation for the party on Saturday.

Saturday was Isaac's Safari Adventure complete with jungle vines and pith helmets for the children. We wondered how Isaac would tolerate the large number of people in his house since he can be a bit sensitive, but he loved having a large audience. He didn't want to open his gifts due to the fact that he doesn't like the texture or sound of wrapping paper. However, he did love each and every present after I opened them for him. We moved his high chair into the living room so everyone could see the traditional cake eating. I placed the bright orange giraffe cake on the tray, everyone rushed to grab their cameras, and then we........waited. Isaac gently touched the icing, not sure what to do with this large animal head on his high chair. I tried to encourage him to dig in and enjoy some yummy cake. He had about three licks of the icing on his hands and decided he was done with that. So we do not have the classic picture of the cake smeared baby on his birthday. Oh well. The party was a success and everyone had fun, despite the warm temperatures and crowded conditions.

Sunday was church and then naps for the whole family. Isaac was pretty cranky Sunday night after partying for so many days.

Today we took him to the pediatrician for his one year check-up. He was not too happy about this. I think it has something to do with the fact that the past few times we have gone to the doctor we have been placed in what I call "The Collector Plate Room" which is small and the walls are covered in those plates you can order out of the back of such magazines as Reader's Digest. (KF knows what I mean). For some reason, the walls of this patient room seem to crowd you in the longer you wait on the doctor. The plates really become quite creepy after awhile. I prefer the space ship room, but no one asked. Anyway, Isaac was not exactly thrilled with being at the pediatrician office by the time she came in to check him out. The poor boy started with a few small protests and was wailing by the time we left He did get three shots, but Tobe and I don't really think he ever felt the actual needle enter his legs because he was screaming so hard by that point anyway. We got the "go-ahead" to begin whole milk so as soon as this last can of formula is gone we are saying "Good-bye" to the bottle forever (which now I am sad about, despite the fact that I don't want a five year old who walks around drinking from a bottle). Isaac is officially 30 1/2 inches long and weighs 19.4 pounds. He is one skinny boy! However the doctor was not worried, especially after we told her he can eat a 1/4 cup veggies, a turkey dog, and two cans of fruit in one sitting. This does not ease my worries about how I am going to find pants to fit this boy when winter comes that do not look like capris or fall off his waist when he walks.

Our final birthday event was having Isaac's one year portraits taken. However, he somehow managed to fall on the kitchen floor this evening and bust his top lip open. It is not a pretty site, which means we are going to delay the pictures for another week. Hopefully he will not manage to scratch his face or bruise his forehead in the meantime.

Here are some photos of our celebration of Isaac's first year of life. Enjoy!