a few pics from Ryder's birthday

Birthday boy!!

Today my little boy is ONE!! It's so hard to believe that a year ago today I had our beautiful baby boy! We had his birthday party a couple days early because my mom and sisters were coming up. I started looking up party ideas about a month before and I found the PERFECT one! I found a picture of a cake inspired by the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar and right away I knew it was the one :) I made the cake out of a Bundt cake cut in half and put back together to form an 'S' shape. I used three different shades of green frosting for a slightly striped look and frosted the head red, using frosting for the eyes and mouth and two dumdum suckers for the antennae. I also made twelve cupcakes and, with frosting, drew pictures of some of the food the caterpillar ate and other things related to the book. I also made a Happy Birthday banner out of construction paper, which turned out well! I was so glad to have my mom and sisters up to help me, especially since this was my first ever birthday cake. The party went off without a hitch and mostly importantly no tears! I was a little worried because Ryder was starting to get a little crabby right before the party but once people started showing up he was just happy to be the center of attention. His favorite part of the whole party was probably the two helium balloons followed closely by getting to eat a big piece of cake all by himself! (he made such a mess!!)
On his actual birthday (today) Ryder had a doctors appointment were he got 6 shots! Poor guy, I felt so bad for him! While he was getting the shots he was just bawling and looking at me like 'why are you letting them hurt me?!' I almost cried myself! After he got the shots the nurse tried to smile at him and say hi but he kept pushing her away and shaking his head. It was actually kind of funny because he looked like a big kid with an attitude! But he soon forgot all about that and for the rest of the day we read books and played with his new toys. He even let me rock him to sleep for his nap! He has been starting to cuddle less and less now that he is becoming so independent so I gladly rocked and sang him to sleep. He was starting to look a little sleepy when he just climbed up on my lap and snuggled his face in my neck. I just love that feeling when he is all snuggley and warm and singing himself to sleep in my arms. After he fell asleep, I stayed rocking him for a little while longer, just looking at him and thinking about all that has happened this past year and how he has grown from a tiny newborn to a busy little toddler. Later, we all went to Grandma Hyrkas' for supper and cake (an awesome Winnie the Pooh one!). I hope Rydes doesn't start thinking that every year he is going to get two birthday parties!
It still hasn't sunk in all the way that RYDER IS ONE so I will have to write more later when it does, though I think I may be in denial :)

My baby is almost ONE!

Wow, I cannot believe that Ryder is going to be ONE YEAR OLD in a couple days! It feels like he was just born a couple months ago! Though I am considerably more rested than back then. :) This last year has certainly been quite the ride, from the first few panic-stricken hormone-crazy euphoric days to the where-did-my-little-baby-go feeling that I have now and everything in between. Yesterday, I was playing peekaboo with Ryder and it just hit me...he's no longer a baby! (I always say this but I guess I never really got it until then) He walks and plays games, has a sense humor, "reads" books and babbles nonstop. The other day we were playing "How big is Ryder?" and he was giggling that perfect little kid giggle and my heart just melted. Then, later, he walked up to me holding a book and babbled to me like he expected me to understand. And even though there wasn't a single understandable word in what he had just said, I understood him perfectly. How weird, I never knew I could speak baby :)
So, since the big "oh-one" is fast approaching, I need to start planning his party! Well, actually I have been planning it all month but I need to start put my plans in action!! I am thinking of doing a The Very Hungry Caterpillar themed party. (Why not go all out, right?) When I was looking up cake ideas I found one that looked pretty doable. Making a caterpillar cake out of a bundt cake pan? I can do that! (insert self deprecating chuckle here) And to top it all off, I decided to bake cupcakes and decorate them as the various things that the caterpillar eats in the book. And a "Happy Birthday" banner in the shape of a caterpillar. And now I am officially freaking out. I have a feeling that I am going to accomplish this all on "Tahnee Time" aka: I'm going to procrastinate but still hopefully manage to finish it all at the last second. Oh and have I mentioned that my house is a mess? I'm in the middle of organizing, which means I am making my house messier in hopes of somehow making it all clean and orderly. Yikes. But hopefully my mom and sisters will be up in time to work their magic and help me decorate the cake!! I am so excited that Ryder is turning one, but at the same it's so crazy that a year has passed already! Wish me luck! :]