My baby boy is 1.

When we first brought Bennett home from the hospital and were getting no sleep, Neil and I thought we were never going to be able to make it through the first 12 weeks of having a baby. Everyone said "the first 12 weeks are the hardest!" Yes, they were. Although our boy is still not the best sleeper-we couldn't be happier with the changes he has brought to our lives.

I can't believe that we went from this:

To this:

in a matter of 12 short months! It is crazy to think that just 365 days ago I was as big as a cow and laid up in a hospital bed with my baby in the nursery. Now we are just a family of 3 in a routine that has come to be natural. It is truly wonderful to have a child!

To Bennett...this is what you are up to these days:

• You still have 6 teeth (4 on top, 2 on bottom) with no signs of any new ones
• You wear a size 4 diaper
• You usually wear the size clothes that go along with your age (now 12 months)
• You LOVE to get into your sippy cup drawer and the Tupperware drawer and throw everything on the floor!
• You have been taking about 5-7 steps here and there but haven't started walking across the room yet. We think it is because you are such an efficient crawler!
• You love to play and you would 24/7 if you didn't have to go to bed
• You have the sweetest laugh in the whole world. You are VERY ticklish on your upper thighs and feet. Mommy and Daddy love to hear you laugh.
• You are starting to shake your head "no."
• You still like to clap
• So far this year, you have traveled to Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. I guess you just like the South!
• You still love your paci. We are sad to say that we will be taking it away in 1 week. We are going to wait until Mommy is on Christmas Holidays!
• I think you weigh around 21 pounds (you were a little over 20 at Thanksgiving).

You are the sweetest, most lovable, cutest boy in the world and Mommy and Daddy love you to the moon and back!

I wanted to make sure Bennett had a cake on his actual birthday. I made a bright blue Bundt cake for him to smash! We waited until Gammy & Pops got to the house and waited until we could talk to Uncle Andrew on Skype from New Zealand. We all had the best time watching you! We took about 40 pictures of the event.

He was NOT shy with the cake!

Uncle A was watching his on Skype.

Family birthday photo.

This is what I like to call a handful of icing!