I've Conquered the World!

...or so it feels.

As some of you may know, Shae is not exactly the best eater. Although I don't share this theory, Shae believes that there are much more fun things to be doing than eating. Just about every baby food meal has been a struggle. And solids? Forget about it. The mere thought of putting finger foods into his mouth makes Shae squirm.

Over the past few months we've only been successful on a few solids:

• Gerber Puffs
• Gerber Yogurt Melts
• Gerber Lil' Crunchies

You get the picture. Something about those colorful Gerber packages I guess. Although not the worst thing in world to eat, those Gerber snacks just weren't going to cut it nutritionally, and I was really hoping to not have to keep up with straight baby food for too much longer.

What else can I get this kid to eat?! Hmmm...

Looks like a delicious Gerber snack...

Yes! He's eating it!

Ha! Joke's on you, kid! That's tofu coated in graham cracker crumbs you're eating! Mommy snuck them into an empty Gerber container and you were none the wiser.

And so, yes, this is what conquering the world feels like to a mom that has been worried about the development and nutrition intake of her dear, sweet child for far too long.

*Side note: For those of you following the soy debate, do not worry; the amounts of tofu being consumed will not affect Shae's estrogen levels :)

525,600 Minutes

A tribute to Shae's first year. The most amazing, life changing year we've lived thus far.

We decided to get some one year photos taken of Shae and thought that it would be a good time to get some family photos as well. I am so impressed with work of Tasha of Red Bird Hills Photography. We were able to just go to the park and have fun together as a family while she just shot away. That's what I love about these photos; their natural and fun nature as opposed to feeling posed.

They all turned out great, but here are just a handful of my favorites. (Okay, maybe a little more than a handful.)

Happy Birthday to Shae!

Wow! What a difference a year makes! I really can't believe that our little guy is a one year old. It feels like we spent so much time preparing for life with a newborn, and now all of a sudden we've got ourselves a toddler! He sure is a fun toddler with a charming personality though!

Here are just a few of my favorite things about this boy as a one year old:

• He is extremely friendly, as he smiles, laughs, and waves at complete strangers on a daily basis. Target cashier, old lady in the Kohl's parking lot, screaming kid at Menards...you name it.
• He gets a huge smile on his face when he sees Mommy and Daddy hug.
• That smile turns to a giggle when he sees Mommy and Daddy kiss.
• He makes his loud rooster sounds whenever riding in the car, I think just to make us laugh.
• He loves his mommy, but he LOVES his daddy.

I could go on and on about the things that make Shae such a cool kid. I watch him everyday in awe that he's mine (and I know that his daddy does too).

We were so grateful to have a house full of amazing family and friends to help us celebrate Shae's first year of life. What a special day it was!

Shae woke up to find some presents from Mommy and Daddy

What's a party without punch and cake?

Shae's lion cake

Hamming it up and loving all of the attention!

We squeezed a few people into the kitchen

Mommy choked back tears and Shae looked around at his house full of guests as we sang Happy Birthday

Mmmmm, cake