Happy First Birthday, Ellis!

The labor that brought Ellis into this world was smooth, uncomplicated, and easygoing, and those words epitomize his nature today. Blanden is like me, a bit more temperamental and with a flair for the melodramatic. (It's true, for both of us.) Ellis is very much an observer, like Ed. He has spent the better part of the past year asking for very little from us while calmly and contentedly looking, listening, and loving. Now I know exactly what my mom meant when she would describe Andrew as an easy baby.

 As of late, Ellis is becoming more animated. He is expressing a greater interest in obtaining toys that he wants to play with, not just the toys we set in front of him. He follows simple instructions, such as "turn the page" and "tuck in the baby" (one of his favorite books is one in which we tuck paper baby animals into their beds at night). He is showing a preference for a nighttime cuddle toy. He is shy now in new situations, but ever curious about and aware of what is going on around him. He is trying to talk -- although, I kid you not, his second word may very well be "spaghetti-o," as in, "uh-oh, spaghetti-o," thanks to his big brother; he's making great strides toward this -- though he clearly understands much more than he can express. He delights us with his laugh. He grabs our attention when something really does bother him. And his presence almost always enchants but occasionally aggravates his big brother (and vice versa).

In some ways, it seems like we are just beginning to really get to know Ellis. And so, on the evening of his first birthday, I am feeling grateful for how far we've come this past year, blessed at having two beautiful (inside and out) baby boys with the best dad in the world, and excited for what is to come tomorrow. Ellis was at first a surprise, and yet he was always meant to be.

We thought long and hard about what would make for a special birthday celebration for a one-year-old. We love the zoo, but we frequent it often now. We wanted the day to be different from Blanden's first birthday, but equally appropriate, and something Ellis could really enjoy. So we spent a day "down on the farm" -- a petting farm, that is.

Ellis awoke to a new cow stuffed animal, to commemorate the day, and matching bib. When he and I came downstairs this morning, Daddy and Blanden were already up. The moment we walked into the room, Blanden sang "Happy Birthday" to his little brother. Ms. Deb, Ellis's daycare provider, also called to sing to him. She made the birthday crown for him as well. He enjoyed banana bread for breakfast.

Then we headed out on our adventure: to Lee Martinez Park and Farm in Fort Collins. First, we enjoyed a picnic.  

And then played on the playground.



Daddy captured some great shots of Ellis... 

 He says he got lucky, but we all know that's not true. Clearly, he is becoming a very talented photographer.

Ellis tried the slide for the first time today.

He has always liked to swing, from the day he was born. :-)  

He tried the teeter-totter as well. Bouncing is big fun!  

And then we went next-door to the farm. Here we are looking down from the top of the barn...

And out the window of a corn silo.  

Ellis got a big cow kiss!

Both boys liked this darling brown cow a lot. 

Of course, the horses were also a hit. We saw all the other animals you would expect to see at a petting farm as well: goats, sheep, pigs, chickens, and turkeys (though we did not pet the latter two).  

And we rode a tractor. Ellis had had fun, but by that point, he was ready for a rest.

Blanden wasn't too tired for a turn, though.  

We came home and opened gifts.

A ride-on train! This was a hit, especially given Ellis's new fascination with both wheels and trains.  

Getting a little help from Big Brother. (While watching Grammy and Papa on the TV screen -- they joined the festivities by Skype.)  

And, appropriately, a farm. :-)  

After dinner, it was on to cupcakes (barnyard-themed, of course) and ice cream.  

"Now what do I do with this? Smashing it up seems like a good idea."  

"Perhaps I'll take one tiny bite ... Yuck!" Good thing we went with mini cupcakes, which made a mini mess. But Dad's homemade vanilla bean ice cream was a hit. Happy 1st Birthday, Little Love!