Happy Birthday, Sweet Boy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow
I can't believe Grayson is already one year old! This year flew by.

Each moment with this little man is a treat. He has an infectious smile, an incredibly cute giggle, and the kind of personality that makes you just want to be with him.

The beginning of his life was marked by health scares that made us even more protective of him than we would normally be. Because of that, many things were set aside in favor of cuddling our sweet guy. Now, at one, we are not worried for his health, but out of habit (his or mine?) we still cuddle a lot. Like all night. But as you can see from the slideshow, they grow so fast, and he won't always want to be in my arms, so I am enjoying it while I can.

He has seen quite a bit for such a young man. When he was three months old we took our big trip to Paris. Later in the year we went on a trip to Garmisch, Germany, and then back to Paris (Disney!) for Thanksgiving. He traveled through Germany, France, and Spain and arrived in Morocco when he was nine months old. An American citizen, Grayson has never set foot on American soil.

At one, Grayson's preferred method of transportation is the "bum scoot." He loves Cheerios (at almost $6 per box at our little embassy commissary, I certainly hope he loves them!), yogurt, and nursing. He loves his Daddy, and lights up at the mere sound of his voice. He has just recently developed a love of anything on four wheels, and spends a lot of time rolling toy cars back and forth on the floor. He excitedly says "ball" whenever he sees one. He loves his bathtime, which he shares nightly with Liam. He currently has eight teeth, but two molars are cutting through, and two more look like they are getting ready to emerge.

Today we spent a quiet day at home playing, doing exercises (he is a little behind in development, and my friend, a physical therapist has been helping him catch up), napping (okay, he was the only one napping). We did his 12 month photo shoot this morning, but only one picture turned out, so I will try again tomorrow. I showed him this slide show this morning, and at exactly 8:02 a.m. (10:02 Germany time) I gave him his birth minute kisses. We had a little party with his brothers and sister tonight, and will celebrate again after Daddy gets home from his trip. Of course we had our traditional carrot cake. This time I made it with oat flour and it is really soft. And he got a new car -- his first very own car.

I am so grateful for my sweet guy! Happy Birthday, Grayson!