Where Has The Time Gone?!

My little boy is now a whole one year old!

I don't know where this year has gone.  The start of it felt like forever, the sleep deprivation took it's toll and suddenly, once he started smiling, and responding, sitting up and playing the days began speeding by and now here we are.

I have lots of photos I want to post and things to  put down here and remember.  We've had quite a busy week and not only with Joel's  birthday.

My Dad had been waiting for surgery at hospital to have some biospys on lumps found in his lungs.  He got a terrible chest infection over Christmas and subsequent chest x-rays showed some matter that needed investigating.  His first date for going in was postponed, and his second and the third meant that he'd miss Joel's party.

So on the Wednesday before his birthday and the day before my Dad was due to report at hospital we had a little party tea just the four of us (Steve was working) and it was lovely.  Mum did his favourite foods, and he opened his presents and it was nice to have the celebrations going over many days so he wasn't too overwhelmed with it all.

Pasta is my very favourite food of all

Jelly is funny to wibble

I like cake Grandma!

Presents!!

Poor Nok Tok!! (the blur!)

Unwrapping his presents

Loving his Little People garage

Then on Thursday he had a birthday cake at nursery (I bought one, didn't make it!) and the little tots all sang Happy Birthday to him.

On Friday we gave him our meagre presents (we decided to wait and get him things as he needs them in the summer such as garden toys) and he had a drum and instrument set, funky feet mat and some amazing animals to go with his choo choo train and then we took him to the Sea Life Centre in Birmingham.  It was a great place to go to, and he responded so well to seeing the fish.  We had lunch in Nando's, (he had a peanut butter sandwich) but the manager gave him a cake as it was his birthday!!  Joel is turning into a cake monster!

Nom nom nom

His Nando's cake

Watching the fish

Hello Barracuda

Can you spot Nemo?

Looking cute at the aquarium

On Saturday it was his party day.  Steve's family had come up the previous night, and came round with more presents and Joel had napped till nearly 11 which I hoped would be enough to get him through his party!!  After a quick lunch of beans on toast, we'd got all the party stuff together and we went to the community centre we'd booked.  We had an hour to get decorations up and the Baby Sensory woman arrived and set up and we were ready!!

More presents?!

I love beans

Joel's baby friends began to arrive and he crawled about saying hello.  His little friend Trudy had a beautiful pink tutu on, and Joel crawled over as if to say 'hello Trude' and rustled her skirt!!  They're at nursery together and see each other a lot as we go to church together too.

The baby sensory was a big hit.  I think four of the six babies there hadn't done it so they and their mums had a great time.  The two babies who go weekly knew all the songs and their parents were signing and everything but I couldn't quite keep up with that!

Playing with pompoms

Shaking jingle bells

We had space teddies jumping around with glowing stars, twinkling stars and fiberoptic lights, incy spider with pompoms and a jungle scene with puppets and a big jungley sheet we held over their heads!

I loved it and although Joel was a bit tired by the end of it he seemed quite enthralled for the best part of it.

We lit his birthday cake and sang happy birthday to him and had a bit of a snack time afterwards as I'd put out some fruit plates, baby crisps, bread sticks, cheese, baby biscuits and rice cakes and they sat around on the mats I borrowed from Mums and Toddlers amongst the toys we'd put out and ate and played for a bit longer.

Joel's birthday cakes

Ooh, mini cake for me?!

We also managed to get a group photo of the little group although we couldn't get one of all the babies looking happy and in the right direction but I'd challenge the best photographer to do so without some photoshop!!

Pa rum pa pum pum

Bouncing Baby Friends

All tired out after a busy party weekend!

 It was after the weekend that I realised once again I'd not got any pictures of my family with Joel.  I keep forgetting!  I guess the fact that half my family were ill in bed didn't help so we may have a meet up at my parents in the coming weeks so we could do it then.  I'd like a nice one of my parents holding him, and Sarah and Amy.  And maybe a new big group one with Martha included!  My new niece came along to the party and enjoyed the songs!!

The whole weekend did seem to go well.  Save for the fact my Dad and sister weren't there.  And it was nice to spread the occasion out a bit to save him being overwhelmed.  He's been a tired boy since though and slept very well on the Saturday night.  Not Sunday night though!  He decided he wanted to party some more I think at 1.30am!

This has become quite a long post so I think I'll leave it there :)

Aside from saying lets see what the next year brings us!