1 Thursday + 1 New shirt from Target + 0 Smiles =

I'm a 1 year old..

Nothing about me screams baby anymore.  Well, if you don't count the fact that I'm still carried 89% of the time, I can't talk, I maybe wear diapers, and I prefer for you to hold my sippy cup to the point that when you hand it to me I just hand it back to you and put my hands at my side so you have to hold it to my mouth - other than that, I'm totally a big boy.  So, I guess b/c when it was time to plan my party I was still considered a "baby" - mom and dad had to plan my party for me.  Afterwards I made a list of pros and cons so I could remember for next year when I plan my own party.

Gettin' Ready for the BIG day

How does one do that, you ask?  It's easy...follow this simple formula if you want to have the best first birthday of your life.

1. Start to get your molars b/c that is REALLY fun.  Let me give you an example of just how much fun it is.  When I started to get my molars yesterday I became REALLY happy.  When I say happy I mean happy to the point of tears.  I cry when you want to put clothes on me, I cry when you offer me milk (yes, all you need to do is merely offer and I'm so happy I just start crying), I cry when you try to give me medicine that would make me less happy, I cry when my tummy sticks out so much it pushes my tray off my chair and my grapes almost fall on the floor, I cry when I start crying while grapes are in my mouth so I start choking on said grapes, and then I cry when you finger swipe them out of my mouth in hopes that I would stop crying.  So many tears of joy - that's the first way to prepare for your first birthday.

2. The second way to prepare is to cold turkey your bottles.  I mean, you can't show up to your first birthday party still taking bottles so you just spit in their face one day and be done with them.  Now I get milk and not just any old milk...whole milk.  Dad referred to it as crack tonight b/c it's THAT delicious.  I think it's fine - I take it now in place of that baby formula business but I'm not obsessed with it like dad is.  OH and I only use sippy cups with straws...that's how the cool kids are doing it these days.  Plus, Grayce told me that it helps my muscles used in speech when I can suck from a straw.  I started using that cup yesterday and today I said full sentences.  Grayce is so smart.  PS. Other BEST thing about the straw...don't have to tilt the cup back - I never could figure that out.

3. And the last way to prepare for your first birthday party - put on a pink shirt, pop your collar and have a photo shoot, of course.....