the first birthday of a third child

It was so sad. He didn't even like his own cake.

Poor Carson. His birthday was Nov 18th. We were in Michigan that day for my brother's wedding without Jason, so we waited to celebrate. THEN we waited until Thanksgiving so my whole family would be there. THEN we waited until after Thanksgiving dinner, naps, games, and pie to celebrate. By then he was a year and a week, abysmally tired, and so was everyone else...so it wasn't much of a celebration. The sad reality of the third child.

And now he's 13 months old, and I never even took his 12 month picture! Probably the most important one after doing it all his life, and it's not done. I'm sorry, Carson. I love you just as much, I swear it!

Here are the things I want to remember about you when you first turned one:

-You love wheels! You will push anything around our house as long as it has wheels (doll strollers and trucks being your top two favorites), and it never ceases to amaze me how quickly you find the wheels on laundry baskets, rolling carts, chairs, etc. Wheels, wheels, wheels!

-You are quick to smile, and a have an eight-tooth toothy grin.

-You love cereal, milk and peanut butter & jam sandwiches, and hate broccoli, rice and pasta in any other form than spaghetti.

-Though you just learned to crawl about three weeks ago, you now LOVE it and crawl everywhere and get into everything (though, thankfully, you have no interest in the Christmas tree!)

-Your favorite place is our lazy-susan cereal cupboard. Although our cereal boxes are often strewn across the kitchen, it never bothers me. I know how much you love to get them out, put them away, hide trucks in the boxes and push them around the floor.

-You light up in the morning when you first get to see your sisters.

-You still love Mom better than anyone, which she secretly loves and cherishes.

-Your forehead-to-forehead hugs are just as cuddly and sweet as any arm-around-the-neck-hug.

We love you, Carson, and can't believe you are ONE!