the big birthday party

sullivan's first birthday party was quite an event. grandma and pappy flew in from colorado and meredith came down from san fran. all in all, i think there were about 20 people there. we barbecued and just hung out. sullivan did pretty well; he had a few meltdowns due to over stimulation and noise, but for the most part he had a great time playing in his pool and opening presents. i knew he would cry during the birthday song, and sure enough, he did. i was telling someone about this and she said, "i'm sure he was thinking, 'why are all these people yelling at me?' that must be what it feels like to him," and that makes perfect sense to me.

*update* at meredith's request, i have added the below picture of post-crying sullivan. she says he looks like me here, when i was a little girl on the verge of tears.

ryan was also hoping that he would dive face first into his cake and icing, but he didn't do that at all. he didn't seem to like the feel of the icing, and i thought maybe once he tasted it he would be into it, but that wasn't the case either. he eyed it suspiciously for what seemed like forever and then ate a few fingers worth of icing. maybe next year?

sully got to play in his pool at his party. playing in the pool, or bath, is his favorite activity. we just had him go naked instead of wasting a swim diaper. he didn't seem to mind.

by the time we got around to presents, he was getting really tired, but a nap was an impossibility so we pressed on. the toy lawn mower he got from brett and jenny was a big hit; he loves pushing that thing around! annie bought him a puppy costume and we tried the hat on for size. we could not stop taking pictures of him in the hat because he looked so cute. my cheeks hurt from smiling at his cuteness. and he tolerated the hat surprisingly well!

everyone always says this, and it is definitely true: kids will inevitably like the box the toy came in more than the toy itself. while the men put together the ATV sully entertained himself with the box.

and here he is riding the ATV. he has gotten a little better at it and now he likes for me to push him around the backyard. he also really likes to stand in front of it, put his hands on the handlebars and push it around. that is a great way to tire him out before naps or bedtime!

he also got a plastic slide from my parents which he climbs all over for a good part of every day. he is going to get a lot of use out of that.

all in all, it was a very successful day, and it was so great to hang out with all our friends and family for what may be the last time at our house.

everyone kept asking us what we got sully for his birthday, and honestly it hadn't crossed my mind to get him anything at all! but we did just get him a new car seat, so i guess that is his birthday present. happy 1st birthday, little guy! i can't wait to see what the next year brings.