For Jeff

My baby is ONE!

I can't believe it. Where did the year go? How did he change from a tiny little newborn into a little boy so quickly!?!

Jeff is my sunshine. He is always smiling and for now, anyway, he and I are best buddies. He loves hugs and smooches and he likes to come up to me and pat me gently on the back or on the head. He is extremely curious and into absolutely everything. If something can be opened, he will get into it, especially things that I thought I'd put away, or put up high enough. I can't take my eyes off of him for a minute, because anytime I do he manages to wreak havoc. I call him my 10-second tornado.

He can say "cow", "duck", "cup", "mom", "dad", "car", "quack", "moo", "play", "one", "rock", and "more." He says "more" a lot. The boy eats everything. This morning for breakfast he had a nutri-grain bar, cheerios, raisin toast, and an entire pear. That's more than I ate.

He's such a little boy. He's always grubby. Yesterday, we went outside to play and within seconds he had dirt under his fingernails and smeared across his laughing face. He's been walking for a while now and he's gotten very fast. At the end of the day I'm always exhausted from chasing him around. He also climbs stairs and if I try to help him he shakes off my hand because he wants to do everything himself.

He adores his big sister. She can make him laugh like no one else can. She gives him a lot of crap but he gives it right back to her. Those two are going to be trouble when they team up.

Happy birthday, my sweet little boy! You fill my heart with joy every day.