One is the LOVELIEST Number...

In exactly one week, my baby will be one year old. Where does the time go? When I close my eyes, I can still picture myself one year ago this weekend, waddling around trying to get ready for my baby shower. There are many times when I still feel as though I should pinch myself to make sure that it's all real...after all that time, and all of that heartache, here I am with a one year old child. Life is just too, too sweet.

Mason's sunny little personality emerges more and more with each passing day, and I regret not having documented it more with this blog. He is definitely becoming a little boy, right before my very eyes. Gone are the days when I could cuddle him in bed after our morning feed, with him falling asleep on my chest. Nowadays, I struggle to keep him from falling off our bed, as he rolls around on it, shrieking with laughter. Gone are the days when he would sit nicely on his playmat, content with the toys that I put right in front of him to play with. Nowadays, he's crawling down the hall like a madman or climbing up on the furniture, in search of the next adventure. And gone are the days when I could lie him down on the change table and have him cooperate. Nowadays, he'd rather be anywhere than lying there with his diaper off and his onesie pulled over his head! He truly is such a little monkey.

For the record - just so that I don't regret not writing some of this stuff down - here are some fun facts:

Mason weighs 17 lbs and 4 oz. He is tiny, but oh so mighty...

Mason has four teeth (just found the newest one today!)

Mason has three bottles and two nursing feeds a day (...as Mommy continues to wrestle with weaning...)

Mason can eat cheerios and toast now. But is still only on purees...sigh...

Mason can crawl, go up stairs, pull himself up to stand on furniture, and stand unaided for about 10 seconds

Mason claps when you say "Hooray, hooray!" It's the cutest thing. And the other day, when I was bottle feeding him, he happened to see the audience on The Ellen Degeneres Show applauding, so he burst into spontaneous applause, too! :)

Mason is most ticklish under his arms.

Mason has had one haircut and is due for another.

Mason loves his Daddy...and I mean LOVES his Daddy. At the end of the day when Daddy comes home and cuddles Mason, Mommy becomes chopped liver...

Mason is the light of Mommy and Daddy's lives...

And here we are, planning his first birthday party. So fun! We're going with The Very Hungry Caterpillar theme, as this seems to be his most favourite book. I've made almost everything, from the banner to the invitations...and it's all coming together so nicely! Next weekend is going to be BIG! More later...