Happy 1st Birthday, Calum!

Tomorrow we leave for Cyprus which in itself is a small miracle due to the constantly changing events after the Icelandic volcano eruption which have totally put all flights to and from the U.K. to a halt. Apparently my recent church going has made someone happy and our prayers were answered, Mark and I desperately need a holiday and as I had nothing planned for Calum's 1st on Saturday I was beginning to feel like his birthday was going to be a blow out.

Yes, impossible to believe but our little munchkin will be 1 on Saturday. In some ways I look back and feel as if it's been 10 years and in others it feels like yesterday that we brought him home. Honestly those first few days and months were tough, I was on an emotional roller coaster, nights of waking up to feed left me dazed and confused the next day and there were more than a few tearful evenings of Mark returning home from work and me thinking I just couldn't do the stay at home Mom thing anymore. This year has been a massive learning and growing experience and instead of being sad about the time that has passed, I look forward to each day moving forward.

A lot of you haven't had the chance to spend much time with Calum which saddens me to no end. Maybe you should feel blessed that your ear drums are still in tact. Yes, he is a talker, yeller and screamer. Mark and I have given up talking to each other at the dinner table as neither of us can talk loud enough to be heard over Calum. I can no longer watch the news in the mornings when I feed him because he is yelling at me and demanding my full attention and rapid spoon to mouth feeding to satisfy his insatiable appetite. Our kid can eat. And eat. And eat some more. There isn't a single thing he won't eat. I can't think of a time when he hasn't shouted for more at the end of a meal. Public outings with Calum are the highlight of his life. Not satisfied with the undying attention he gets at home, he views these as his chance to get as many grannies as possible to look his way, tell him how cute he is and etc. In fact, he doesn't even discriminate anymore-he will even try to get attention from teenage boys and the like which is pretty embarrassing for all parties involved (except Calum of course).

One thing Calum might just love more than attention is books. Better than any toy, books will keep him entertained for ages. Thank you a million times over Auntie Tara for starting our collection, we have read each of your books about a thousand times and it's even gotten so bad that I have memorised the words to Guess How Much I Love You which could be viewed as sweet and pathetic at the same time. Calum also loves his Daddy, lots. I knew Mark would be a great Dad, but I don't know if I could have ever expected just how much fun these two have-it's like they have their own little world sometimes and I am just lucky to be standing outside looking in. Next to Dad Calum also especially loves his cousins Max & Holly. When the three of them get together as of late, they all really play and he could spend ages just watching these two goofballs and trying to be part of the action.

Really we have been blessed with an amazingly good baby. Since about month 3 he has slept through just about every night from about 8-8. He naps religiously 3 hours a day. While I was worried he didn't start crawling until earlier this month, he blessed me with 11+ months of not having to run around after him and prevent him from turning on the surround sound at full blast or taking all the pans out from under the oven. 99% of the time he is a happy baby and he loves being around people. He will go to anyone happily. He loves the creche at the gym which has allowed me to almost get back to pre-baby body which is saying a lot considering I gained about 70 lbs.!

Calum has just been the most amazing, special addition to our lives. He's been more than I ever could have hoped or imagined and I can't wait each day to go in to his room and see that beaming smile of his and where this day will take us, what new thing he will learn or help me learn. Happy birthday to my gorgeous cheeky little boy, we love you!

Our 1 year stats:

Height: 75.5 cm / 2ft 5.7 in (49th percentile)
Weight: 12 kg / 26.5 lbs (96th percentile)
Head circumference: 49 cm / 19.3 in (91st percentile)

Loved what Meghan did and thought I would share a few pics from the last 12 mos. Wish us safe travels! x

Almost 1!
11 months
10 months (notice Guess How Much I Love You in the background?)
9 mos
8 mos
7 mos and looking really grown up!
6 mos-he will never forgive me for this costume!
5 mos

4 mos
3 mos, on my birthday
2 mos
5 weeks