David is One!

I can hardly believe it! I thought it would be fun to write a post about what David is like these days. First, though, the usual birthday cake pictures :)

(Warning: There are a lot!)

The cake--I have to admit I'm kind of proud of this :) I am so very unartistic, incapable even of a respectable stick figure, so this was a big deal for me. And it's Magnolia Bakery's recipe, with their buttercream frosting. Delicious! (Even when baked in a mini oven.)

David made a grab for the candle but, fortunately, was not fast enough.

Smart boy--RIGHT for the mounds of frosting.

AND he knew exactly what to do with it :)

No point messing around with little bites, let's just shove the whole thing in there.

I think it's safe to say he liked it!

No idea what he's doing here. Just none at all.

Taste my fingers, Dad! They're delicious!

We had a great day with David today. This afternoon, the three of us went to GalaxSea, which is a nearby indoor pool and water park. There is a huge baby pool, a pool with a big lazy river, a wave pool, hot-tubs and some giant water slides. (Too big for David, just right for me :) David had a blast! He just kept grinning, clapping his hands, and blowing us kisses as if to say "This. Is. AWESOME!" He really liked when we'd hold him and drift, all three, around the lazy river. He liked to try to swim, too--kicking his little feet and splashing with his hands! After that, we came home and had dinner and cake, and David got some play time before bath & bed. We had to skip his afternoon nap today, something we never do, so he fell asleep before I even got him into his bed!

At one year, David is just a ton of fun. Really, you would not believe how friendly he is, and how skilled he is at getting the attention of passersby. College girls, other children, Harley Davidson aficionados, and toothless men who have probably had too much to drink by 11 am, all are fair game as far as David is concerned. Yesterday, I paused in the Goethe Gallery to look at a menu while David sat in his stroller. Seconds later, I heard laughter. I don't even know what he was doing, exactly, but at least 3 groups of people were watching--and David was eating it up. The funny thing is, this happens daily! He is such a ham, and just loves seeing people--especially if said people are watching him :)

He is also, however, getting tired of me taking pictures of him. I love this shot:
"Seriously? Another one? Don't you have something better to do?"

He is so active, and pretty easily bored, so we try to spend as much time out of the apartment as possible. We go to the playground around the corner every day, and sometimes twice a day. These days, David's favorite activity is climbing the stairs that are built into the hill:

He could climb all day long and be happy!

He also likes playing with sticks:

I'll end with some fun facts about David.

He loves to drink bubbly water, or Ginger flavored Bionade (a bubbly, not so sweet beverage that I love.) He will not, however, drink Apple juice.

He loves bananas and yogurt, but the typical baby tastes end there. He will eat string beans, provided they have been sauteed with a little garlic and olive oil. Otherwise, forget it. He loves curry, loves Michael's chilli, loves Indian food of all kinds--he's had Pakistania and Afganistani food and loved it. He will not eat plain rice. He will play with, but will not eat, Cheerios. He ate a giant bell-pepper and brocolli crepe for lunch the other day, but steamed carrot sticks are a no go. We discovered a few days ago that he LOVES roasted red peppers. Michael made spicy pork chops for dinner last night, and even though the first bite almost gave me the hiccups, David loved them!

So he's quite the adventurous little eater. The only things he won't eat are things that are bland! (And, oddly enough, Apples. He has just started to eat tiny bits of Granny Smith apples, and that's huge progress!) We love that he likes to eat a variety of foods, but it does make it difficult to get vegetables into his daily diet. I don't really always have the time to whip up a fancy side dish. Sometimes I'd like to be able to just steam some broccoli and leave it at that!

He is a sweet and affectionate little boy, but he has no time for snuggling. A quick cuddle, maybe, but that's really all he can muster before squirming away to get back to climbing and crawling!

He is a talker! They don't all sound exactly as they should, but he now uses all of the following words: Yeah, No (Nanana!), Mama, Dada, Echo, Dog, Duck, and Hi. He can repeat other words when prompted, but these are the ones he really uses on his own. He's also doing the signs for More, Drink, All Done, and (thanks to Moira) ceiling fans!

OK I'll stop rambling now. It's been a great year, and we just love him like crazy!

OK last picture: David, a year ago today!