Happy 1st Birthday, Shane!!!!

Shane is 1! Where did the year go? I can't believe that a year has passed since he was born. I remember every second of his first day like it was yesterday. As you may know, I have taken a picture of Shane in his 12 month Notre Dame jersey on his monthly birthday since month one. Here they are are - It is a great way for me to see how my baby has grown!

Month 1

Month 2

Month 3

Month 4

Month 5

Month 6

Month 7

Month 8

Month 9

Month 10

Month 11

Month 12

When I look back at these pictures, I am so surprised at how much Shane has changed and how much he has stayed the same. He has grown up so much. In the past year he has learned to sleep through the night, hold his own bottle, eat food with his fingers, smile, giggle, crawl, stand, crawl up the stairs, kiss, say 'ma ma', 'da da' & 'na na'. We are pretty sure he associated Dan with Da Da and we think no is Na Na. He has 8 teeth and even a little bit of hair. He loves his doggy, Thunder more than anyone in the house & he hasn't met a bouncing song he does not love! However, he still has that warm look in his eyes and the same face I fell in love with 1 year ago. I know every parent falls madly in love with their child, and we are no exception, we love Shane more than anything in the universe. He is our everything. I can't imagine being anything other then Shane's mom! His smile lights up my world, his cry can break my heart. He is so unique and special. He is the happiest baby ever and he loves to explore. He loves open doors, cabinets, drawers, and mirrors! I guess if I was as cute as Shane, I'd like to look at myself too! His favorite game is to crawl away as fast as possible and have me catch him! When I say no because he is splashing in Thunder's water bowl - that just may be his favorite game, even more than the chase game - he cracks up! I may be in trouble because of that one! He is great at playing Peek a Boo and he already has his favorite story book, "Ten Wriggly, Wiggly Caterpillars." I can't believe how much I/we love him. Having Shane has made me a better person and it has made me love Dan even more. How can I not be crazy in love with the man who can change a diaper better than me? Or a man who aims to give his son a hundred kisses a day? Today I am the luckiest woman alive - I am Shane's mommy!
Since my last update, we actually got a picture of Shane crawling up the stairs! He made it all of the way up with Dan right behind him. The picture is not great - it was taken in the stairway, but here it is!

Shane also had a play date with his buddy Alex on Monday. They had a blast! Shane shared his toys with Alex and they both loved crawling all over Thunder! Here are a few pictures from the day! Please excuse the mess - Shane does not believe in putting away his toys, only in taking them out. As soon as he sees me putting a toy away, he immediately gets it. All cleanup must be done during naps!




We also went for his first birthday pictures! Here are a few - we did some in his dressy outfit and some in a cowboy outfit! My sister bought him a hat & badge on her trip to Texas with Jason & Jason's mom got him the pony. I found the top & boots on clearance at Gymboree and could not resist the photo! Here are a few!






We spent today at the lapsit class at the library. Shane LOVES it! They sang happy birthday to him and he was beaming! I made him jumbo cupcakes for dessert tonight and he will open his present from us. We hope to see you at his party this weekend! Happy Birthday, Shane! Thanks for the best year of my life!
Shane's picture was on the channel 5 news this morning - he was the only baby in the first birthday pictures. Here is a link, but it may not work. Dan & my dad said they had trouble getting it to work. If it doesn't and you just wind up on the NBC web site, just type in "first birthdays" in the search box and you can select March 10th from the list.
http://www.nbcchicago.com/shows/newstoday/First_Birthdays___Wednesday__March_10_Chicago.html