Will's First Birthday

Celebrating Will’s first birthday was all kinds of sweet. My main goal was to soak up the day with him and reflect on our first year as a family of three. Will’s birthday fell on a Thursday, so Nick and I took the day off from work. We decided it was time for Will to finally hear what the animals in his Sandra Boynton books really sound like, so we went to a farm. We saw cows, sheep, pigs—all of the important characters in Moo, Baa, La La La! For the sake of tradition, we then recreated my first post-delivery meal, which was a large pizza—all for me—and a vanilla milkshake. This time, I had to share, but I’ll happily let anyone this cute pull cheese off my crust and sneak bites of my ice cream.

As for presents, we got Will a wagon. We figured he’d love pushing it around and putting all of his things in it. Instead, he likes to put himself in it and have us push him around. It’s kind of ridiculous, but it made for some fun impromptu birthday pictures. (These balloons were actually intended for a photoshoot in his crib, but he was not into it. He thought I was trying to put him down for a nap and was understandably alarmed to be surrounded by such strange objects.)

Will recently started walking, which made this birthday feel even more significant. It’s like we can suddenly see the little boy that he’s becoming. His new favorite thing is to strut up and down the block, which has been a really fun way to meet all of our neighbors.

When the weekend came around, it was time to party! We invited Will’s grandparents and nearby uncles over and kept things simple. There was cake, ice cream and a new outfit—which, if you ask me, is all you really need for a successful birthday.

Here’s a look back on year one.