One, Little Man

The Little Man is ONE today, yeah! I can't tell you amazed I am at that, and how proud (and secretly relieved) that he's a healthy, happy, handsome little guy - and still alive despite my clumsy parenting skills!

I've read countless wonderful, sweet, full-of-love-and-joy Happy First Birthday son/daughter messages on various parental blogs. I was really planning on writing my own sappy, full of love message to broadcast to the world at large as well about my Little Man's first year, but I just don't have it in me tonight.

For starters, the Little Man decided to wake up at 5:00 a.m. this morning and not go back to sleep. So, he screamed in bed on and off for an hour-and-a-half (thank you, Ferber) before I finally decided to get my lazy bones up for the day and ease his misery. Took his now-crabby self to daycare early with hopes of leaving work early and taking him to a local kiddie joint that has an area for crawlers to go wild in. Of course, I didn't end up getting off work until 1/2 hour before the kiddie joint closed, topped off with a very dissatisfying conversation with a co-worker before I left. So, this afternoon ended up with Mommy guilt topped off with disappointment and a little dash of Gee, I hate my job today. Not a recipe for a great birthday evening.

Yet I soldiered on, still trying to find someplace to take him to have some fun. Too cold for the park, the newest kiddie gym in the area doesn't open for two weeks. Aha! McDonalds PlayPlace! We met Mr. Me at McDonalds, where we ended up with the very most unhealthy dinner ever (as you get at McDonalds) and it turns out that you must be 3 in order to play in the playplace. Not that I was terribly heartbroken as the Little Man still has a tendency to mouth everything and EEK! the germs in that place, but still, NO fun to be had on the birthday. Yet another wave of mommy guilt.

So, we ended going home and playing with new birthday toys at home. Not a horrible day, but not as special as I wished my Little Man's first special day to be. With any luck, though, I'll have lots and lots of chances to get it right.

Happy Birthday, my darling Little Man. I love you very, very much.