One

My littlest fella Anakin has turned one! He has had such a brilliant healthy and happy year. He’s a little giggly gurty, full of spunk and adventurousness. He’s smart and strong.

We had a Teddy Bear Picnic down at the park with just the close relies to celebrate. We ate and ate – savoury muffins, cheese and ham scrolls, marshmallows, cherry ripe slice, caramel tart, sponge cake… We blew bubbles and coloured-in. Anakin had an exciting time on the playground digging in the sand and watching the parachuters land on the beach. After the park we packed up and went to Nick’s (they sold their sprawling 200 thousand square meter house and now live packed into a two bedroom townhouse). Anakin absolutely beamed as he sat on the table with everyone singing him “Happy Birthday”. His bruss helped him blow out the candle, a coupla times.. Then we watched the digital photos Mum took in Europe, ate some more...drank more cuppas.

I was having this irrational phobia that he was going to hurt himself on his birthday and have to spend it with a big sore lump on his head or a black eye or something but it was one of those perfect days. (He did chip his tooth on the tow ball of his Uncle’s Jag, but it didn’t hurt!)

A year old and he has six teeth, weighs 10.5 kilos and is about 78 cms tall. He spots “birdies” from a half a mile away. (I was starting to think he just called everything “Birdie” but sure enough when I squint carefully in the direction he’s pointing there’s always one there on some tucked away branch at 60 paces.) His other favourite words are “Izzy” and “WhatzSa?” He’s done all his poos in the pot since he was about 4 months old and gets taken to the potty in the nighttime for his widdles too, so lots of dry nights starting to happen now.

He still sleeps with us and he still has the boobie all night long. I don’t think he’s going to give that up anytime soon! (He’s got this awful habit of working his way through my undergarments to get to my other nipple which he tweeks and pinches and yanks – it drives me nuts – it feels terrible and it hurts!! He thinks it gets the milk flowing faster but it tortures me. No matter how hard I clamp it down underneath my forearm or my hand he wriggles his fingers in there to get at it. It’s a wonder I can relax enough to have the milk let down at all!)

He needs bathing and changing so many times a day – he gets that grubby cruising around outside. I’ve gurnied and tidied up the carport so much that it doesn’t interest him anymore and he tries so hard to climb up the bank to the real shed. He loves his Dad and his Dad’s shed!He’s absolutely gorgeous!

He blows us away!