The First Year...

Has flown by SO quickly! My motto this year has been, "The days may be short, but the weeks, months, and years fly by..." Today (which is his actual birthday) was a great day, but pictures from today will have to wait. For now, I give you pictures from his last month.

He's not walking yet, but he loves to pull up and cruise:

He loves his toys, especially books:

He loves dirty dishes... Don't worry, we discourage this normally; I just had to catch a picture the first time:

He loves his buckets, especially, and being outside:

He loves his baths (though he's not a fan of getting out and drying off):

And he loves his daddy... and his bottles:

He is talking so much more and makes the most hilarious faces. Though mama, dada, more, and maybe ball are the only real words, he is in no way lacking in passion or charisma when he tries to communicate:

The only thing that terrifies mom about his cruising (he's got a hard head; I'm not too worried about him falling...) is the glass coffee table. He loves to bring his toys onto the table and then bang on the glass. I just know he's going to break it at some point. So this was my attempt to encourage him to play with only his soft toys on the glass:

The adorable dog (who, yes, is wearing bunny ears) was an Easter gift from Nana. Not sure he knows what to think about it:

But he definitely knows how to smile for the camera:

The best part about this past month is that he really seems to be a little boy now, not a baby. It's sad, in a way, but so so so fun. I know that when he masters walking he'll seem even more grown up, but for now it's in his expressions, interactions, and confidence:

I'll leave you with some of my favorite recent pics of Oliver, doing what he does best: playing with his buckets, enjoying the grass, leaving the grass to play in the dirt, trying to climb over any and all barriers, laughing at the camera, and generally being precious:

I couldn't have asked for a greater blessing than this little boy has been to my life. Now I'm off to pray for the wisdom to handle my blessing. ;)