We're very lucky.
Jack is the sort of child
we all assume we'll have
when we decide to have children,
and the sort of child
less experienced parents
congratulate themselves for.January and February 2004
March and April 2004
May and June 2004
July and August 2004
September and October 2004
November and December 2004
Blogs we read:
Sunday, May. 09, 2004 - (Dad)
Birthday Party 2004
Well, Jack turned one the other day, and we had his party yesterday, Saturday May 8.
In the two weeks between setting the time for this party (3pm) and the day itself, Jack has tried valiantly to remove the afternoon nap (roughly 12.00-2.00) from his schedule. This has pushed the timing of his nap out to nearly 3 pm. (he may not want to nap, but he clearly needs it).
Misti had not encountered this particular phenomenon on the weekend, until yesterday. Jack was tired at 1 pm, but he was grumpy and fighting his Mamma, he didn't want to go to sleep, he is a big boy!!!
I realized that he had to rest before the party, or we were going to have a serious problem when the house filled up with Jack fans.
I held him close and walked him quietly around the apartment, holding him tight as he protested his "baby" treatment. By 1.30 he had nodded off.
Many members of Jack's fan club turned up for the big day at 3 to find that he was still asleep!!
Jack awoke to a house-full of fans and was quite overwhelmed by the business of it all. I took him out to the balcony, where Al Curry and I sat and exchanged yarns over pints of Guinness in the warm spring sunshine with a backdrop of majestic Oaks. The quieter surroundings allowed Jack to wake up and adjust to the milieu. Pretty soon, he wanted to be in the thick of it.
Before long, Jack was waist deep in kids and wrappers and gifts and enjoying his spot as the centre of attention. He finds people far more engaging than toys. His little friends, Karena and Ethan, joined in the fun and they all had a great time.
The lighting of his first birthday candle got me thinking...
Jack's first year seems like it started only a moment ago, yet both Misti and I feel like we have known Jack forever. Its peculiar how that works. I feel the same way about each of my other children, and Misti feels that way about hers as well.
The little guy has wriggled his way deep into our hearts. From voicing his opinions in a manner impossible to ignore, to lighting our lives with sun-shiny smiles, Jack is a real gem of a kid.
He, like his brothers, is growing into a person that I am happy and honoured to know.
Take Care
Rod
