One

It’s been some time since I last posted. I know I promise and promise that I will post more. But life happens, and that’s really my only excuse. But I am and will post more, because there is so much to tell, and so many yummy things to share.

Oliver turned one on the 29th of May. Everyone warns you how fast life will happen with a child. And trust me they were not exaggerating. I found myself the week of his birthday going through all of his photos from the first year. I could still take myself back go the whole event of him being born. Me driving myself to Santa Monica from Mount Washington, because my water broke (at the time I was not aware my water had actually broke). If your not from LA, it’s from one end of the city to the other. The doctors telling us my water in fact did break, and that our son would be joining us lot earlier then we had expected. First we had to go over how the c-section would go, and then we had to talk to the head of the NICU. All scary stuff. But it happened, and happened fast. And before we knew it he was out. Hearing him cry for the first time was the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard. Even today when he cries, my heart hurts. It actually hurts (or feels heavy, but whatever it’s a metaphor). But I remember it all. The first time I held him. The first time the nurse said “he wants his mama”, and I realized she was talking about me. Leaving the NICU, and bringing him home. Learning how to exist with another living person in your home, that you don’t really know yet, but you love that person with all your heart and soul. Not sleeping for weeks for fear that your baby may die. We would sleep but so light. I would wake up every 15 minutes and check his breathing, I’m not joking. Coo coo I know!! Having your friends and family meet him. Especially when my mom met him, I think that was the most special. But more so because I just wanted my mom and I wanted her to take care of me. And she did, and she took care of the baby so I could shut my eyes, if even for a minute.

This first year has been the best of my life. I would say my second best year was probably the year after we got married. We traveled and had so much fun!! But this year has been different in a better way. I get to see my husband in a different light. It’s amazing how much I changed and so did he after Oliver came into our lives. Jonathan has far exceeded what I visioned as a husband and a father. I now feel a different kind of love then I’ve ever known. I think that same goes for Jonathan.

Watching Oliver grow is has been so rewarding. He changes daily. To me of course I think he has the best personality. Like right now he does this thing. He will be talking to you or baby babble, and he will put his hand on your shoulder and tilt his head and come closer to your face. Like he’s saying “do you hear me, I’m talking, so what do your think mom?” I can already tell this kid is going to have such a full heart, and be kind, sensitive, and extremely out going. He loves people, babies, kids, all animals, music. But the best the best is how cuddling he is. He is such a cuddle bug. I’m not looking forward to the day he will no longer let me cuddle him. But for now he loves being cuddled, and loves to cuddle back. We’ve got some serious love going on here!!

For his first birthday we did plan a lot. I’m sure his other birthdays will be different. But this one was special, and we wanted to make it so. Oliver was surrounded by family and fiends who love him. It was so special. I’m so glad we got to share it with our favorite people. We had a camp themed birthday party. Boy Scouts meets Moonrise Kingdom. We pulled it off with help from my in-laws. It was an emotional day to say the least. No one tells you that your child’s first birthday brings up so many emotions. It did at least for me, but in a great way.

I leave you with the recipe for the cake I made him for his first birthday. Strawberry cake, with a cream icing. It’s easy breezy.

Cake:
Ingredients:

1 cup room temp butter (2 sticks)
1 3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
3/4 cup puréed strawberries
1/2 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup cake flour
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

3 – 8″ baking pans

Preheat oven to 325. Whip butter for about 3 minutes. So it’s ribbon like. Slowly add sugar. Next add one egg at a time. Scrap all the ingredients down. Put all the dry ingredients together, and all the wet. Starting with the dry and ending with the dry, start slowly adding dry then wet, dry then wet. Grease pans and coat with flour. Bake for about 35-40 minutes. I would start checking them around 33 minutes.

Whipped cream frosting:
Ingredients:

1 pint heavy whipped cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Add ingredients to mixer. Whip until soft whipped peaks.