Happy 1st Birthday Monkey!

This past Saturday we celebrated my nephew's first birthday. You have been watching him grow but just as a refresher here is him entering the world.

This is the birthday boy today! I am sitting here remembering a year ago today the excitement and worry that I was feeling for my brother and his beautiful wife. I got a phone call early in the morning and boy was it early. DH was not thinking about being awake. Potato and I loaded up and headed to the hospital. Even her hair was setting pretty on top of her head. Well after many hours of hard labor all natural (not for me) she ended up having to have an epidural. As the drugs wore off Monkey decided it was time to arrive. My mother and I paced the hall way and popped our heads in the room every second we could. Finally the 8+lb baby came into the world with breathe taking blue eyes and bleach blonde hair. From the second I got to hold him I was in love. DH and I could not believe that we were Auntie & Uncle again to a beautiful nephew. Monkey is named after his father and well looks just like him too. This child is one of the toughest babies I know. He also has been nonstop since birth.

Monkey went on his first vacation at only a couple days old. How special is it that the whole family hit the road just a couple days after he was born headed for Tennessee. DH and I were rooming next to the new parents and boy I will never forget me and hubby giggling because every couple hours my brother and his wife were stumbling trying to get to the screaming baby. It had only been 7 months before that we were doing the same with our Potato.

Monkey was eating puree food at 3 months and walking at 7 months. In comparison Potato ate puree food at 4.5 months and did not crawl til 8 months and refused to walk until 12 months. That just shows you how different each baby is and how much they learn from one another.

To this day Potato and Monkey are inseparable cousins. Sis-in-law and I really spend a lot of time together and feel blessed that they can be best friends. This includes Potato trying to kill Monkey and vice versa....brotherly love right! I can't wait to watch them grow to be great men.

Happy Birthday Monkey!