Anton Birthday

My sweet bunny Anton turned one this past weekend. I can't believe how quickly his first year flew by. (The first year with our first baby felt endless and insurmountable, whereas, thankfully, we knew more or less what we were doing the second time around.) For his birthday, my dad came to visit, and we did Anton's favorite activities: eating strawberries and watermelon, taking a million baths, swimming in our friend's pool, splashing in the sprinklers at the playground and eating just a little bit of sand while I wasn't watching:)

The day he was born, I looked at his masculine face and deep eyes and half-joked to Alex, "He is a bruiser with a heart of gold." And, funnily enough, that has been 100% true as he has grown. He climbs up slides, he puts his face underwater in the bath, he literally shakes off bumps and falls but he is also shy and gentle and the most devoted friend. He's a lover not a fighter. When he's playing at home, he'll periodically take a break to walk over and lay his head on my knee for a few seconds, like a little puppy, before returning to his toys. And he's always walking over and offering his face up to his babysitter for kisses. I just adore him and feel so lucky to be his mama. I'm so excited to see what this next year brings.

Also, this photo made me laugh out loud. What a second child's birthday! Since Anton doesn't know how to blow, Toby pushed forward and blew out the candle, while Anton waited patiently in his little paper crown. Oh, Anton, little doll, you get first dibs next year!