Elliott Turns 1!

Yikes!  How is it October already?  I barely got a chance to post in September, and I'm still trying to figure out what happened to August.  We have been so completely caught up in living in the moment - for good reasons (enjoying every minute we get with our awesome kid), and not so good reasons (super stressful time at work), that I haven't had a chance to document to the special moments in our lives.

The most special and exciting moment in September was Elliott's first birthday!  I can't believe we have been riding the crazy roller coaster of parenthood through all 4 seasons (ok, who am I kidding, we don't really have seasons in SB).   The other morning at breakfast Steve commented on how crazy it is that we have  another person in our family.  Elliott has definitely made the transition from helpless baby to an independent and unique kid full of personality.  We are more in love with his sweet gentle nature, and quirky silly sense of humor every day.  He's not walking yet, although he can get anywhere he wants to quickly, and his vocabulary has expanded to "Daddy", "hi", "dog", and "woof".  Yes, my kid can bark, on command, but still seems to have trouble saying "Mommy" consistently.

The 1 year milestone was huge for all of us - Elliott has grown so much in size, mobility, awareness, and interaction with the world around him, while Steve and I have survived a challenging year full of lack of sleep, many doctors visits, and figuring out how to balance the many demands of life as working parents.  So, on September 11, we decided to celebrate by taking the day off from work, and taking Elliott to the Santa Barbara Zoo.

First on the agenda was a picnic lunch.  Our zoo has absolutely beautiful grounds, and we could have relaxed there all day.

Elliott is still a bit small to get really excited about the animals, although he was amazed by the huge yet graceful giraffes, and thoroughly enjoyed feeding them lettuce.  I tried explaining that Mommy once lived in a place that these amazing creatures roamed free, but he isn't too excited about my "one time in Africa" stories yet.

Here's my little monkey in his family tree...

It was about nap time when we left the zoo, so we decided to walk toward downtown along the beach while Elliott slept in the stroller.  

He woke up just in time for a good romp and play session while we enjoyed a glass of wine at a tasting room on the Urban Wine Trail.

And of course when we get anywhere near downtown, we have to stop at Daddy's favorite coffee shop, the French Press, for a cappuccino and a snack.  Elliott chowed down blueberries (his favorite food), while we kicked back and enjoyed our cup caffeinated goodness.

The absolute highlight of the day for Elliott was our ride on the waterfront electric shuttle to get back to the car.  To date his only rides in moving vehicles have been strapped in a carseat facing backwards, so being able to stand up, and look out the window made his day.   He made tons of friends on the bus, and I even caught him waving at a couple in a car stopped next to us.  They yelled out the window to say that he is a cute kid, which I wholeheartedly agree with.

What a difference a year makes.  Happy Birthday, my special little man!