life with the lindner's: One Year - Some Sap and a Party

My little baby boy is a year. Our sweet little baby who brings so much joy and so many smiles has been with us for over a year now!

Can I just say, no one tells you!! No one tells you what its like to have a kid, and even if they did, I wouldn't have ~~understood~~ listened. No one tells you that your life changes drastically from the time that labor starts to the arrival of a beautiful baby.

When I was nearing the end of my pregnancy with Levi, I remember one of my friends saying something like "We need to chat and get it all out because you're going to have a baby soon and won't have any time!" My response? "What do you mean? I'll have more time once the baby comes. I'll be at home not working anymore!"

But its not just about the time - or the lack of. And honestly, Levi is a fairly "easy" baby. I can't complain about not having time because with just him, I have time. It's the rest.

It's the way everything in life suddenly becomes different. It's the love that is so strong you don't know if your heart is going to literally break inside of you. Or, the feelings so intense that you think they may become a tangible object that can sit on a shelf. It's the fear, demanding your faith in God grow to a new capacity, knowing that He loves best if or when that time comes. It's that you can't even go somewhere alone (hello new found freedom in the grocery store) without thinking of him or wondering what he's doing.

But, its incredible. It's one of my greatest joys in life.

Levi has taught me so much. From the smiles that he gives absolute strangers to the snuggles he gives after a long day, he reminds me how much joy there is to be found in life. When circumstances are so confusing or answers seem so far away, he shows me a picture of childlike faith.

And he is our little one year old. He is full of smiles. He loves splashing in the bathtub. He eats like a teenager (ok, probably a stretch but I literally do not know where he puts all of his food). He dances to music. He snuggles his stuffed animals. He plays with any size ball for endless amounts of fun. He giggles when he finds your belly button.

Just before he turned 13 months, he took a few steps on his own, and has recently started climbing. The stairs he mastered long ago but now its boxes or ledges or anything that can make him higher. He makes me laugh on a regular basis and we generally truly enjoy our days. I often tell people we are having a lot of fun with Levi right now - this season with him is good!

On a side note, we celebrated his first birthday with a Mustache Bash. It was fun for us to plan his party and celebrate him. Both sets of grandparents were able to come and a few friends came over. What a loved little boy we have!