I'm happy to report that Emmett's first birthday party (Theme: Mod Monkey) was a complete success.� There were very minimal freakouts or snafus, and I think it's safe to say that everyone had a great time.� A huge thanks goes to my parents, Niki and James for helping out and to everyone who attended and sent gifts, cards & Happy Birthday wishes to make his day special.

[caption id="attachment_1147" align="aligncenter" width="539" caption="The Birthday Boy in his Mod Monkey Party Hat"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1150" align="aligncenter" width="549" caption="Balloon Boy"][/caption]

It goes without saying that Emmett made out big time with all his presents.� He received not one -- but two -- ball pits (you jealous?).� However, oddly enough, Emmett's favorite present seemed to be a cupcake-shaped Target gift card from Uncle Shawn, Aunt Sara and cousin Ben.� It must have been that whole give-a-kid-a-present-and-he'd-rather-play-with-the-box mentality.

It took Emmett a little while to master the whole cake-eating concept, but eventually he got the hang of it.� Check out the video (though I'm warning you, it's kind of long)...

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRTbBqAyt80&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

[caption id="attachment_1148" align="aligncenter" width="549" caption="Cake to the Face!"][/caption]

*Fun Fact: Emmett is sitting in the same high chair I sat in on my first birthday.

James took Emmett to his 1 year checkup on Tuesday, and the little man is doing just fine.� He's now 22 lbs. 10.5 oz. (49th percentile) and 32 inches long (96th percentile), and he even got the go-ahead to start substituting whole milk for formula.

I still can't believe it's been a year, but I've enjoyed every single minute of it!

For more photos from Emmett's first birthday party, check out the Birthday set on Flickr.

Age Timer: 1 year, 4 days

Topics: Milestones, video, Firsts, Toys, cake, happy birthday, cupcake, first birthday, birthday party

Well, I had my ultrasound on Monday after my doctor's concern that my belly was measuring slightly smaller than normal, and I'm happy to report that everything is A-okay with Baby Lump.� I guess I must just hide it well, huh?

[caption id="attachment_406" align="alignright" width="352" caption=""Congratulations Pamela!!""][/caption]

So Lump is estimated to currently weigh 5 pounds (though I think it's hilarious that there is apparently a 13 oz. margin of error when determining weight via ultrasound).� (Raising a glass of sparkling cider)� Here's to hoping he/she doesn't have some crazy ridiculous growth spurt in the next several weeks before birth!

What's also cool is the ultrasound technician was able to tell for sure that the baby's head is down, which means Baby Lump is starting to gear up for a (hopefully) smooth landing.� Apparently it's highly unlikely the baby's position will change at this point, so it looks as though I won't have to worry about Baby Lump being in a breech position.� Hurrah!

In other news, I wouldn't be surprised if Baby Lump gained a whole pound of weight from my cake consumption alone today.� My wonderful colleagues at the Office of New Media at BU threw me an awesome little baby party today, where they all wished me "Happy Baby!"� (Because, seriously, what else are you supposed to say at baby parties?)� Check out the cake they got me - definitely not a Cake Wreck, that's for sure!� Special thanks go to my boss, Pam, who made all of the arrangements for the little shindig.� I had a great time!

Check out the latest ultrasound pictures on the Sonograms page!

Oven Timer: 34 weeks, 2 days

Topics: Weekly Updates, Milestones, cake, ultrasound, baby position, baby party, presentation, 34 weeks, sonogram

I was browsing through some of the older posts on Cake Wrecks, initially intrigued by a comment in the previously mentioned August 11th post indicating that baby shower-themed cakes "tend to be the worst offenders," when I found this (be prepared to look away in disgust) ...



I mean, honestly - just what were Olivia's friends thinking?� Yikes.� Sorry - I had to share.� No more, I promise.

Oven Timer: 18 weeks, 6 days

Topics: Internet Fun, cake, Bizarre, little baby lump, pregnany, Cake Wrecks