A "1st Birthday" party!

Ryan turned one on February 5, 2009, and we celebrated the occasion last Saturday. We had quite a houseful, with both sets of grandparents and the families of the two boys with whom Ryan has spent the most time during his first year. Two surprise guests were Paul’s Uncle Larry from Kansas and my brother Mark from Atlanta (I was blown away when Mark literally just showed up on the doorstep at party time!). It is hard to describe how amazing it feels to see your child surrounded by family and friends who love, care, and pray for him.

Steven Edward Breedlove and Hannah and Bryce Gleason
(with mom Karin)



Uncle Mark, Granddad Belknap, Nana Kay, and Grammy Krueger

After careful examination, Ryan happily ate his cupcake. The only tears came when Paul attempted to put the party hat on. Ryan HATED it from the moment he laid eyes on it!

Despite recovering from a cold, Ryan seemed to have a great time! The children played together well and especially enjoyed breaking in all of Ryan’s new toys. At the end, Paul and I couldn’t believe how smoothly the party went and how exhausted we were.

Ryan had his one year old physical on Wednesday afternoon. He weighs 20 pounds (compared to 7 lbs., 6 oz. at birth) and is 28.75 inches tall (compared to 20.5 inches at birth). I’m afraid he may have inherited my size, as he is only 10th percentile for both weight and height! However, he is healthy and mastering new skills every day. He walks about 50% of the time now and feels confident enough to walk while carrying toys or his sippy cup. He is communicating more clearly with words, hand gestures, or ever louder cries of protest. Stacking, pulling apart blocks, and putting toys into containers are his favorite activities right now. We are all having a blast!

Mastering the stacking rings with Great Uncle Larry