Well this year’s birthday party was a great success! (Okay, number of hands of those who just said, “Great Success!” a la Sacha Baron Cohen to yourself.  Yeah, I thought so.)  Anyway, so this year we opted to save ourselves and loved ones from being subjected to one of those toddlerific, migraine-inducing, palaces of fun, and have a shin-dig at our house.  We banked on good weather, and the gods of smiled on us that day, because the weather was beautiful.

All our favorite peeps came for the festivities, from 11am to 11pm, Whoot! Whoot!  (Really folks 11pm?  He’s two!)  We borrowed Great Grammy’s bouncy house, played on the swing set, ate pizza, hummus and Mexican dip. We had all the ingredients for a rip roarin’ good time.

The overwhelming theme of the birthday festivities was Winnie-the-Pooh, so Mommy went a little overboard and bought every Winnie-the-Pooh decoration on the market, and decided to make a beehive cake from scratch (which turned out to be delicious btw).  So of course when it came time to sing happy birthday to the little fella, we were all excited as we know how much Mr. Alex love himself some Happy Birthday! ©.

If one could pictorially represent the emotion of pure fear, I think it would look like a photo of this poor child sitting in front of flames whilst his loved ones yelled at him in unison.  What a joyous tradition.  At least the consolation prize of cake and ice cream, would lead us to a  sugar-high-induced marathon.

After running his uncle around, and around, and around the house we attempted to interest the child in opening his presents.  The valiant attempt by Mom and Dad, to round out the birthday festivities with a present free-for-all, was no match for the inevitable crash.  Falling asleep in Daddy’s arms before the last guests bid their final farewells, was evidence enough that we don’t need to go anywhere to have a good time!

P.S.  Thank you notes are coming.  We promise!

And so, without further ado…let’s begin.

Neither Stephanie nor I were alive for a time so depressing and fully unhopeful; with Americans everywhere lacking a sense of trust in their Government, lacking a sense of patriotism, and lacking any real connection to each other. Obama represents, if nothing else, the promise that things can get better and we can again return to the glorious place we once held on the world stage.

Plus, he’s our brand new funky president.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often, the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the fainthearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor — who have carried us up the long, rugged path toward prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again, these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: Know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West: Know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

“Let it be told to the future world … that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive… that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it].”

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back, nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Alex was having a blast. Swinging, climbing, see-sawing, sliding. It was a great morning. We were getting ready to leave, but got pulled back in by the ginormous big boy slide. The prospects of going down that were simply too hard to resist. Since Daddy doesn’t slide right, Mommy took him up the stairs, sat down, and started a-movin’. All of a sudden, shreeks of pain and agony.

Alex has a bit of a habit of trying to stop himself from going down the slide by employing the “stick my legs out and into the side of the slide” technique. Unlucky for him, Mommy had the power of gravity, inertia, and momentum on her side and they kept sliding. He cried for a while and we assumed he hurt his leg a little so we headed home.

Once home, Alex couldn’t walk. He would try and try, but he just kept falling down. Not good. Since it was naptime, we gave him some ibuprofen, put him to bed, then called the doctor. They said take him to the hospital, so off we went on a now-beautiful Sunday afternoon. Really turned out to be not such a bad experience. We were seen in under two hours. The doctor was insanely thorough. Of course, by this point, Alex was trying to run around (albeit in a limping fashion); but generally didn’t appear to be in any pain.

The doctor said we should wait and see, thinking it was a sprain, and pass up the opportunity for an x-ray at this stage. So we hobbled home, $50 lighter in the wallet, and with a kid who still walked like the cryptkeeper. We have a follow up at an orthopedist on Tuesday, so we’ll keep you all updated.

Update: Alex had his appointment with the orthopedist last night. He’s been walking fine since Monday morning, so we were hoping it to just be a mere formality. He surmised that Alex cracked a growth plate in his leg, which, while sounding like it should be the worst thing that can happen to any human being, is actually quite normal and relatively benign.

Symptoms include:

• A brief burst of pain followed by seemingly no pain at all.
• Inability to bear any weight on the limb followed by running around like a crazy person.

Check. And check.

He has also taken to copying us pretty severely, so we have to start watching what we say and do. In this video, you’ll see him start to bang on the floor when Stef starts reading Barnyard Dance. She had no idea what he was doing until she realized that’s how daddy’s been doing the “stomp your feet” part since we’re usually sitting on the ground. Scary stuff.

I had always heard people say that almost immediately after your child is born, you feel this unmistakable urge to love and protect them. When Alex was born, he had a hard time keeping his body temperature up. We spent that first night in the natal care unit while they ran tests and drew blood from his tiny veins and it was the most difficult, painful few hours I can remember in my life. Those feelings have only grown over the past year to the point that it is nearly impossible to even remember what life would be like without him.

Everything he does makes us so proud and we feel like shouting his praises from the rooftop at least 90% of the time. It’s funny, we even find ourselves defending him against even the most casual comment about something that makes him seem less than iconic. It’s a bizarre relationship that exists between parents and children and it can only be given justice through the experience of being a part of it.

What is so cool about this whole state of our life is that Alex has developed into a person who makes us laugh, and who has learned the things we have tried to teach him, and who seems to genuinely love us back. Every day when daddy gets home from work, he runs over to the door with his arms up waiting for me to pick him over and smother him with hugs and kisses. And when he’s feeling sad or sick, he wants to just snuggle in mommy’s arms and just lay there, contented to just be close to her. To feel that kind of love – and to know that you are the pinnacle of humanity to another person – is probably the greatest feeling we will ever have.

When you think of all the things in life that typically brought you joy, they really don’t compare to the things that you get to experience now on a regular basis. Like when Alex roars when Max gets to the place where the wild things are. Or when he belly laughs when we pretend he’s kicking us to the gound while he swings. Or when he runs around the house with his blanket crammed in his mouth hoping that you won’t will catch him and tickle his clavicles to the point that he seems like he’s going to explode.

The first year of parenthood has been more than we could have ever asked for, even though it’s been riddled with colds and sleepless nights and horrifically stinky diapers. I think it has given us the perspective to understand why our parents have been by our sides even when we messed up or disappointed them. You never want to believe that your child is anything less than the ideal you hold them to in your hearts, and thankfully, ours never is.

It was a beautiful setting and we were able to find some great red delicious and blushing gold apples. We immediately turned them into one of the best apples pies we’ve ever had via this recipe (Note: Cut back both sugars to 3/4-cup).