Oliver and Emily Jozwiak: First Birthday Fun!!!

Wow, what a fun day we have had celebrating Oliver's special first birthday. Oliver decided he was going to wake up at 4:30am - I like to think because he was recalling what was going on a year ago today at that sort of time but he was, in fact, wanting milk!! Luckily he went back to sleep so we all got some more needed shut-eye.

The day began properly at 7am. Jon and I went to get Oliver up and sang happy birthday to him. We had put all his presents in the playroom last night so he saw them all there when we went downstairs. Then he got very excited because we got him a first birthday balloon and tied it to his highchair! Balloons are pretty much his favourite thing at the moment. Nanna Pan was on the webcam with us at the end of breakfast to wish Oliver a happy birthday from England.

After the usual Scoop walk we opened some presents with Oliver. He wasn't so interested in actually opening them but once they were opened that was different!! I think he was quite overwhelmed by all the new things he had but loved each and every one of them.

We got about halfway through the present opening when it was nearing nap time and we decided to set out on our day trip so Oliver could sleep in the car. For the first time he got to sit in his car seat facing forward and he seemed to really like that!! He duly fell asleep and was still out for the count when we reached Como Zoo. Ah well, we had to wake him up and then he had his first taste of cow's milk (mixed with formula).

The zoo was great fun. It is a free zoo athough they do ask for a donation ($2 for adults and $1 for kids). It's a real bargain for what you get there. It's not just a zoo - there's a conservatory, lots of rides and a big park. Oliver loved looking at the animals and was particularly excited by the zebras and giraffes!! We also watched Sparky the Sealion do his show which was a lot of fun but VERY hot! All in all we managed almost 2 hours at the zoo before all of us were a little too hot and decided to get some aircon in the car and find somewhere to eat. We ended up going for pizza then coming back home to continue the present opening. After that, Oliver had his first taste of cake (see video below!). He seemed to really enjoy that which is good because he'll have a proper birthday cake on Saturday!!

By 6pm Oliver was a very tired young man and was ready for bath and bed. He had his milk in his room as usual but this time he had his new furniture to look at from mummy and daddy. He particularly likes the lamp we bought which has cars and lorries on the shade.

All in all, Oliver has had a fantastic day and was very lucky to get all the lovely gifts. We don't know where the past year has gone but it's amazing to see how Oliver has changed and grown up. Here's to lots more exciting birthdays!! Mummy and Daddy are about ready to crash! And here are lots of photos and vids for you all :)