5.17.2007

Birthday Numero Uno


Happy One Year Birthday, Zainy Zoo! Three hundred and sixty-five days ago, you made your grand entrance onto the world's stage. Back then, you were just a tight ball full of baby fat, milk, and warmth, but not much else. Oh wait. The poop. Can't forget the poop. My God, the poop. I mean, honestly, how can such a tiny baby contain so much poop? Um. Where was I? Oh yeah, your growth and personality development since then have been staggering. You can talk, mostly about daddy (a.k.a. Daiwoo), your nanny (a.k.a. Tia), and doggies and kitties (a.k.a. Aiiiiii! Daiiiii! Kaiiii!). You can recognize the opening music to the Colbert Report and seemingly enjoy the jokes that we laugh at while watching it before bedtime. You love bedtime reading, even though some nights you are more interested in turning the pages yourself than you are hearing how the story ends. Luckily, I already know what happens in Goodnight Gorilla, so I don't mind you skipping pages, flipping the book upside down for a good gnawing, and then jumping to the end.


The playground is once again yours now that summer has arrived. You are equally enamored of sliding and swinging as you are watching other children do the same. Ever the gracious host, you proudly display your toys to all guests and then allow them to share them with you and play nicely. The only caveat to that last statement is if anyone dares to build a structure equal to or more than two blocks high, you are compelled to race over and destroy it, all Gojira-like.

For my very first Mother's Day, you gave me exactly what I asked for: you slept through the entire night. Next time, I'll know to ask for more! Your teeth are coming in quite nicely and I hope that the nightly brushing routine (sung to the "brusha brusha brusha, brush your little teeth" tune) stays with you. Still a gigantic fan of Cheerios, you have finally expanded your culinary repertoire to include falafel, latkes, and toasted rosemary sourdough bread. Although you have your moments of grumpiness, peevishness, and outright fury (especially when you spy your pacifier on the couch and can't reach it), for the most part, you are a happy, funny baby. You know that your father gets a kick out of you blowing raspberries and saturating anyone within a two-foot radius and so, when you remember, you begin your show with gusto just to get him to laugh. Woe is me for being in the path of your slobber. Still too macho to give me a proper smooch, your recent attempts which involve more teeth than lips, are still savored. You like to be scared, you like to be tickled, and you like to hang upside down like the monkey on one of your shirts.


You have changed our lives and made them fuller and richer. You are a joy to your grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends. You are healthy, clever, and have excellent taste in parents. We love you to pieces, even when, and sometimes especially when, you are a beast. Happy Birthday, me wee one! Now get over here and give us all a hug!



16 comments:

Anjum said...

happy birthday to him! and congratulations to you for making it so far! :)

btw, i can't believe he recognizes the beginning of Colbert Report. that is freakin awesome!!

Anonymous said...

happy birthday zainy zoo. you are the best baby beast ever.

love, daddy

HijabMan said...

HAPPY BDAY ZP!

I am honored to have witnessed your first falafel. May you move on to hummus and baba ghanouj,

We'll save the crappy mint tea for after you are 16, k? :)

Omar said...

Happy birthday ZP!

Ol' Baby said...

happy birthday zeeps. you're a little boy now not a baby! *muah* kisses to you and i wish your momma would send you to me
love,
aunty h

Anonymous said...

I know Moms is loadin you up with Louwve so she doesn't have time to call 2Scoops back but maybe, just maybe, you could go beasty on Goodnight Gorilla for 2 minutes while she makes a call. What say you, Zainy Zoo? (Which incidentally would be a great personalized book title for ya).

Feliz cumpleanos hermanito!

Crazed Teacher said...

oi mashallah the lil critter has grown happy boithday babyo

Anonymous said...

Happy bday Z :)

btw baj, sorry about your cutty sark :(

HijabMan said...

aye! http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/6675381.stm

baj said...

anj - aye, he's got good taste in shows. ;)

tp - do you miss the beast?

hj - yes to hummus, blech to baba!

os and ob - meet up in GA, aw yeah!

2s - zp took my phone and won't give it back! i'll try to call when he's asleep (if i'm not also asleep!).

ct - now you know that all the questions about when YOUR little one is coming will be asked of you soon (if not already). :)

bn and hj - GAH! how dare they! those scalliwags ought to be forced to walk the plank!

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday ZP! You are such a cutey mashallah!!!! And congrats Baj and TP on making it through the first year! May the second year and subsequent years bring you all more happiness inshallah.

Chai said...

happy birthday! i saw you when you were wee sized. now look at how big you are!

...seriously, time flies!

Abez said...

MashaAllah!! has it really been a year? And he's only gotten cuter! >>>hugs<<< MashaAllah, MashaAllah, may Allah make him a joy in your life always. :)

Anonymous said...

If the concept of cuteness itself could develop a stutter and bat its eyes, it still wouldn't touch your youngun.

Happy birthday, Z.

Unknown said...

Happy Bday lil Z!

baj said...

bf - insha'Allah and ameen to your du'as and may the same be for your minibabyf and yosemite sam!

ch - thx, yo! zp wants to know if you guys can sneak away from your island and come to GA when we are there. he wants you to pick him up.


abz - alhumdulillah and the same for you and yours! love the pix of wee khalid and look forward to many more.

jp - aw, thx, man! he's got the lashes for the eye-batting, but let's say 'no' to speech impediments. ;)

lamushy! thx! why don't you and yaz come visit in july?! (interro-partay!)