a rite of passage

This weekend Luke and I made an appearance at the party of the year: (my nephew) Matthew's first birthday! Matthew sure knows how to throw a shindig, and his was complete with plenty of baseball stadium fare and friends, young and old. He also performed his first-year duty, diligently attacking his baby-sized cake and slathering himself in icing. Good times were had by all!

It's amazing how much growing an infant does in a year. Last January he was a tiny little guy who didn't even know he had a neck, and this January he is walking, slamming down birthday cake and sporting his new "little boy" haircut.

And to celebrate his passage from "baby" to "boy" we gave Matthew a little boy standard: the hooded sweatshirt. I found a great deal on some gray fleece and some patches at a local fabric warehouse and used a McCalls pattern for his shirt. I always feel like I'm cheating when I sew with fleece because it finishes so nicely! There is no need to finish the seams or hide the edges of the fabric. And the topstitching always looks clean and crisp when using fleece.

And here is the birthday boy with "Mammaw", sporting his just-turned-1-and-got-a-new-haircut-and-new-hoodie look. Happy Birthday, Matthew!