After three days of celebrations, I think we can finally stop setting fire to bakery products...

I'm in my forties, Toby's a yearling, and we're all going to heaven. You can't ask for much more from a long weekend.

Toby spent his first birthday dressed as a bee and watching SpongeBob SquarePants...

But only until Amelie spotted him with the iPad. After that, it was back to the building blocks. He's actually wearing two of his presents there. The bee outfit came courtesy of my brother and sister-in-law, while the running shoes came from Big Sis. They're a pair of Skidders, a curiously titled brand of footwear which is designed to do the exact opposite of what the name suggests. They look a bit like clown shoes there, but they're actually very nice.

In addition to clothes, toys, and the rockiest bear since Hofmeister, Toby received an array of cards, including this fine example from his parents...

It might look impressive there, but in reality it's the size of a postage stamp. Which makes sending it difficult. Lisa reverted back to the smallest option at FunkyPigeon.com, on the grounds that Toby barely knows what day of the week it is, and lives his life in a constant state of bewilderment, so the chances of him remembering our penny-pinching in later life, and holding it against us, are reassuringly slim. Which also explains our lack of presents.

But the good news is that whilst his parents made the minimum effort, his sister went the extra mile. When I picked up Amelie from nursery yesterday, one of the staff members came over to me and asked if it was Toby's birthday. I confirmed that it was, and she told me that Amelie had announced that fact to her classmates, and then insisted on making him a card. She then handed me this...

That's Toby crawling in his bee outfit, surrounded by hearts, kisses and flowers, while Amelie cheers him on. And inside, she's written this...

She might be a nightmare for about twelve hours a day, but she loves her baby brother. I'm going to bring out that card in a few years time when Toby says he hates her.