One year ago TODAY, Stewie came home to live with me, and my life hasn’t been the same since. Because he was found on the street unbanded, we have no way of knowing how old he is, much less his exact hatch day, but July 15 marks the 1-year anniversary of his being my little Stu-monster* so I’m lighting a single (virtual) candle to mark the occasion.

Happy one-year anniversary, Stewie!

Working with Stewie has been such an incredibly rewarding experience, I wish more people knew how great it feels to earn the trust of a formerly untame bird. It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come in a year. Here’s to hoping for many, many, many, many more years to come.

* technically I didn’t decide on his name for several weeks, but that’s neither here nor there.