Party Time

Last month, we made a trip to Minnesota for The Little's first birthday.  Our trip was originally supposed to last seven days, but we ended up missing our flight out of DC and embarking on a straight 22-hour drive at 11 at night.  In the end, we only got to stay about 5 days, but it was well worth it.

We saw Grandma and Grandpa and went to the park, had a girls' day at IKEA, did Star-Trek night and a lot of video games with our friends (of the Katamari and Kinect varieties), and Little spent the rest of the time with Grandaddy.

We had originally planned to have a picnic party at Battle Creek Regional Park, but we got rained out and partied at David's sisters' house instead.  Lucky Little had a lot of friends at her party, half of them my family, the other half were our friends and David's family.  I had planned the party perfectly in between her daily naps, but since it was her party, she decided not to nap and was drowsy the whole time.  Thankfully there were no tears or fits, just a little sleepy face all day.  I couldn't get her to smile once for cake or presents.
Our menu for the day was a potluck picnic lunch, pink lemonade and Strawberry Mousse cake.  We had a special little carrot cake just for Little to tear apart, but the frosting was a hard buttercream and she's a dainty eater as it is, so the mess was minimal.

Sharing her birthday with Olga and her cousin

Birthday dress: Laura Ashley, c/o  Auntie Debbie

Debbie brings the party, as usual

Top the trip off with a day at the park and a day at the petting zoo, and I think it may possibly be the best possible first birthday ever.
The trip home alone involved a drive-in movie, a crummy motel room with a wet bed, getting lost in West Virginia for two hours and being stopped by police (just once, thank God).  Probably our most adventurous drive to date.

Back home enjoying her loot

12 Months

   Wow, twelve months old already!  I'm amazed by how much can happen to a little person in just one year.  She's gone from a tiny person who didn't know how to eat or sleep by herself, to a little toddler with the biggest personality and her own opinions about what she should be eating, and when she should be sleeping.  I can't boast that I made her myself anymore, because she's so much greater and bigger than anything I could have ever accomplished.  I'm so proud to have such a big-hearted, fearless girl who loves so freely and openly.
   She has become so independent.  She crawls so fast, cruises laps around the furniture, races her wagon back and forth across the house.  She refuses to be hand fed, and has very decided opinions about which foods she will and will not eat, and "mush" is definitely out of the question.  She loves Sunday school and play-dates.  If I left her in a room full of children, she would stay happy indefinitely, and forget she ever had parents.
  She tries so hard to be grown-up.  Everyday I catch her trying to imitate me doing things, like trying to drink from a water-bottle, read a book, write with a pen, talk on the phone, push carts at the store or open and close containers.  She imitates the way David and I talk, too.  When we leave her in her high-chair for a while she starts to babble, and sometimes she sounds just like me and David when we pick on each other.
  I'm so grateful that she loves music so much.  She dances and claps whenever she hears music, or even when I sing or whistle to her.  She loves to bang on everything and gets so excited when she can make two different sounds at the same time.  Her favorite toy is is her new xylophone, she'll go straight to it and dig it out of a huge pile of toys every time she sees it.  She holds her mallet so artfully, like a tiny maestro.
  I'm pretty intimidated by the thought of raising a toddler.  Raising a baby was easy.  All I had to do was feed her, change her, love her and play with her.  Now she'll require activities, meals, and patience (I am the polar opposite of structure and graciousness).  
Here's to one year conquered, may the next be just as delightful!

Cool Stuff she can do:
Give kisses
Dance
Clap to music
Walk (10 steps is her record!)
Climb stairs
Bend over and pick stuff up

Actively play Peekaboo
Play hide-and-seek with a phone

Throw stuff overhand (usually food)
Pull her wagon backwords

Stuff she likes:
Playing chase or peekaboo with her buddy
Her toy xylophone
Digging in my purse
"swimming"
Buckets
Drawing
Animals
Bread, cheerios, pasta, as long as it's not a vegetable and it's been baked
Nibbling

Tooth Count:
Four, plus two more upper teeth on the way

Words she can sign:
More, milk, food, up, please

Words she can say:
Hi

A Minnesota Birthday

I was so blessed to be able to go home to celebrate my birthday.  It was a short trip but I still was able to see all of my family and a few friends.  I stayed with my sister and her crazy boys and they held a party for me on Saturday.  I went out for a giggling girls' day with my mom and sister.  Grandmama and Grand-Daddy babysat a lot.  We also got to spend a lot of time with David's sister and brother-in-law playing the Kinex and dancing like fools.  It was over too soon, but I missed David, so I was glad to come home.

This is my cake.  I want it all.

Pooping for Grandpa.

 

 

 

Happy Birthday to Me.

My Birthday:
Day before: watch Outsourced (the movie) and eat Afghan take-out with dear husband. do whatever I want.
Day of:
6:30- wake-up and talk to my Dad. 
7:00- go back to sleep
9:30- wake up again. eat fruit-loops. do boring stuff. 
12:00 play with baby.  play with husband. eat ice cream.  do whatever I want.
2:00 feel sick.  take long nap.
5:00 wake up again feeling better.  eat ice cream. play with baby.
6:00 do boring stuff.
6:30 get coffee. walk to the river.  have a picnic. watch sunset.
7:30 eat ice cream.  greet husband. go home.
8:00 blog

It was a mostly awesome birthday.