Baby’s 1st birthday…

Was yesterday. Due to my MIL’s surgery we celebrated it this past Saturday. Other than baking a cake and buying a few treats for the kids, I had nothing planned. On that account, I was pleasantly surprised when we walked in to the in-laws’ house and saw that it was decked out with balloons and a piñata.

Apparently M&M’s grandpa went out and bought the entire stock of Tinker Bell party supplies! I thought it was very sweet of him to do that. It was purely serendipitous that I’d bought fairy outfits for Maya and her cousin as party favors just the day before.

Baby didn’t care much about opening gifts and at first was very ladylike when it came to eating her cake, just poking her finger in it to have a taste. Her big sister and cousin helped her blow out her candle. She seemed to be a little scared of the flame, so we got it over with quickly. Once she realized the cake was good, she destroyed it!

Baby’s actual birthday was bittersweet because we spent a good part of it in the hospital lobby. My MIL was in so much pain, in and out of consciousness due to a strong narcotic (think 8x stronger than morphine), yet still managed to tell me how bad she felt that she couldn’t see her granddaughter on her birthday.

On a happier note, I received perhaps some of the best news I’ve gotten this year – I won a family trip for four to a Beaches resort from Mom Central. It’s for travel during the WonderFall Celebration, between September and November of this year. Not sure about all the details just yet.

Definitely a birthday to remember!

I still can’t get my head around the fact that my baby girl is ONE, though. Looking back at photos from last summer, I can’t believe how much she’s grown and how fast the weeks have flown by.

So what is baby up to now?

In no particular order, she:

• Says dada, mama (sometimes), and calls her sister “Maaaaah”.
• Can sign “all done” which, honestly, is enough for me. I’ve been so lazy with signing this time around!
• Eats like a champion – the hardest part is knowing when to stop feeding her. That’s where the “all done” sign comes in to play. If her bowl is empty, she looks at it and signs “all done”. If she follows that by her shaking her head, then I know she wants more.
• Obsessively closes cabinets, particularly the one that holds the garbage bin in the kitchen.
• Has 6 teeth. Likes biting the edges of tables for some reason. The crib rail is probably next.

• Still prefers crawling to get where she wants fast, but she’ll walk around holding on to furniture. We’ve even caught her standing without holding onto anything for a bit here and there.

• Loves pretending to talk on the phone, which is odd because I avoid the telephone as much as possible.

• Watches my lips, if I’m close to her face, and repeats the words I say as best she can. She said “baby” yesterday!
• Loves putting objects into containers and shaking them.
• Worships her big sister. Seeing them interact is amazing – I can imagine the fun we’ll have in the coming years.

• Waves “bye-bye”, though usually after the recipient of the wave is long-gone.
• Not too keen on drinking from a sippy cup. She’s mastered the use of a straw, though, as long as I’m the one holding the cup.
• Loves to cuddle! I savor every moment she spends in my arms 🙂
• Still takes 2 naps. She tells us she’s awake my throwing her paci on the floor as hard as she can.
• Adores that paci! When she puts it in her mouth before falling asleep, she actually utters an “Mmmmmmm!” sound, like it’s the yummiest thing in the world. I’m not a fan of pacifiers, so I have her drop it in her crib before we leave her room. She gladly obeys, and even waves bye-bye to it.
• Dances to ANY music – whether it be an actual song, my singing, or her big sister banging on the drums.
• Claps to music, Oprah, and whenever I say the word “Bravo!”
• Fills our days with laughter and joy! Our family is complete.