A's First Birthday

A turned 1 on a Tuesday so we decided to have a very low-key party. I kinda feel bad about this because we threw a big party for H's first birthday and we didn't do anything for A. But, that is 2nd kid problems. 

We started the day with a nice relaxing bath. Both kids love their baths so they would play for hours if I let them. 

Then, it was just a regular day until dinner time. 

We have grandparents and great grandma's over for a shrimp and grits dinner. We didn't even try to give A shrimp but she rocked the grits.  I made cupcakes and Steve brought a cake. Mom had made the mistake of giving A an apple core right before we did cake, so she was not interested in anything but the apple.

After she blew out the candles, she just sat there looking at her cupcake. I finally had to smash her hands into it. She looked at her hands and then just went back to the apple core. 

After dinner we immediately opened presents. A still is not walking so Aunt Kristin got her a great stroller that she can push around to practice her walking. 

 The stroller came with a baby that giggles. This was a huge hit with H. He named it "Baby" and has been taking care of it ever since. 

JJ & I don't really believe in going all out for first birthdays so we gave her a small toy from Barnes & Noble that has balls, a hammer & xylophone. I didn't think it was all the great but look at her face... she loved it!

Her Uncle Conor got her some books which is just perfect. A absolutely loves to be read to. If you are sitting on the ground, she will grab the first book that she finds and crawl into your lap and just sit there until you start reading. 

After opening presents, we wanted to give her some time to play and unwind before putting her to bed so she & H decided to play with NiNi's phone. I think this was the hit of the night. I don't know why we even bother getting kids toys when there is an iphone around.

As every mother says, it goes by so fast and I can't believe how much she has changed in 365 days.  These next 2 pictures were taken 365 days apart pretty much to the minute.

That girl has a lot of hair and still teensy eensy.

I have this habit of giving the kids a kiss and wishing them Happy Birthday on the minute they were born on their birthdays. H was born at 10:14 pm so he is always asleep but I haven't missed one birthday yet. A was born at 6:41 pm so we were all able to tell her Happy Birthday on her birth minute. I get such a thrill and a bit teary eyed whenever I do this. It is my way of acknowledging them and the massive impact they have had on my life at the moment that their true life changing nature began. 

In her first year she has started saying "Buh" for bye and "Ba" for ball and bath. She is cruising and hopefully will start walking any day now. She is a sweet little girl who loves to cuddle and loves her dog. She worships the ground that JJ & H walk on and I hope that never changes. She is very good at sharing her love and letting everyone know that she loves them.  

Overall, it was a great birthday for JJ & I; I think A would agree. It was nice to have such an intimate dinner. Every one got to hang out and see A and spend time with her on her first birthday. 

We are excited to see what the next year holds for this sweet face!