I don't know why the start of Fall always makes me reflect on the passage of time. Maybe it's the starting school, the new year, the leaves changing and the weather getting (hopefully) cooler. Or maybe it's the month of birthdays in August and September in our house that make me stop for a second and reflect on just how fast time goes.
When we lived in Baltimore, Camie was turning one, and my mother and father came out to help us celebrate and commemerate her first birthday. I remember talking to some older ladies in my ward who were grandmothers. I told them that my mother was coming that week and how excited I was. "What's the occassion?" they asked. "My daughter's first birthday," I said. "Oh how nice..." they paused. "How many grandchildren does she have?" "This is her first and only so far," I replied. "Oh..." they mused. "That will probably stop the more grandchildren she has. It just gets harder!" I'm happy to say to those ladies, that with each grandchild my mother has had (and she has four and soon to be five) she has been there for all of their first birthdays.
I am so glad that my mother comes out and sees them at this special time. It means so much to me that my parents sacrifice to come out and be with us when these sweet babies turn one. Sadly my dad couldn't make it this year, and we really missed him. But we were so happy to have my mom join us for Emma's celebration. Her actual birthday was Wednesday, August 24, but we celebrated on that Saturday, the 27th. I decided to make panda cupcakes and decorate in that theme. Here are some pictures of the day:
Maddie loaned us her stuffed panda bears to decorate the table.
A picture of the birthday girl the day of her party. My mom got her the dress and shoes. She has been pulling up a lot and our ottoman is just the right height for her to practice standing.
My mother got her this birthday headband to wear. We got it at a children's boutique in Southlake. She wanted it to be a surprise, and when she brought out the gift bag to the car, she said "You are going to DIE." And I did. I couldn't believe how cute it was! It is the year of Kate Middleton and the "fascinator", you know.
She kept it on most of the party. This is her first bite of sugary goodness. I'm not sure she really liked it.
She was a little leary of the candle, I think. When it was lit, she was not happy. I tried to take some more pictures of her with the lit cupcake, but it was not happening.
This, people, is why you don't have a humongous party and invite lots of people to a first birthday. The pressure is unbearable!
Opening her presents.
Emma at this age is so cute. She waves hello and goodbye. She says Mama and Dada, but only usually says Mama when she's upset or wants me. Jeff taught her how to say "Tah dah!" when she was 10 months and it's so cute. She has been army-crawling for a few months, but around her first birthday has started to real-crawl a little, although she doesn't do it full-time. Around her first birthday, she really started pulling up on things and cruising a little bit. She switched over to real milk the week of her birthday and has loved it.
I don't remember my other girls understanding language so much at this age. She loves to read books with real pictures in them, and when we ask her what she likes to eat on the food page, she'll usually point to the banana or yogurt. From age 9 months or so, if she had something in her hand or if she'd put something in her mouth, we would say, "Emma, what do you have in your mouth?" and she would immediately take it out and give it to us. She'll get my shoes and I'll say, "Emma, do you want to try on those shoes?" she'll grab her foot with her other hand and try to put it in my shoe. She loves to point at things and "talk." It is usually the baby gibberish but mostly consists of the word "da-da." Jeff calls her R2D2 because she makes sounds that sound like him. She'll grab a hairbrush and brush her hair with it, or grab one of her sister's necklaces and try to put in on. She loves being with her sisters, although she can be feisty and get mad if they scold her or don't want her to do something. She'll scream at them and crawl toward them. It's hilarious. She's the third! She has to have her voice and opinion heard!
Happy 1st birthday Emma. No more for you for a while!
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