Abby's First Birthday

Abby woke up on her birthday morning (Feb. 20) to a very sunny morning. So sunny, in fact, all my pictures appear very washed out despite lots of tinkering and curtain-shutting. So it goes sometimes!

There wasn't much hoopla surrounding her birthday this year, though I did try to get some good pictures out of her after breakfast.

Samantha tried to help her get in the festive spirit by giving her some party blower thingies. I'm sure she was gentle and patient during the lesson. Three year olds are always gentle and patient, right?
She got the hang of it after a while, and actually really thought it was fun.
After lunch, I brought out some seriously deformed cupcakes that were hidden under a layer of purple icing. It's a good thing this was only her first birthday and will have zero memories of the lame cake.
They all shrunk up and imploded - please don't look too closely or I'll be embarrassed. We had a "1" candle leftover from Emma...and Samantha. I literally bought nothing to pull off this birthday shinding.
Doesn't she look so casual in the background there? As if she's wondering why all these people keep clapping for her?
She was very noncommittal about that purple cupcake at first. She grew to love it. It's a good thing, too, because she's my daughter. She must like cake. It's written in the gene code.
Later that afternoon, a birthday miracle was granted to Abby. [If I gave you a little background info, would you promise not to judge me? Really? Ok. I didn't buy any birthday presents for Abby. Not even one little one. Between our extremely generous families and leftover sibling toys, there didn't seem to be a big need...]

So, back to the birthday miracle. The post office - which hadn't been running for 8 days and wasn't supposed to be delivering mail on her birthday - brought two packages, right as she was waking up from her nap. Josh's parents and sister had both prepared gifts for our February birthdays, and despite postal delays, made it to our home EXACTLY on Abby's birthday.

She got to open some presents, after all.
This picture was not posed. She was truly excited about her new toy.
She picked it up right away and started building.
Aunt Kristen sent fun Valentine's day items, snacks and a new baby doll. It was fun times.
I say this about all my kids, every year...but it's so true - I can't believe she's a year older. I can't believe that a year ago I was walking down the street to the hospital in Thailand to deliver her. It borders on incomprehensible.

And a year later, Abby has cemented her presence in our family.

• She loves being chased through the house by Emma.
• She loves eating cheese. As in, seriously, dangerously loves it.
• She thinks crayons ought to be offered as a meal option.
• She'll sit quietly on our laps and listen to age-appropriate books for a very long time.
• She loves grabbing Daddy's nose and saying, "naaaaaaas".
• Her comprehension amazes me. I'll say, "Abby, let's go change diaper" and she rushes off to stand by the changing table. I'll say, "Abby, bring mama some books" and she dutifully brings back one in each hand. I'll say, "Abby, don't touch" and she looks slyly at me...and touches anyway. =)
• She loves that mower.
• She still sucks those two fingers.
• Her favorite activity - besides being held - is going to the kitchen and pulling out all the baby spoons and sippy cups out of the drawer.
• She can sign "more", "please", "all done", and "thank you".
• She can verbally say "mama", "dada", "all done", "bye bye", and "thank you (in asianese)". There's a few others that she doesn't officially get credit for because I'm the only one who can understand it.
• She refuses to eat meat of any sort, in any form, at any time.
• She has a contagious laugh and a precious smile.
• She runs across the house, arms outstretched, to give me hugs.
• Puckers her lips like a fish to give kisses.
• She sometimes stands by the window and just watches the traffic go by.

I'm sometimes torn between wanting her to grow up a little faster (for my own selfish gain, of course) and trying to freeze all these one-year-old things about her - the belly laugh, the chubby legs, that cute little pincer grasp, the willingness to hug and be hugged.

Trying to savor the moment is, of course, difficult when all you want to do is just go the bathroom, but I'm convinced there will be a day when the quietness of my home is unsettling. So Abby, for these days, we welcome your laughs and your loudness, we rejoice at your love of life, even when it includes all things dangerous. We hold on to your tiny hands and praise God at His care in your creation.

Happy birthday, sweet Abby. We love you!