ONE YEAR OLD!

So Samantha turned the big 0-1 yesterday. She had a full day. She got up at 6, a little earlier than I would have hoped, but I was glad to get to spend some time with her before I had to head to work. She had a short morning nap. But then after a huge lunch that included an outfit change due to all the water she got on her dress, she took a long afternoon nap. She was still asleep when I got home! When she got up, we let her open presents. She loved them all, but top on her list was the balloon from Nick, a yellow rabbit from the Smoots, and a cool book from Linda. Here she is with her balloon. They are one of her favorite things!


Then I changed Sam into her birthday girl outfit. Check out the fancy tutu. She loved it, even if everyone else thought it was silly. And she can play dress up in the future.

Then we went to Chili's. Sam had not eaten much dinner at home, but she loved snacking off our plates. I had picked Chili's because they had answered my email about singing for birthdays. We had a wonderful waiter who was a great sport and Sam loved the singing.

Here she is after her first bite of ice cream. She was not so sure about it, but kept coming back for more. Not sure if it was just too cold.

Then home for the cake I had made. It was a baby's first cake, mainly carrots and apples. It was a lot of work, but it tasted like bread. But she enjoyed the candles and singing again and had a ball smashing it up.

And she even ate some for breakfast this morning.

Today was also full with a trip to the pediatrician. She was 29 7/8 inches, 75%. Her head was 17 7/8 (50th). And although her weight dropped to 12.5% at 18 pounds, 10 ounces, she did gain 1/4 ounce per day, so she got a big thumbs up. Unfortunately, she had to have 4 shots and have her blood drawn. I have never heard her scream so loudly. It was so sad.

General info...

Likes: Balloons, our dogs, books, constant movement, crunchies/puffs/most carbs, stroller walks, attention

She has been walking since Thanksgiving and is always on the move now. She also can say about 15 words, ranging from the standard mama/dada/nana/papa to more specific ones, wolf/dog(although she says gog)/puff.

It has been such a wonderful year. Our sweet girl is such a blessing. Happy Birthday, Samantha. We love you!