I thought I’d share this collage I made for the grandmas (framed) and great-grandmas (5×7 matted) for Christmas this year. David and I aren’t big on hanging family pictures (thus there are none around, mostly due to lack of space), but I might try and make room for this one. It is sort-of an updated version of this Mother’s Day photo card I put together when Chloe was 6-months old. It might have been easier to choose just one image per month, but I obviously got carried away.
As you can see from the photos, Chloe’s first birthday party was quite an occasion! The partygoers included Chloe’s friends Lorenzo and Ava. Besides the toys, the toddlers enjoyed a baby snack bar of peach and strawberry yogurt melts (to match the orange and pink theme, naturellement!), apple puffs, and animal crackers, and for the adults we had a gourmet cheese plate including my new favorite bucheron. We also hung crepe paper streamers in a doorway which I thought would only survive a few minutes, but instead actually stayed intact the entire time. Maybe the rip-and-destroy technique is more for the two-to-three year-olds? It was a lot of fun watching them plow through and laugh, and having the paper fluttering out behind.
Chloe’s cupcakes were tahitian vanilla bean with cream cheese frosting and meringue toppers. I even tried spelling out her name with some success. Despite my fears, she didn’t get sick from eating/playing with her cupcake, although it probably helped that most of it fell to the floor after a short time. And, thanks to the ‘net, we also took advantage of this free birthday hat download (see top photo) and a tutorial on how to make-your-own scratch-its so we could give out party prizes/favors (who thought that adding dish soap to metallic paint could be so fun?!).
I keep going around in my head how Chloe won’t have a single memory of this important event. But, of course, David and I will. Perhaps someday she will look back at photos of her childhood and see how much fun she had. But most of all, I’ll just want her to know how much she means to us, and that she is wholly and truly loved.
Dear Chloe,
You are one year old today! Happy birthday my love! What a journey it’s been, especially for you!
As of today, you have two bottom teeth plus a pearly sliver of a top left tooth. Your eyes have lightened just a bit from previous months, but are still that smoky grey that is unique to you. Although active crawling is your main form of transportation, just this week you’ve begun to amaze us by briefly standing up on your own, and even taking a few tentative steps. You love to walk holding onto one of our hands, and will reach out in an unmistakable way to let us know that is your intention. You point at things, you babble, and your smiles never fail to make me smile, too.
Some things you enjoy in particular right now: feeding yourself, bath time, opening drawers, going outside to play, unrolling the toilet paper, petting Barkley, watching the fascinating antics of other babies and kids, and exploring anything new that you haven’t been able to play with previously.
Another big change this week is that I think you are beginning to wean yourself. At bedtime and during the night you are fine to nurse, but during the day you are usually not interested. Since you are underweight and small for your age, it concerns me a little. You drink very little and barely take a sip of formula or whole milk whenever I offer it. You are beginning to eat better though, so I’m trying to be as smart as I can with what you’ll eat.
To celebrate your birthday today we went to the zoo. You were a little tired because we got a late start, but you really liked the trout exhibit, the playful otter, the lorikeets and especially the baby elephant swimming and splashing in his pool. Lucky for you we got a family pass with some of your birthday money so that we can come back again and again.
Thank you, my dearest little Chloe, for bringing me joy, teaching me patience, and giving me the miraculous experience of motherhood. I love you SO much, and just know that the upcoming year will be full of adventure for all of us.
Love,
Mom
Chloe Stats at 1 year: Height 2’4″ (15%) Weight: 17lb 6oz (3%) HC: 17.52″ (31%)
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