Baby Lissy's First Birthday

Not too long ago I said to Gary, "Wow, we have four kids now." Okay, it's been a year, but we've had three kids and a baby . . . Baby girl turned one just over a month ago, and now she's seeming more and more like a kid. Still a baby (hooray for the sweet snuggles!), but definitely in on the getting into things game. This morning while I was getting ready for church she colored all over the toilet with an orange crayon. When do these adorable shenanigans become terrible? I don't know, but for now it was just so funny she thought to do it and enjoyed herself.

On Lissy's birthday, I taught preschool and got the carpets cleaned downstairs. Yeah, good question, what was I thinking? No matter, it actually turned out great. I woke up super early and made her pumpkin-apple muffins, which she dived at the second she saw them. Then, we had preschool, so we were pretty much involved with that. Preschool turned out fun - the kids were so involved I took pictures during choosing time. After preschool and lunch, the carpet cleaning guy came, so us kids stayed in the kitchen and played blocks. Good thing, so I officially played with Lissy on her birthday! I'm serious, the three of us had a great time playing in the kitchen for an hour plus. Dinner and cake was after soccer practice and our kitchen contained a couch during the festivities, but Lissy gobbled up her lemon cake with gusto, so it was a success. Andrew was kinda ticked it wasn't his birthday, and kept saying, "But Lissy can't even blow a cake!" She was a great birthday girl, though, and grinned widely whenever someone called to talk to her on the phone.

Lissy loves playing chase around the house, which is especially fun when her diaper just got taken off. She also loves riding on her "bike," dancing (ack, it's so cute!), and hugging stuffed animals. She has a pink fleece dolly that she likes best. Her favorite place to sit in the living room in on the little ledge by the books or magazines. When it's by the magazines, she rips them up, but so far, when she's with the books she mostly looks at them. Of course she has to throw a bunch around for good measure. The girl has a mouth full of teeth. On the bottom she has full-out molars. It's so funny to see how each kid is so different - teeth just scratches the surface. She mostly follows me around saying, "mom, mom, mom" all day. I have to pick her up and give her kisses sometimes, and she giggles. She has also developed an amazing shriek for self-defense, which she needs around brothers, and also parents who take things she wants.

At Lissy's one year check-up the doctor said she's "as healthy as a rock" (new phrase for me, nice), She was 21 lbs 10 oz, and 29.5 inches tall. Both are in the 75th percentile, as was her head. So, proportional all around. A jump from the 50th percentile in everything when she was 9 months, and a far cry from the 5th percentile in weight she was at after she was hospitalized. Oh, baby Lissy, you are just the best. These pictures just make me want to go up to her crib to kiss her. I will in a second, because she won't wake up, she'll just grin in her sleep.

I let her lick the batter off of the spatula when I was making her cake. She was a fan.

The "unwrapping" of the big gift. (Yeah, it's from the House Party. And she loves it.)

Gary's mom sent a present that arrived right on her birthday, so she got to really open something. Some cute outfits and a stuffed unicorn she loves to bury her face in.

So excited for lemon buttermilk cake! (Okay, maybe just amused by the fire.)

We had raspberries with the cake. A bit disturbing, perhaps.

A huge hit! Happy birthday, Lissy!