New Year's Eve

As Her Little Ladyship was winding down for the evening, Minion #2 and I were discussing what was happening at this time last year. At 6pm we were finally allowed to leave the hospital. It was 7 pm before we actually got all three of us in the car. It was cold, rainy, dark and foggy, and New Year's Eve to boot. NOT a good time to be on the road with your infant daughter in the car for the first time. She was 49 hours old, and both Minions were stunned that the hospital staff had actually let her just take her home. We read comic books and play video games, for goodness sake!

We arrived home, terrified. I was already exhausted, and hurting. For some reason, I had never calculated on the fact that I would be recovering from the birth. Walking and even sitting hurt so badly I wanted to cry, and I ended up doing just that several times. Add to this that we were in charge of this tiny, demanding little creature and we had only the vaguest idea of how to properly take care of her.

As Her Little Ladyship's first birthday approached, I was mourning the fact that she wasn't my baby any more. I was remembering all of the wonderful moments. For some reason, tonight I'm remembering all of the difficult moments, and suddenly I'm not missing the last year any more. I'm glad that we've gotten a lot more experienced, a lot more sure of ourselves. She's immeasurably easier to take care of, and she's not only interactive, but affectionate and downright fun. I love our time together now - instead of slaving to meet her demands, we actually play.

This is the best time so far, and I'm looking forward to what the new year brings. Happy New Year!

Quiet Morning

Having one of those moments that you just quietly treasure. She slept all night long, only waking up a few times but getting herself right back to sleep. She slept until almost 8 am. I went upstairs, changed her diaper and got her dressed for the day, then we played in her room. She asked for milk and nursed for a while, but I'm not producing enough milk to satisfy her any longer.

So downstairs for breakfast. She liked her oatmeal for a while, but using the spoon frustrated her after a while and she dug in with her hands. I laughed, cleaned her up and started feeding her with a spoon, but that didn't last long. She's a toddler now and She Can Do It Herself! Or so she tells me. She refused the oatmeal, so I took her out of her seat and tried to finish my breakfast, but she was still hungry and demanded some of my banana. So back into her chair for some banana and blueberries. While she ate those By Herself, I was able to fit in spoonfuls of oatmeal. She eventually ended up eating 5 tablespoons of oatmeal, 2 ounces of applesauce mixed in with the oatmeal, 3/4 of a banana and 3 handfuls of blueberries. I honestly don't know where it all fit.

Then we played for a while with her new Christmas toys. She loves her little wood shop and her CD player, and played with them both for quite a while. Then it was on to snuggling with her toy wolf and petting our cat Draco. That's her toy wolf on the bottom right of the picture.

She's learning a new word, poop, which her daddy and I appreciate. She's fairly good about telling us when she has a dirty diaper. We went upstairs for a change, and while we were doing that, she started yawning and rubbing her eyes. I washed my hands and then made her a 6 ounce bottle. She drank almost all of it. I tried to burp her but nothing happened, and the poor thing was falling asleep sitting up. I put her down in her crib, gave her a sleeping pacifier and her Bunny, which she pulled in close. I wished her a good nap as I closed the door, and I'm watching her on the video monitor as I write this.

I can't stay up until the wee hours of the morning on my vacation anymore, and my days start at 7:30 or 8 am if I'm lucky. But having this morning time with her, as she happily played and I got to watch, play and talk to her, is priceless. I love having quiet mornings with her, and I treasure every one. Her daddy is still asleep, all is still outside, I've had soft music playing all morning - these are wonderful times.

First Birthday!

Today at 5:43 pm the Tiny Overlord completed her first voyage around the Sun. Appropriate festivities were observed. We started by offering her a dinner of her favorite foods - organic crackers and cheese, with green beans and sweet potato. The actual anniversary of her birth occurred while she was eating, so Minion#2 snapped a few quick photos to commemorate the time.



Next we presented the Overlord with her cupcake. Earlier in the day Minion #1 had baked the cupcakes and made the frosting entirely from scratch to be certain that there were no preservatives, artificial flavorings or other things that may upset the Tiny One's tummy. She looked on with approval as we light the candle and held it in front of her. Minion #1 demonstrated the proper technique for blowing out a candle, and after a few tries, the Tiny Overlord was able to successfully defeat the candle foe! Minion #2 captured the moment on film.



We then repeated the event to capture it on video. Videos will be posted at the end of today's update. Minions #1 and #2 both taste tested cupcakes, to reassure the Tiny Overlord that they were indeed safe to eat. After a brief period of time spent investigating this new offering, she settled down to enjoy her cupcake. Some of it went inside, but the vast majority seems to have ended up on the floor.



Afterwards, the Grandminions K made a Skype call. We opened the Overlord's tribute as they watched, and her Uncle-minion J kept her entertained by making funny faces, which she deigned to return. The tribute was deemed to be acceptable, especially the CD player that "plays" little plastic disks and the crocodile that moves when you push the birds on his back. After paying homage to her Overlordship, the Grandminions and Uncle Minion disconnected. Minion #1 made a Skype call to the Grandminions H and her Tininess opened her final present while her Grandminions looked on.



After a bit more playing with toys and boxes, it was finally the Overlord's bedtime. We escorted her upstairs, got her into her pajamas and night time diaper and read a few pages of a book. Then it was time for a bottle and finally the Tiny Overlord fell asleep. Minion #1 shed a few tears that her little one was now officially a toddler and not a baby any longer. But all in all, it was the best birthday ever.

Almost a Year

What an amazing year this has been. From anxiousness, exhaustion and fear, to excitement and wonder, I honestly feel that we've experienced every emotion possible. She started as a tiny little thing that produced drool, poo, and cried at all hours, and she's grown into a little person, who talks and is trying to walk. We're learning her needs and moods, and she's learning us. She crawls over to us and lays her head on a leg or a shoulder. She gives kisses, and blows them too, and loves to just spend time with us. She also loves to explore and test out her surroundings. One of our favorite pastimes is watching her problem solve. She's figuring out solutions to problems faster and faster.

I'm really looking forward to the next year. How much more will she grow? What will she figure out? How will her personality continue to develop? It's been an amazing year, and I've enjoyed sharing it. Onward to year 2!

Dancing

The Wee Walker is getting better and better. She still needs her walker, but she's also trying to stand on her own. She can do it for a few seconds at a time, and each time she can stand for just a little longer.

She's started dancing, too. It started with me doing a silly song and dance during diaper changes to keep her from crying. She started dancing with me. Now she does it anytime she wants to.