My baby isn't a baby anymore

On April 16th Emilia turned one year old. She is rapidly losing all of her baby qualities and looks and acts more like a toddler every day. The morning of her birthday, we met Joe's mom at a tasty diner near Park City. Mary had Emilia's present so we had a good breakfast, visited, and picked up the gift. After breakfast, we headed to the outlet mall to do a little shopping. Emilia had a little birthday money and she picked out a baby doll and some cute clothes to buy.We wanted to go to the park, but it was chilly so we decided to go home and watch Frozen. Emilia was teething and not feeling her best so she spent most of the movie cuddled on my lap. After the movie, we went out to dinner at Emilia's favorite Mexican restaurant. It was a really fun day.

Here are some thoughts from my first year with my baby girl:
From the hospital-
I had almost no pain during my entire 20 hour labor
The anesthesiologist was very nice and the the epidural was awesome
I think labor would have been pretty fun if the scary heart decelerations hadn't happened
Emilia was so small 5lbs 10oz. I was so worried that we wouldn't be able to bring her home
The small talk between the Dr. and nurses between pushing contractions was funny- they chatted about weather a lot
When Emilia's heart rate dropped again, everyone knew she had to get out immediately. I'll never forget how proud I was that I was able to deliver her quickly and safely.

About my baby-
She was so small. We needed to buy preemie clothes. They are so tiny!
Emilia cried a lot. And screamed a lot. She was not an easy newborn
The bouncy seat from Ethan and Jessica was a lifesaver
She was strong- she could lift her head really early
She was determined- she rolled early, crawled early, walked early

About my girl-
She is so beautiful
She is so independent. She has just started to give hugs and cuddle on the couch and I love it
She doesn't crawl anymore- she is starting to run
She is so smart
She can throw a good tantrum (especially if you try to bring her in from outside)
She is a great eater who loves flavor. Thai yellow curry is her favorite!

I feel like I have done everything "wrong" while raising Emilia. We formula fed starting at 10 weeks, we bedshare, we don't have a set daily schedule, we let her watch TV. But, she is happy and friendly, and good and everyone who meets her loves her so I must be doing something right. Watching her grow and learn is the most amazing thing in the world. I love her so much.

Emilia's Likes:
The movie Frozen
Chocolate
Flavorful food (Thai yellow curry, Chinese food, pickles)
Her baby dolls
Her stroller
The park
Splashing in the bath
Walking everywhere
Her cousins and neighbors

Emilia's Dislikes:
Sweets that aren't chocolate
Getting things taken away
Going inside
Her crib (working on this one)

12 months

11 months

10 months

9 months

8 months

7 months

6 months

5 months

4 months

3 months

2 months

1 month

Easter weekend

Because the date of Easter moves around so much, this was Emilia's first Easter even though she had already turned one. We started the Easter fun on Saturday morning with a couple of local egg hunts. The first one was a huge hunt in the park with eggs, candy, and toys. The kids were separated by age which was good because there were so many kids there! Emilia got pretty impatient waiting for the hunt to begin (try telling a one year old that she can't go see all the shiny things in the park!) At 10:00 the hunt began and Emilia filled her basket with goodies. After the hunt was over we headed to another one at a local coffee shop. I think she had a pretty good time!

Sunday morning, we headed downstairs to see what the Easter Bunny had brought. E got a big soft bunny, an Easter book, a hoppy bunny, a lamb, a bib, and some treats. 

That afternoon we drove to my mom's house and Emilia got another Easter basket. We went outside and did a little Easter photo shoot.

Easter dinner was at Ethan and Jessica's house. We went over at 4 and let the kiddos loose in the backyard. I love love love watching Emilia play with her cousins. They are so cute together. 

Emilia has recently discovered that balls are pretty fun to play with. Luckily her cousins had some for her to play with.

Notice all the Easter baskets!

Damma and the grandkids

Chocolate bunny!

Before dinner, the kiddos had to have their annual hunt. The Easter Bunny left clues that led to a big bag of toys and treats. James was really into the hunt. Emilia wasn't sure what was going on, but she loved the Easter treasure!

My mom and Jessica made a delicious Easter feast. I think I ate more than I ate at Thanksgiving. Everything was so yummy!

Happy Easter!

Emilia's first birthday party!

I had a lot of fun planning Emilia's first birthday party. Several months ago, I decided on a pink and yellow hot air balloon theme: Up Up and Away- Emilia is One Today! I spent a lot of time planning the decor and the menu and working on crafts. At 3:00 on April 12th, we started celebrating my baby's first birthday. She won't actually be one until the 16th, but it is amazing how fast the year has gone by. Almost everyone who was invited was able to attend and everyone had a great time. It was so wonderful to be able to celebrate with so many loved ones.

I couldn't find any hot air balloon invitations so I decided to make them myself

Decorating

It was a windy day!

Joe and I made all the decorations

The menu: Curry chicken salad and rolls, chips and dip, strawberry and pineapple salad, raspberry tartlets, a veggie tray, gluten free mac and cheese bites, cupcakes with strawberry frosting, lemonade, soda, and strawberry and lime sangria

Cupcakes and Emilia's "smash cake"

Everyone sang Happy Birthday and we had cake. Emilia liked the candle and tried to use it as a spoon. She only ate a little bit of cake (she isn't a huge sweets lover)

That doesn't mean she doesn't like junk food! I think she has chips in her mouth in half of the pictures I took. She helped herself to the chip bowl all afternoon, which was fine because she was the birthday girl.

Hot air balloon dress from Gymboree

We had a few little guests which was a lot of fun. Emilia loved playing with her neighbor friends and her cousins

Presents! Everyone was so generous and Emilia got so many wonderful things

We sent everyone home with a hot air balloon sucker 

Happy birthday, my love!