Tootie the Toddler

I don't know when it happened, but somehow, when we weren't looking, our sweet baby angel started growing up.  I can't believe that a whole year has gone by since she joined our family.  She is a YEAR. OLD.  My BABY had her first birthday!!  It blows my mind every time I think about it, even though, of course, we had planned for this special event for quite some time.  Even with all of the planning and thought that went into our celebration, it still managed to sneak up on me.  


Makenna's actual birthday was on a Thursday, which is one of the days she goes to Day School at our church.  I was so excited because we bought her a brand new backpack to replace her old, worn out diaper bag.  I couldn't WAIT for her to take that to school.  (I know...it makes me sound a little crazy!)  Daddy and I woke her up together and wished her a happy birthday right away.  She had no clue what that meant, but I think she was happy to have both Mommy AND Daddy doting on her at breakfast.  We let her open her backpack right away, and she smiled the biggest, sweetest smile when she saw it.  

I got her all decked out in her special first birthday shirt and pigtails to head off to school.  There, they had a little poster for her on the door, and her teachers gave her a sweet little cupcake plate.  She had such a fun day (although you can't exactly tell from this picture)!

The Saturday after her birthday was The Big Party.  Having never planned a first birthday party before, I was slightly stressed, but things went beautifully!  Scratch that...MOSTLY beautifully.  The night before, I made her two cakes - one big cake for the party guests

 and one adorably pink panda bear smash cake for Tootie herself.

Her panda cake has a special story.  It was made using the same pan my mom used for MY first birthday cake!  My panda was a regular old black and white, but I knew Toots HAD to have pink!


The party set up was fast and furious, but I have to say, I was pretty happy with the way it turned out.  Nice and simple - cake, some lemonade and bottled water, homemade flower lollipops made from white chocolate.

As the guests started to arrive, Makenna entertained herself (and them) by playing with the birthday cake ring toss game I bought.  And by playing, I mean chewing on the rings and dragging the cake all over the room!

Once everyone was there, we dove right into the gifts.  She paid attention for a pretty good amount of the time, considering the fact that she's just a year old, but she definitely got bored quickly!

After her "big present" from Mommy and Daddy

it was time for some cake!  And with that, time for Mommy's Epic Birthday Cake Candle Fail.  (This video has been edited to protect the innocent...i.e., Mommy.)  I won't go into details for fear of more embarrassment - suffice it to say that Makenna's fingers + hot wax on a just-blown-out candle = a VERY unhappy baby!

Sad face!

Makenna dug into her cake like a champ and made a great mess, which we all ooohed and ahhhed over, like good mommies and daddies and grandparents and aunts and uncles.  

 

The party wound down after that, and everyone took their chocolate flower lollipops and headed home.  Makenna was POOPED (and so were Mommy and Daddy), and she went straight down for a nap when we got home.  We ALL pretty much crashed.  Surprisingly, Mommy made it through the day without a single, "My baby is growing upwhycan'tshejuststayababy?!?!?" tear.  And now...we have a sweet little toddler.  Gosh, I love her.  It was a little bit overwhelming seeing all of the other people at her party who love her, too.  She is one lucky little Toot, and we are one lucky little family.

Walk This Way

It was always looming out there.  The inevitable.  The inescapable.  The unavoidable.


The day our baby girl started to WALK.


And folks...that day has come at last.  She's a WALKER now!!  An actual toddler!  


Since just before Christmas, we have gotten Makenna to take a step, maybe two, here or there.  She was definitely not really into it, and I think she only did it sometimes to make Mommy and Daddy quit bugging her.  She was definitely getting steadier on her feet and able to stand without holding onto anything.  We even noticed her squatting to pick things up and then standing back up again, which was cause for all kinds of excitement.  Not long after that, it was pushing up to standing from sitting on the floor.  I was SO thrilled when I first saw her do that, only to be knocked down a few notches when dear hubby said he had seen her doing that for several days before.  He just assumed I had already seen it, since I am home with her and usually the one who gets to see everything first!


Makenna slowly worked her way up to two, three, four steps in a row, but even then, she was only really doing it if we "enticed" her into it - holding out a cell phone, remote control, her brush, whatever.  And then, last Wednesday, it was suddenly GAME ON.  We had the video camera all ready but couldn't manage to catch those five, six steps she was taking.  Until...

WALKING!


I believe I counted 12 steps there?  YES!  All to get to Daddy's cell phone.   Which, of course, Daddy would not let her play with.  Which, of course, made her a little pouty.


Since then, her confidence has been growing exponentially.  She is walking more and more every day, without either of us even encouraging her to do it.  She walks to get the kitties, to get her toys, to pick up her sippy.  She can take a few steps, squat down, pick something up, stand back up and keep on truckin'.  She dances and she bounces, and she knows how to catch her balance when she starts to fall (although she doesn't QUITE always make it!).  


Even though I've been watching it every day, I'm still amazed that she's really doing it!  Our little girl is REALLY walking!  It makes me such a proud mama.  I just can't wait to see what she is going to do next!

Looking Back At 2011

I know I'm a little late with my "year in review" post.  Hey, it's a busy time of year!  But I did want to take a moment to look back on what is probably the best year of my life, so far.  It's not an exaggeration to say that 2011 was when my oldest, most cherished dream finally came true - I became a mom.  It has truly been the most amazing experience, one that was even more incredible than I had ever dreamed it would be.  I am so thankful that we have our beautiful baby angel, and I am even MORE thankful for her amazing daddy, with whom I can share ALL of her moments - wonderful and frustrating and beautiful and tiring and just plain HAPPY.  Here's to what 2012 will bring our sweet little family!

                          

JANUARY

Almost time!

A family of 3.

 

FEBRUARY

Such a diva!

MARCH

Snuggling with Great Grandpa

First St. Paddy's

APRIL

NOOOO FLOWERS!!

Happy Easter!

MAY

First Mother's Day

Giving rice cereal a try.

JUNE

First Ranger game!

JULY

First 4th of July

Baptism

AUGUST

Our little water baby

SEPTEMBER

Off to school.

                                                                 

OCTOBER

Apple picking

Boston!!

First Halloween

NOVEMBER

Four generations of Morrisseys

First Thanksgiving

DECEMBER 

Santa!!

First Christmas!