Vera's First Birthday- Family Pictures & Cake Smash

Sweet Vera-  I hope you get to share these photos someday with your kids and their kids, and that you grow to have an appreciation for preserving family memories, like I do.  I will cherish these pictures of you as my beautiful little 1 year old.  In the pictures, you are wearing your bright blue flower-print Carters dress that reminds me of Hawaii. It's one of the few outfits I've bought just for you, among the ample and generous hand-me-downs we've gotten from friends. Your cake is a "homemade" funfetti cake (our family favorite boxed mix- the same cake Dad and I had at our wedding!) with perfectly pink vanilla frosting. I dressed you in a fancy matching tutu, which was an item I didn't think I'd ever add to your wardrobe, but you have inspired my inner girly girl! You looked SO cute in it.  Sweet little girl, your Dad and I love you so very much, and even though we didn't do an official birthday bash for you turning one (not that you would remember it anyway), we hope you love your pictures, as a special treat for you this year. Love, Mom (and Dad)

 

First Scallion Pancake!

My dad is here visiting and whenever he comes to see us, he stops at the Chinese supermarket to bring me all sorts of frozen goodies. This "tradition" reminds me of how Italian or Jewish moms always bring or cook lots of food for their broad. This trip, my Dad brought bags if mini frozen dumplings, soupy pork buns, and scallion pancakes (my favorite). Here is Vera trying (and liking) her first bite of scallion pancakes!

Wallet Size

Vicki printed this out for me.   What an awesome way to stay the day when I go looking for my T pass.  Love you, peanut.

Words

Vera said "Mama" yesterday.  Vicki heard it once but no more.

She's done a few "Da-da's".

But by far the word she says the most is some version of the english word "Ball".  She says:

• Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba (usually while staring into space)
• bau!
• ba-ul!

First Day of "School"

Awwww. I'm sitting in the parking lot of Runamuck after just dropping off Griff and Vera for their first day of school together.  Griff moved up to the preschool 2 class today, and Vera joined the babies in the infant 2 class. Both kids did great. I now have 4 hours to myself but a list of 1,893 things to-do. Where do I start?  Of to Starbucks.  This Mom needs caffeine.

Afternoon nap

Best Alarm Clock Ever

We're sleeping in the same room as Vera at Granpa Victor's house this weekend.  This morning Vicki got up early with Griff and Vera and I slept in.  Until about 8:10.  Which was awesome.

But even more awesome than that was waking up to Vera jabbering at me from the crib, just beyond the foot of the bed.  I looked up and saw a pink-pajama'd blur.  With my glasses on, it turned into a bouncying, grinning, cooing Vera.  There were definitely some "dada's" in her jabbering, and if she had full speech capacity I bet she'd have been saying "Hi Dad!  Good morning.  I love you Dad."  I love you too peanut.  And it was a great morning.