Eliza's big birthday

I think Eliza was really excited about her birthday. So excited that she was awake (sort of) at 12:01 am - it may have been teething, or maybe she just wanted me to wish her a Happy Birthday at the first possible moment. I did say Happy Birthday and then tried to ease her back into her crib to go to sleep. It sort of worked. She was up around 6 am again, and she got whisked into our bed for a little more sleep. We all got up around 7:30 after Hayden came to join us for a family birthday snuggle. Then we made birthday buttermilk pancakes and started the day!

E had a little trouble waking up - H was trying to "be cute" for the picture.

E got dressed in her birthday outfit so she's be ready for the day. She was all smiles!

Most of her birthday was fairly routine, at least for Eliza. There were pancakes, playing, a nap, a trip to Target, balloons, another nap and lots of smiles.

While Eliza was having fun, the rest of us were busy getting ready for her party. The main task (besides that trip to Target) was making the cake. I had decided to make a pumpkin cake for Eliza's birthday. She had loved zucchini bread, so I thought she'd like the light spices. Plus it was a way to welcome fall (even though it was in the 90s!) and to incorporate a little bit of State College. We had a pie pumpkin we'd picked up at our last stop at Way Fruit Farm on our way down to NC, and we needed to use it. This seemed like the perfect time!

A couple days earlier, Hayden had helped me cook the pumpkin. We cut it in half, seeded it, cut it into chunks and baked it. Once cool, I peel off the skin and pureed it.
I had lots of experience with pureeing from making baby food, so the puree turned out beautiful! And then, we followed this recipe and it turned into this!

Grammy and Granddad came into town, so Eliza had all of her grandparents in attendance at her party. She had a fun time opening presents. She actually played with everything as she opened things. Hayden was a big help of course, and VERY interested in everything that Eliza got. She liked her new water bottle, her new magnetic blocks and was especially excited about her new zoo train. Thanks Grammy and Granddad!
For dinner we had her favorites. Macaroni and cheese (homemade by Daddy!), fruit salad, and edamame. The adults got a green salad too with local pears and goat cheese. (We've been exploring local food options in NC!). Dinner was a big hit, with lots of food consumed.

Then there was a short walk outside, a few more presents, and finally THE CAKE! Eliza wasn't quite sure what to make of the burning candle. I think we could have hypnotized her with it if we had known how. And I'm not sure if she made a wish when I helped her blow out the candle, but she was ready to dig in when given her piece.

She was actually a fairly neat eater at first. Not too much cake wasted in being messy, it all went into her mouth. But apparently, we didn't give her enough cake. After she'd finished, I think she wanted more, because she went after the plate. And then things got a little more messy.
Don't worry, she did get more cake - the next day. And she enjoyed it then too! All in all, it was a great first birthday for our favorite blue-eyed baby. It's hard to believe it's been a whole year since she was born. Now she's walking, and starting to talk (said "nana" for banana quite clearly this morning), starting to sign (dog, airplane, tree, drink, etc.) Can't wait to see what the next year brings!

From this...
to this!

Hat's off to you, Eliza!!! Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday Eliza!

There will be a more thorough entry soon, but I just wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Eliza. She turned one two days ago. Can you believe it's been a year since she made her debut into the world? So far she's having a great time being one - walking at every chance she gets, eating whatever we will let her and just enjoying life. Happy Birthday Eliza - I hope your next year is even better than your first!

Eliza's walking!

A lot to post about, what with the move, and a family gathering of all the sisters and kids, meeting baby Charlotte, getting reacquainted with Durham, Hayden starting to use the potty, and everything else, but one of the biggest pieces of news is that Eliza is walking!!! She took her first steps just in time to be bragged about at the party we threw in honor of my mom's birthday, and has been working hard at two legged mobility ever since.

These aren't her first steps, but they are within a week. And as I write this she is actually toddling around the room! Today is the first day I've seen her really try to walk from point A to point B when there is some minimal distance involved. She's going to be running soon, I'm sure!





In other big Eliza news, she's starting to sign too. It is just so neat to watch her learn signs. I've seen her do more, cheese, drink, airplane, dog and baby. And she chatters up a storm. She actually "performed" for me just a couple minutes ago, as I was trying to capture her walking. Isn't she great?!