Thirteen Months

We failed to make a celebratory post on the occasion of Baby V's first birthday. Today is her one-year-and-one-month birthday so, now we'll give you the scoop on the first birthday festivities.

Baby V actually enjoyed a series of first birthday celebrations starting in West Virginia and ending up in Pittsburgh.

She received a very nice walker toy from Grandma and Grandpa K.

She also received a fancy pants train set from Grandma and Grandpa G. -- she was in need of a toy to share with her sisters because she's always swiping their plastic fruit!

What exactly am I supposed to do with this thing?

On her official birth date, Baby V graduated to from being a "Baby" to being "just" V at the food court in the Ross Park Mall in Pittsburgh. What? A food court at the mall? 

In 2008, W and R actually celebrated their first birthday in the same location -- Mommy was living with the twins a Ridiculously Small Apartment, Daddy was living in Canadialand but visited on for the birthday weekend and, also visiting were Uncle D and his family. And so, our group retreated from the Ridiculously Small Apartment to the spaciousness of the food court! So began a tradition.  Mommy also managed to keep one of the purple hats!

February 2008

Cake! Cake! Look! I have cake!

Perhaps I don't much care for cake.

No more cake! Please!

We were joined for the festivities by an old friend, K, and her son, M. It was very exciting to meet M because he joined his family through adoption at about the same time as W and R became part of our family. Having seen each other through our respective adoption processes and waits and delays, it was so satisfying to finally see all the kiddos together!

M was kind of sweet on V

The last couple of months with V have given Mommy and Daddy many opportunities to reflect on the fact that all babies are different.  At a year old, the twins had more teeth, could walk, were skilled at self feeding with their hands, able to point to their nose and play some other games and would swiftly disassemble anything that ended up in their path, from toys to electronic equipment to packages of food. 

V is just a little more laid back than the twins -- who are invariably described with words like "firecracker", "live wire" and "force of nature."   V only sports two teeth, prefers to be fed by someone and is just now on the verge of walking. What Baby V lacks in baby skillz, she makes up for with her pleasant temprament and huge smile -- she is just much more easygoing than her sisters and does not get as frustrated as they did by their baby limitations.  It will be interesting to see how she grows in to her personality in year two.