Frosting tastes best when smeared on the face

Frosting tastes best when smeared on the face
Originally uploaded by mbowling.

It's official. Miss Ella is one years old. With her not feeling well on her actual birthday, I decided she wasn't one until the day of her party. For her heart-themed party, we had quite the gathering of family and friends. Some how, we managed to squeeze 25 people, including 5 kids, into our house.

Ella had a ball at her first birthday. She adored the big kids in attendance and watched their every move. She showed absolutely no interest in opening gifts, although she wanted the toys out of the box the minute they were opened. She was mightly confused when such a large group of people began to sing "Happy Birthday" in unison. She surely thought we were all crazy and a touch tone deaf. She enjoyed the cake by digging into the frosting. Surprisingly, she makes a bigger mess during a standard dinner.

I questioned the decision to let her consume so much sugar in one sitting as she cried out several times Saturday night with what I suspect was a tummy ache. I then reminded myself that no permanent damage was done and when celebrating a major milestone like a first birthday, my standard parenting rules and worries need not apply. Overall, I believe a good time was had by all. We're are so appreciative of everyone who helped us celebrate this significant milestone, even if it was in spirit. I'll try to avoid ending another post on how it's impossible that she's already one and this definitely was the fastest year of my life. I said I'll try!

Ella had her one-year appointment Monday. Mike accompanied her to the doctor where we learned our kid's head is huge -- in the 97 percentile, explains why getting shirts over her head is such a huge battle. She weighed 23 lbs. 1 oz (80%) and her height was 30 1/2 (90ish%). The doc said she continues to make great strides in the development arena.

Overall, we are enjoying this amazing creature that we are so blessed to call our daughter.

Happy V-Day from Cupid Ella

Cupid Ella
Originally uploaded by mbowling.

My sweet little cupid hopes everyone had a very Happy Valentine's Day. This gift was waiting for me when I dropped her off this morning. It is so precious! I love that day care does these little gifts for the parents. It's so incredibly sweet and reassures me about how much they care for her and for us.

Ella is feeling a touch better, although milk products don't agree with her system quite yet. She was so excited to see Faith this morning as Ella broke out into a huge smile and started gabbering away when I sat her next to Faith.

We are gearing up for her big bash this Saturday. I was worried that we might have to cancel it, but as long as she continues to improve, the party is still on.

Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to...*PUKE*

Okay, first things first. Amanda and I are FLOORED that it has been an entire year since the most earth-shattering event in our lives happened. Its been an amazing whirl-wind year and it went SO fast. Its been incredible and Amanda and I have learned so much--lost plenty of sleep, but we are so happy that she is in our lives and she just makes it all just that much better.

So guess what--our little miss Ella was on TV today! Thanks to Grandma Glenda, she sent in a picture to Channel 41 for their "Kansas City Live" show. Roll the clip! (Its in QuickTime format. If you can't see it, click on "QuickTime" and follow the instructions on how to download)

Click here to view Ella's Birthday announcement!

That's all the good news!

The bad news: She's sick!

We were at Wal-Mart shopping on Sunday and she just leans over and *puke*! All of her lunch, and plenty of milk and stomach acid all hit the floor. We had no idea she was even feeling bad! So from that point forward, NOTHING stayed down and Mommy was home with her on Monday, and daddy has been home with her on Tuesday and Wednesday. But we are starting to feel like she is starting to come around and hopefully will be back at daycare on Thursday. Its too bad because she wasn't able to spend her special birthday today with her friends! But hey, she's with one of her parents so its not all that bad!

She's been pretty clingy the last few days, and been a few long nights, but we're thinking it will all be over soon, thankfully.

So Happy Birthday to my little girl. You are a such a blessing to our family! Mommy and Daddy love you so very much. You make us smile so big and you teach us new things everyday about life. Thank you so much. We love you!

Proud Papa.

Stay Tuned!

Yep! Today is Ella's FIRST birthday, and she had a special surprise for it. So be sure to check back here around 3 for what it was!

Busy with Change

Hey, I want that
Originally uploaded by mbowling.

Aaron and Carter came over for a visit last Saturday. The Comers had someone coming over to look at their house, since it's on the market. Yes, that's right they are leaving me, well us. I feel so abandoned! I truly am excited for them and this new beautiful home of theirs, but it will be strange not having them in the neighborhood. It's not that we see each other every day (we may talk every day and I hope that continues), but it's a comfort knowing they were so close. I don't think I'll realize how much I'll miss them until warmer weather hits and we are spending large chunks of time outside. Yet, it's not like they are moving to Missouri. I mean the drive to their house is maybe something like 5 minutes away, if that. Somehow, I think I'll survive.

There is just change all around us. As Mike and Jen prepare to leave the cozy comforts of our cul-de-sac, a new couple has moved in to the house just south of us. It previously was occupied by a divorced man who had never picked up a cleaning product. We are so excited to have another couple in the neighborhood. We went over and introduced ourselves tonight, and they seem like they will fit quite nicely in our neighborhood. Meeting them allowed us to extend an invite to the informal neighborhood gathering we are hosting Saturday night. It's a "sorry you're leaving the neighborhood" and a "welcome to the neighborhood kind of party." Liz and I just arranged it today. It will be good to get everyone together for one last hurrah.

One Week

In a week, my sweetheart turns one. I can't believe it. How did we get here so quickly? It's just absolutely insane how fast this year has gone. It definitely has been the fastest year of my life. We're gearing up for her party. I'm excited for it. Now if I only could decide what to serve. I'm most certainly open to suggestions.

When dropping off Ella today, I learned she will be graduating from the Lambs room shortly after her birthday, unfortunately her best bud Faith will not be going with her, at least not at this point. At her parent teacher conference last week, I had lobbied for them to move together. Miss Jenny said she knew it was a wish of both Faith's mom and mine, but Faith isn't consistently walking. Until she is, she will stay in the Lambs room. I know Ella is ready to move from a developmental standpoint, and Miss Jenny and Bonnie reassured me that this is a positive move for her. I just worry how well she will handle the transition. She is quite attached to her teachers as well as Faith.

Ella is keeping us busy. She is such a mover and so full of personality, and is so much fun! This kid has the best belly laugh I've ever heard. I brought back a soft ball from M&M World in Vegas and she loves to play her version of catch. The other night she stood at the top of the stairs and would "throw" the ball down the stairs to me and I would gently toss the ball back. She would just giggle with excitement as she watched the ball roll down the stairs.

We have weaned her from the bottle. Overall, the transition has gone well. We have a few fits periodically but overall she's handled the switch fairly well. Next is to introduce milk. We'll do that after her one-year appointment. Again, in one week, my little baby will be one. She may be ready for this, but her mom certainly is not!