Every month I've written the blog update from Elizabeth's point of view, but I have been so nostalgic lately that this one is going to be all me.
Her actual birthday, January 24, was underwhelming. I got horribly sick the day before with stomach flu. Craig was my hero and took care of Elizabeth for most of the day while I stayed in bed. I was basically quarantined from Elizabeth, because the last thing I wanted was for her to get the same miserable bug. Craig played with her, fed her, and put her to bed; all the while I could hear my baby occasionally "calling" for me and I felt terrible. I slept restlessly that night, as I always do when I'm sick, but more so than usual because I was taking a trip back in time--because on the night of January 23 into the wee hours of January 24 was when I was in labor, arriving at the hospital around 1 AM. As I slept fitfully 1 year later, I kept glancing at the clock and remembering what I had been doing a year ago at the same time. My last wakeup was around 5:30 AM, which was probably when I was getting prepped for my c-section. I didn't quite catch 5:54, Elizabeth's birth minute.
Anyway, I spent E's birthday home sick from work while she went to daycare. It wasn't until later that I found out how my husband had dressed our daughter--on her birthday, no less!!!
After work Craig picked up his favorite--Bill Knapp's chocolate cake. I was feeling better, and we had our own tiny party for our girl. In her characteristically dainty way, she poked at the cake with her index finger from a couple different curious angles.
The real celebration was not until today, February 5, when we threw her party--just a family party with both sets of grandparents, and Uncle Matt and Aunt Wendy and E's three cousins. A beautiful snow fell gently outside, and inside was a blissful chaos of everything a child's birthday should be--pizza, cake, noisemakers, 1st birthday-themed napkins and high chair decorations and banners. I made a simple carrot cake with understated decoration, and Elizabeth ate most of her piece! As always, it was a joy to watch her with her older cousins. She just gets right into the thick of everything and wants to keep up. Her cousin Ethan is almost 2, and just a few developmental steps ahead of her, and his presence really rubbed off on her during the party. By the end of the afternoon she was sucking mightily from a sippy cup (she usually barely touches the things) and walked behind her push-toy better than I had ever seen her.
And now my precious girl sleeps off her crazy day, recharging for yet another adventure in the day of the life of a curious toddler. Things are changing...we are almost done nursing but she snuggles harder than she ever has; jars of baby food sit unopened as Elizabeth determinedly forays into the grown-up world of bite-sized avocado, banana, cheese, tangerines, chicken. The picture below shows that my daughter is becoming quite the diva in her mounting independence, as well.
Praise God for the life of our daughter.
