The Big One

Edith had a wonderful first birthday. On the actual day, May 5, Tom and I brought in the aforementioned muffcakes to share with her class at school. Edith was so excited to have all of us there at once that she gave her classmates several enthusiastic tackle-hugs, then bounced up and down in her chair at the table squealing. (While we were eating, I couldn't resist taking some pictures of the kids in the young toddler class on the other side of the wall celebrating Cinco de Mayo. They were also the class that performed "Feliz Navidad" on the Christmas program. Mexico seems to be a big theme in the second year at Edith's school.)



I picked her up from school early in order to spend some time with her on her birthday. We went uptown and parked at the seminary, then strolled through town to the hospital where Edith was born. I took her up to maternity and showed her where it all began, telling her about her birth. At the entrance to the hospital she checked out the startlingly lifelike statues that take up half of the only bench available--a bronze doctor assisting a bronze elderly woman. I know they're there, yet they fool me every time. Edith seemed wiser.


Then we retraced her trip home from the hospital, walking back through town. It was a warm Friday afternoon, and people were out everywhere. We stopped at Olive's on the way to purchase one of their wonderfully decorated cupcakes as a birthday treat, something I've never had an excuse to do before.

Back at the seminary, we met Tom just coming out of his final final. Everyone at the seminary was out on the lawn celebrating the end of the term. After a few congrats, we walked to the parking deck and then and there, turned Edith's carseat around to face forward. By law a child has to be rear-facing until she is 20 lb. and one year old. Edith passed 20 lb. sometime around New Year's, and since she has never much liked the car, we were eager to see if this made a difference. She was so surprised! The whole trip home she kept calling out to me: "Hey, Mom, guess what? I can SEE you!" I'm pretty sure that's what "AAAh!" meant.

After dinner Edith enjoyed her cupcake in time-honored first birthday fashion, no holds barred. She actually was pretty tidy about it. And amazingly after all that sugar, she went to sleep without any problems.


Next post: the birthday party. I have fewer photos of that event, because we were busy feeding and entertaining guests. But it was a great afternoon out on the lawn, playing and relaxing and seeing family and friends.