Happy Birthday

Baby Girl

It's hard to believe our baby girl is a year old.  It has been a fun year and it went by so, so fast.

Aurora, we still have not written about your birth day.  It's one of the best days of our lives.  Yet, we are so busy living our family life, we don't get much time to write about our family life.  Even now, I am stealing time away from you, Brother and Dad to blog.

Your birth day post is pending, but I won't delay writing that we are so grateful to have you in our lives.  We love you every moment and watching you grow and smile and laugh and display your personality continues to be the greatest joy.  Your whole life and beyond, Mom and Dad love you.

When we brought Aurora home, we slept on the futon in the living room with our newborn sleeping next to the futon in her little bassinet.  We kept a strand of Christmas lights on and hanging from one of the windows' curtain rod.  Actually, I slept in the glider in the living room for the first week at home, because after cesarean, it was easier for me to get out of the glider than stand up from the futon.  Matt and I took every other night feeding, but we so wanted moments with Aurora that we often stayed up with each other to both care for her.  And when family went home after the first few weeks, the four of us would stay up late together watching Disney Junior with Adam.  We were always meant to be together.  I could feel it even that first night home.

On the third night home, in the middle of the night, while you slept in my arms, you laughed in your sleep.  I was sure I imagined it or hallucinated it.  I was on pain medication and I certainly had a couple of weird instances in the hospital when I had Adam.  But you laughed again and as spooky as it was, I was sure the second time.  On the fifth night, you did it again while everyone else was asleep and I really was weirded-out.  I mentioned it to Dad and Cho.  Cho said she'd heard you laugh in your sleep the day before, but didn't tell anyone, because she didn't think anyone would believe her.  How odd it was!  You continued to laugh in your sleep off and on for the first month.  I'd never heard of another baby doing it.

Our little girl smiles and laughs a lot.  Sometimes, it's her fake laugh, but most of the time it's her real one.  She has the cutest smile.  At nearly age 1, she is learning to blow kisses.  She waves and yells hi/hey to everyone she sees.  She also says wow and whoa and uh-oh.  She gets a little jealous when big brother spends too much time on Mom's lap and she will try to bite him when they are fighting over a toy.  When Adam naps too long, she tries to hold his hand or pat it to wake him up.  She loves going outside and dancing.  Ending either will result in a full-on tantrum.  She loves music and has been overheard singing to Aqualung (Jethro Tull), Run to the Water (Live) and a British rock song that neither Matt nor I can remember. 

We call you Party Girl.  It used be because you kept us up so late at night and still do sometimes.  You love music and dancing and well, being festive all around.  I joked that all we needed to do was go clubbing for your birthday.  I actually think that if the music wasn't too loud, you really would like it.  Instead, we are taking you and Adam to the zoo tomorrow.  We celebrated your birthday with family over the last two weekends.  Imagine a baby so loved that her family will celebrate her arrival over TWO weekends!  That's you.  

Your first cake tasting was red velvet.  You hated it at first then you rubbed into your face and your hair.  You clapped and said yay several times during our cake outing and enjoyed all the cheer sent your way.  You made a horrible mess of the high chair and the floor, but the server was so enamored by your cuteness she didn't mind at all (I also tipped her extra for the mess).  

Having cake and eating it too!

Happy Birthday Aurora L Winston.  We cannot say it enough, Daddy and Mommy love you so very much!