Ack! She's One!!

I do not know how this happened, but my little girl is one...this year has gone by so fast (cliche, I know).

She's changed so much in the last year, it's hard to believe she's even the same human being. She's gone from a poopin', cryin', eatin' machine to a little girl who still does all those things, but so much more!

She can:
crawl
walk holding my hand
stand
try to eat with a fork
brush her teeth
brush her hair (and mine)
try to put on socks, shoes, shirts
try to take off diapers!
put her cap on her sippy cup
do a somersault (with help)
climb up slides
and go down them
blow out
kiss
hug
drink from a bottle (this was a big feat)
say "see you later" and "i love you" (sounds like seoolayla and ilavoo)
talk on the phone, and call people too
say "nana" and "hello" and "bye" and "bubble" and bark like Zoe

She's just an amazing little thing, and the most perfect thing Michael and I have ever accomplished together. I think surviving her first year is also a huge accomplishment, and I'm giving us a much deserved pat on the back for the great job we've done. We've thus far raised a compassionate, loving, sweet little girl, who's intensity of emotion continues to surprise and amaze me.

Peanut is fantastic, and judging by this first year, the rest of our lives are going to be a rollercoaster of epic proportions and I can't wait! I really do look forward to watching her continue to grow and change and develop as a person.

-Mama

Par-Tay!!

Woohooo!!! We had a party for Ryan's first birthday and it was crazy fun!!! We had all of her friends (and ours too) over for food and fun! There was a play area for the kiddos, burgers and beer for the adults, and good times had by all! I'm always so pleased and amazed when I get all of my friends together how well everyone gets alone. My playgroup friends mingling with high school friends mixing with Michael's man-buddies...I love it. I mean, one of my playgroup friends was making plans with my neighbor to go to a pub down the street (one sitter for all the girls, we all go out, good stuff!)! And another friend was getting maternity advice from another playgroup buddy. It's just awesome!

Ryan had a blast, though she was totally overwhelmed by all the people! Thank goodness my parents came, because they totally helped Michael and I with RE. She thoroughly enjoyed her cake, digging her paws into it before I even got her into her high chair! She then tasted it, and ate it, and offered it to anyone within reach!! Then she put it in her hair, cause frosting makes great conditioner!

I just can't thank enough everyone who was there to celebrate with us: first and foremost, my parents...we really couldn't have done it without you guys. Julie and Brian, thank you for helping with the aftermath! Maui and Erika, thank you for helping with the BBQ. Kami, thank you for loaning us the great playmat. Jim, thank you for taking pictures, and I'm sure it will be your turn soon enough. Meghan and Kory, thank you for being there with all our random friends and for always being there for all the biggies for us. I can only hope we can do the same for you guys. And to everyone else, thank you so much for being such great friends. I'm so glad we've either known you forever, or have just met you and really made you parts of our lives.

Much love and thanks to all who donated toys to Children's also...we'll be donating them in the name of Ryan and her friends this week...we know they'll be appreciated by the children there.

Present Orgy

Ryan has figured out presents...they are all for her, and they are all super fun. She LOVED everything that everyone sent her, especially a baby doll from her GiGi. We've named her Olivia, or Livi and Ryan has been hugging her, kissing her, and stepping on her all morning. She LOVES the gumball thingie we got her with the gift card from cousin Mimi, thinks the shape sorter from Nonna and Poppa is pretty cool stuff, and loves the balls, books, and cups she got from us. She's had so much fun exploring all of her new toys!

Check out www.dropshots.com/katymama for videos of Ryan opening presents, including some Hanukkah gifts, and as always, there are a million pics on www.afruma.net.

We wish everyone out there a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, and a fantastic New Year!

Love, The Afrumas

Kisses!!

Our little princess can now make kissy noises! She discovered it in the car today, and has spent the entire day making kisses to everyone and everything! Adorable.

Hanukkah Presents

So, it hasn't taken Ryan long to discover how to open presents. She got her third one today, and went to town on it! We just sat by, watching her slowly and carefully rip the paper off of it, and upon discovering that it was a box of cookies, handing it to her daddy to open it for her! She's so clever!!

"Mama" and "ladlelelele"

Ryan's talking so much now! It's really, really adorable. Ever since she located her tongue last week, it's been "lalala" and "ladeladeladel" and then yesterday, it was, finally, "mama"! Hooray! 11 months of spending nearly every darn day with her and finally, I get a "mama"!!

You can watch a video of her doing it here!

My silly little shopper!

She was getting ready for bed tonight, jammies and stuff, and was all dressed, well, minus pants, and crawled over to her laundry basket, pulled her diapers out of her dipe holder, grabbed her starbucks cup (she has a plastic water cup she’s been playing with for a week) and stuck them in her laundry basket and walked off! Pushing the basket. I wish I’d had the camera handy, cause it was the funniest thing. Then, as we walk by her wipes, no joke, she picks them up and non-chalantly flings them into her basket and keeps walking! She got halfway down the hallway before she decided enough was enough, she was going to crawl to the kitchen. She’s hilarious, I tell ya!

Cashmere and snow

So, it's snowing today, and it's lovely. I think that in all the time I've lived up here (a grand total of five years) it's snowed EVERY year, and I'll never get tired of it. Having grown up in California, snow falling from the sky will never cease to amaze me. And for that first night, before I have to try to drive anywhere in it, it's beauty is simply astounding. It's like you can hear Robert Frost, "walking through the woods on a snowy evening" and you know exactly what he spoke of. You know just how he felt standing at the woods, in the silent, silent snow, wondering which way to go. Granted, I felt that way walking to my mailbox, but magical nonetheless. And for the last two days, I've had "let it snow" and "white christmas" running through my head, which makes me want to do nothing more than set up my new, faux, prelit "giftmas" tree (or Hannukah bush, or what have you), watch white christmas, read polar express to my daughter and generally bask in the loveliness of the season. But alas, I have school work to do. Papers to write and finals to study for. So here I sit, blogging, procrastinating my homework.

As for the cashmere part of the post...I love cashmere. Really and truly I do. There is nothing more lovely than a soft, fuzzy cashmere sweater on a crispy, magical snowy day. And apparently, my daughter agrees. She spent the better part of the afternoon and evening petting me and trying to rest her head on my sweater. She cuddled up and tried to find a comfy spot to sleep on me, to the point that I almost thought I should take my sweater off and let her sleep with it, but I am selfish, and I was warm, and I didn't want to take it off. I did however, make her a pair of cashmere pants out of an old sweater the other day, and I think I shall make her a blankie out of the rest of the sweater. She'll like that, I think. I'll wrap it up for a giftmas gift.

On another RE note...her darling-ness is simply the sweetest thing sometimes. As she fell off to sleep tonight, and babbled to herself (a quiet little dadadadadada) she played with my hair. She does this sometimes, just twisting and playing with it as she drifts off. I always find it the sweetest little thing.

I commented to some friends tonight that her hugs and cuddles just mean so much more now. Sure, it was lovely when she was teeny and did nothing but snuggle all day, but now that she can make her own decision as to whether or not she hugs and cuddles, it is just more meaningful.

Snow pics

My little snowbunny...couldn't understand why she was outside in the cold. Ick.

My poor little Honda, all covered in snow.

Ryan's totally trying to decipher this crazy white stuff.

Ack, it's been forever...as usual

Life is so insane right now. Ryan's everywhere, crawling, pulling up, having tantrums. I'm nutso, school, volunteering, my business. Michael's new job is going well. We have a mold problem in the house that's not being dealt with quickly enough for my taste. Blah.

I'm going to end a very, very long day now. Ugh.