1st Birthday

I just realized I didn't post a birthday blog.  Nicole's birthday was a huge success.  It was a lot of fun to have some many people come and visit to help us celebrate.  Nicole did great, too! She wasn't a big fan of her cake.  Maybe she thought it was too pretty to eat.  Her Auntie Kari made it for her.  It was delicious!!!

Here are some pictures of the party and of the birthday photos we had taken.  I loved her little outfit we found on Etsy.com.  I got a lot of the decorations for the party from there, too.  I love that site.

  

We Have a Toddler on our Hands!!

Nicole is walking now...she has been taking a few steps here and there for awhile, but last week she decided she was ready.  Now she wants to walk everywhere.  She hardly crawls at all anymore.

She is such a great age right now.  Everything we do is new and it is fun to see how she reacts.  We went to the zoo a few weekends ago.  It is really close, so we figured it would be fun to check out.  She really loved it. She really liked to watch the other kids watch the animals, especially the elephants and giraffes.  She loved watching the other kids, too.

Pointing at the elephants

Watch out for the homosapian

Nicole tried to share with this old guy

Nicole and Jake

Last week, I took her to botanical gardens with our friend Krystal and her little boy, Jake.  The weather was beautiful!  It was nice to get out and enjoy the sun.  We saw a bald eagle nest with babies.  That was neat.  Nicole also discovered that turtles like cheerios almost as much as she does.  We got some great pictures of her in her Easter dress.  She looked so cute.  She practiced her walking on the grass.  She did okay, but when she fell down, she didn't like it touching her leg.  What a silly girl!

I love this girl!!

Everyday it seems like something new with her.  We discovered she likes ice cream.  We were playing one day and Shaun brought me a fudge pop.  She started opening her mouth at me as wide as she could. This is her new way of telling me she wants to eat something I have.  It is hilarious to me to see.  It is especially funny in the grocery store...  Here is a picture of her enjoying the ice cream.

This week, Nicole is getting extra time with Daddy.  I have to go away for work for the first time since she was born.  I have been really lucky up until now that I haven't had to go anywhere.  I'm heading to Florida for two weeks.  I know they will be fine and it will be good for both of them, but I am going to miss her terribly.  I already do and I've only been gone a few hours.  This is also the end of our nursing time.  I'm so glad that we have been able to do it for 13 months.  It wasn't easy in the beginning, but I have really started to love that time with her.  I guess this is just another milestone on her way to independence.

 Luckily, Nicole is doing a great job sleeping now.  Most nights, she sleeps through the night and she is doing better with her naps, too.  Our lives have gotten a lot more relaxed since we have all started sleeping better.  It is long overdue, but we are so glad things are starting to normalize a little.