I know that it’s been more than a week since our little celebration, but we’ve all needed time to recover. Let’s be honest… I needed time to process. I am in awe that she is old enough for a birthday party. Although it seems so long ago that I was waiting for her arrival, at the same time it’s so hard to wrap my mind around the fact that she’s actually a whole year old. Just yesterday she was a tiny baby, twirling my necklace while I rocked her to sleep.
It seems like she’s grown up overnight. Her sweet little baby face now looks like a big girl! Her hair is long in the back and she says things. Her walking has gotten so much better and she has these facial expressions that really showcase her sense of humor. Y’all, she is a spitfire. She packs more personality into her tiny little frame than you could possibly imagine by looking at her. She isn’t meek or mild… she is voracious.
I have so many wonderful pictures to share from her big day. As always, K really outdid herself. They are so pretty, in fact, that I didn’t want to waste them on a post with too many words. I thought I’d tell you how wonderful it all was and then leave the pictures for another day.
I started to worry that my great book idea wasn’t such a great one a few days before the party. People were asking what books we didn’t already have and they were worried too many people might pick the same ones. Would you believe that out of about 30 books, we only had two duplications? No big deal… those books will make a wonderful addition to the book basket at Garan’s house. You wanna know what really confirmed how great of an idea it was? After nap on that Saturday, Sophie AND Ella sat in the floor of the nursery and looked through the books for hours. They have both carried them all from room to room and we have read and reread them all. Some make noises or read themselves out loud. Some have holes for little fingers or puppets that dance on each page. Some are about animals and others are about Jesus. Some are board books for babies and others have soft pages for the bigger hands of a growing girl. One gift was a large gift card to the bookstore, so that when we tire of these first round picks, we can load up and purchase another sack full. It has been so much fun to see what each person hand-picked for our little girl and to read the lovely notes they left on the bookplates we sent out with our invitations. I’m already dreaming of ways to ask for books at Ella’s party, too!
Sophie only opened one of her gifts. After the very first unwrapping, she sat contentedly beside me and read those first two books while Ella and I plowed through the others. Every few boxes that went by, I tried to encourage her to help, but she was so enamored with those books that she couldn’t be disturbed. Ella didn’t seem to mind.
I can’t believe it’s over. We have been looking forward to the party for months now. Planning every little project, picking pretty foods and designing perfect cakes. The streamers and poms are still hanging from our chandelier. Twelve months of photos are still framed on the dining room wall. Water bottles wishing happy birthday are floating in a big blue tub and Sophie splashes the water every time she walks by. I’m going to miss the birthday party in my dining room.
