First Birthday Party

We enjoyed celebrating Leah's first birthday all last week.  We are fortunate to have friends and family who care about Leah so much.  Some presents started arriving during the week, and Leah loved opening them up.  See how excited she got?



First present to arrive, all the way from California from Auntie Kristen



The Peanut loves styrofoam peanuts!  She just pops them in her mouth like they are nothing...doesn't even stop to think about it.  The more we try to stop her, the more determined she is to get her baby paws on them and munch away.

And she's really learning how to tear into some gift wrap!  Check out the stance she picked for maximum gift-opening leverage as she really puts her back into pulling the wrapping paper off....

Saturday was her official first birthday party, and it was a wonderful event, full of family and "firsts."  We grilled hamburgers and hot dogs.  Leah had her first cheeseburger, and ate it like it was a plate of black beans (the girl loves black beans for some reason).  We paused for a thank you to everyone for coming and their help/support during Leah's first year, especially Leah's grandparents.

We owe thanks to many folks, but we shared examples of what each grandparent has done for us this past year.  They are worth repeating:

Grandma: AA's mom was there from the beginning...I believe she arrived on day 3, while we were still trying to figure out which end was up.  She cooked for us and held Leah while we tried to get organized and adjusted.  She was up first thing every morning to take over so we could get some sleep, and she stocked our freezer before she left.  She's kind of like James Bond in the kitchen...give her a paperclip and a battery, and she'll whip up a salmon salad.  This past week, she's been watching Leah so we wouldn't have to send Leah back into the germ pool known as daycare, which would derail AA's already-behind-schedule studies. 

Granda: AA's dad was a huge help too.  I think he's been thrown up on most out of all the family members, and he took it all in stride.  He took night shifts and early morning shifts, and I know he did some grocery shopping for us too.  Early one morning, I walked out of our room and he said, "You see that burp cloth over there?  Bring it to me now.  I just changed my first diaper in 30 years."  So how does it compare to riding a bike, Wayne?

Nana Wanda: AA's stepmom cooked great southern food for us and took a few night shifts too.  She raided our fridge for Dr. Pepper, then stayed up holding Leah all night long in the dark.  I'll never know how Wayne and Wanda rocked Leah all night long in pitch darkness, but somehow they did.  And one day, Wanda told us to "get lost" so she could deep clean our apartment before they left.  When we came home, all the windows were open and she was scrubbing away like her life depended on it. 

Papa: In addition to surviving on frozen dinners and Long John Silvers while Nana stayed with us, BA's dad held Leah and entertained her while we ran errands and got things done around the house.  Most recently, he assembled all of our porch furniture while AA studied and BA slept to recover from being sick.  He also helped us transition to a home in Atlanta by watching Leah as soon as we got to Atlanta so we could house hunt, shop, and get organized. 

Nana: So that AA could return to school and BA could return to work, we needed someone to watch Leah until she was 2 months old and could attend daycare.  When we asked BA's mom if she was up for the task, the next day she said she had a 1-way plane ticket to LA.  She stayed with us for about 5 weeks, and she was amazing.  She was up, showered, with a cup of tea every day at 6 a.m.  We'd hand Leah over (because we'd been on the couch holding her all night), and head straight to bed for an hour or two.  Some days we would come home, and she'd have the dishes done, the laundry folded, the bathrooms cleaned, dinner ready, and Leah strapped onto her.  I have no idea how she does it.  Keep in mind that we couldn't put Leah down for the first 2 months...somebody had to hold her 24 hours a day.  So Nana did all of this while holding Leah.  And she just spent another 2 weeks watching Leah so that she could get healthy.  Of course, she never got healthy until she got tubes, but we were so glad to have Nana's help around the house. 

And Aunt Haley deserves a big "thank you" as well.  She has been such a trouper through all of this, learning how to feed, bathe, and put Leah down at night so we could go to dinner alone every now and then.  She's traveled all over, she's cooked, she's cleaned, she's babysat....she's done it all and never complained.  She's been as wonderful of an Aunt to Leah as she is a sister and sister-in-law.

It wasn't easy for them....it's not like we lived right down the road.  Everybody had to spend time and money (and time off of work) to fly across the country to do these chores for us.  You all may not remember all of the little things you did, but we won't forget them.  We can't thank you enough!  But back to the party....

Then it was time for Leah's first taste of cake.  AA selected a strawberry cupcake from "A Piece of Cake" and topped it with (a replica of) one of Leah's favorite bath toys - a little pink squirt ducky we call "Matilda."  Leah was equally interested in eating the cake and Matilda.

As usual, Leah made such a mess that it required two people to clean her up.  The only difference on this day is that while she was being cleaned, she had an audience to entertain.

We opted for Leah to go naked the rest of the day.  It seemed appropriate.

We asked for "No gifts please," but no one followed the rules.  So we decided to open Leah's presents while everyone was there.  Leah got many wonderful gifts...way too many to mention here.  She got clothes, money for college, toys, educational things, music, bags, books, and more.  We opened a 529 for her (which I'm sure Leah and AA were equally thrilled about), and got her some baby Converse shoes.  BA bought her a case of Kleenex tissues....4 boxes worth.  Leah loves to pull them out, one by one.  We always stop her, but he thought giving her hundreds of tissues to pull out and just letting her go to town would be a fitting first birthday present.  So she did, and we got a good laugh out of it.
 

Then we put on her Converse and topped it with a pair of "babiator" sunglasses our friend Emily got her. 

After we opened presents, Leah got another "first" -  she had her first taste of ice cream.  BA decided to get a homemade ice cream maker and make vanilla ice cream from scratch for the party.  AA's Dad had to save the day in the end by hitting the store for more ice.  It didn't turn out quite as planned, but everyone ate it up, so it must have been ok.  Leah certainly enjoyed it!

Leah's biggest toy was a red wagon from Nana and Papa.  Papa assembled it for us a week earlier, and we hid it from Leah until the "big reveal" after the other presents had been opened.  She loves this thing.  We think she just enjoys seeing all of the scenery go by, compared to when she's in her stroller.  It's kind of funny actually...80% of the time she's in her wagon, she clinches onto both sides, stays pretty quiet, and maintains a very serious look on her face.  It's like she's driving or something - "no funny business when I'm being pulled in my wagon."  The rest of the time, she's smiling like crazy, talking up a storm, pointing at things going by, and rocking back and forth when we stop (to queue us to keep going).  It's adorable. 

Ready to go.



Serious business



It's been pretty hot recently, so Leah was a little sweaty by the end of her first wagon ride with AA's family.  After all, it's tough work sitting back and letting other people pull you along like you're a princess.

Later that weekend, Grandma and Aunt Haley worked with Leah on climbing the stairs.  They've been working on this for a while now.  This time, she climbed all the way up by herself. 

About halfway up, she started saying "Ma Ma."  AA was studying upstairs with the door closed, and apparently Leah wanted to see her.  She climbed and climbed.  With one step to go, she turned and looked at us.  We encouraged her to go ahead.  She climbed the last step, and didn't stop for a millisecond....she immediately crawled at lightning speed straight to AA's door, butt bouncing in the air the whole time.  It was hilarious and very sweet.  We just happened to get it on video.  She's done it several times since.  She knows where her Ma-Ma is!

Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate Leah's first year!

BA's Corner: The Big Day

Sandwiched between final exams, a cross-country move, and bar exam prep was one major day that flew by way too quickly: graduation day.  I saw many of AA's friends who I hadn't seen in months, which was always a nice treat.  And we met many of their families, who we'd heard a lot about.  Leah got passed around and seemed to make everyone smile.  It was a wonderful time, and we enjoyed celebrating AA's hard-earned achievement.

AA's family flew in from Florida and D.C. to attend.  They spent a few days in the hotel with us and helped us say farewell to California.

It's unfortunate that AA spent 3 years on something this big, and you only spend a couple of days celebrating it.  But there has never been a more beautiful setting for a graduation - bright, sunny Malibu did not disappoint! 

"Guys, I think I can manage the cap, but the gown and the stairs are going to be a challenge."

AA with her family

"Weee, this is fun!  I still don't know why I have these things on my feet though."



AA and her Law School friends, Jill, Kristen, and Emily - Class of 2012

"All of this pomp and circumstance makes me hungry....this looks tasty."



"Auntie Kristen, Aren't you hungry too?"

"What do you mean you didn't bring any goldfish!"



One of my favorite pics from the day...our friend Kenley (a father himself)
attempting to control a strong and squirmy Peanut.



AA wanted her graduation lunch to be at Versailles, a local cuban restaurant chain.  It was a tough choice with so many good restaurants around, but it's hard to go wrong with Versailles.  We all enjoyed our last lunch in LA.

Easter Weekend

On Saturday we went out for brunch in Studio City with our friends Emily and Kenley.  As usual, Leah provided excellent entertainment by flirting with the other patrons in the restaurant.  She was content to look around and check everything out for a while, and then when she grew bored of that, we just passed her around among the 4 adults.  Leah was so well behaved the whole time.

After brunch we decided to cross off one more item on our L.A. bucket list.  So we drove 15 minutes east to Pasadena.  Can you guess what this is?

This totally made my week!  The "Father of the Bride" House! 

Then, like the last-minute-mom that I am, I went out and bought Leah's Easter Basket.  That's right, I waited until the night before.  I had really good intentions of doing this earlier, I swear.  But after a week-long intensive class that required me to be at campus by 8 a.m. and sometimes stay until 8 p.m. I just plain ran out of time and energy.  So I went to Target at 5:30 p.m. with the rest of the loser-moms on a Saturday night to pick through the remains of the Easter display.  It's amazing how easy shopping is without a baby in tow.  Normally I dread going to Target, but I found my Easter goodies, plus a few essentials for the week, and was back home within 1 hour. 

Here's the Peanut's first Easter basket.  The Easter Bunny brought Leah a bottle of Aquaphor (for baby's dry skin) and organic fruit puffs along with the standard chocolate bunny and jelly beans. 

For Easter church we went to a service at the Malibu bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  The Malibu Presbyterian Church holds this special Easter service each year.  It was held in this giant tent and they had a contemporary band that sounded like a professional rock band.  It was pretty loud but lots of fun and the weather was absolutely perfect for an outdoor service.  Leah was pretty-in-pink in an embroidered dress, a gift from her Nana.

Family picture taken by a nice stranger at church.

Waiting for the service to begin and checking out the other babies.

Time for a quick diaper change in the back of the Jeep.

And then we changed Leah out of her Easter finest, and went to lunch at our favorite Bar-B-Q spot, Wood Ranch.  Happy Easter everyone!

30th Birthday

I turned 30 two weekends ago.  Even though it was a while ago, I don't want to skip over this because BA did some really nice things for me.

I didn't feel up to doing anything special this year, mostly because I didn't feel like people would want to take the time to celebrate with me.  But BA insisted.  He emailed a group of my friends and arranged for us all to go out to eat in Santa Monica.  It was perfect - I had eight wonderful friends show up and we went to this Balinese restaurant on the 3rd Street Promenade.  The next day was my actual birthday and I woke up to breakfast casserole (courtesy of BA's mom, Priscilla, who has been staying with us for the past month to help out with Leah until she's old enough for daycare) and a stack of presents and cards. 

Pardon the mess that is our apartment, but I had to show you the decorations BA put up for my birthday

I only have one request on my birthday and that is that I get a cake.  BA can buy it or make it from a box - I don't care - I just want a cake on my birthday.  This year, I got an extra special treat ... Priscilla made me a homemade chocolate cake! Delish!

A special birthday wish from my favorite baby in the world!

The next weekend we went to Katsuya with a couple of my friends who couldn't make the official birthday party.  Katsuya is this fancy sushi place where all the Hollywood types go.  A good friend of mine used to work there as a hostess and she would seat the likes of Tom Hanks, Ben Affleck, and Collin Firth.  Because she knew the manager, we got seated in the "Tom Hanks booth," the best booth in the whole house!  It was tucked back into the wall for optimum privacy (that's why Tom Hanks likes it) and so as other patrons would walk by they'd all look in to see what fabulous celebrity got the booth that night.  Imagine their disappointment, I mean glee, to see who was sitting there that night!

Katsuya was worth every penny (and there were a lot of them) - Delicious food and drink!