Happy Birthday, Part 1b

Today's birthday celebration was a low-key, mom and dad only affair. Since we will be celebrating it at least 2 more times, I like to think of this one now as the dress rehearsal. Duly noted - do not attempt birthday festivities with a teething 1-year old past the hour of 7 pm! Her 4th upper central tooth is making it's debut as we speak. The third one came last week.

I thought I was being all crafty by letting her take a nap from 5:30 - 6:30 (she will awaken refreshed and full of renewed verve for living, of course!), but she was just as grumpy, if not grumpier, after she awoke. :-) She was SUCH an angel this weekend, so I thought we had it made! I'm building it up to be some terrible thing which it was not. It was sweet, concise and to the point! (and with a little crying thrown in there for good measure!). We had a very nice Skype session with Grandma and Grandpa before the festivities ensued - Helen demonstrated in real time her new walking and chair climbing abilities to a much enamored G&G and she was generally in good spirits. The card of singing cats that they sent was especially fun to share in person with them!

Anyway, enough blah blah blah! Here are the pics! Start at bottom and go up.

Mash Mash Mash.

She did like the strawberry ice cream though. She's not a strange, anti-sugar child, no worries. I suspect she'll like cake just fine when her knickers aren't in a twist.

Mash.
H is into squeezing her food when she doesn't want to eat it. I put a small piece of cake in her mouth and she spit it out as if it were dreaded green beans or peas. Then she proceeded to mash it up as you'll continue to see in the pics above.
Trader Joe's makes yummy cakes for busy, working parents, thank goodness!
My friend Marcy gave me some items from her daughter's first birthday party in June - we are good recyclers. Helen DID NOT like having a party hat on, no she didn't, not one bit. Note toe-curling, instantaneous unhappiness.
Some birthday parafanalia on the kitchen table. Helen looks very ambivalent about the whole thing. Birthday smirthday. Hrmpth.