A Garden (Birthday) Party!

The three of us had a great time today celebrating Piper's first birthday. Piper seemed to enjoy herself very much. It was especially nice being able to share the day with friends that we don't get to see as often as we once did.

We cannot believe how fast this year has gone. At one she is doing and saying all sorts of things. She's not quite walking but I think she's close, and she's able to stand on her own for several seconds at a time.

She is recognizing more and more words each day. She can stick out her tongue on command, wash her hands (rub her hands together), point to my nose, give kisses, point to trees, and raises her feet when we say "tootsie", and her arms when we say "up". And she waves "night-night" and "bye-bye", and has even started to do this to indicate that she's tired and wants to go to bed.

She's also saying many words (some of which only her parent's sensitive ears can discern). Her favorite word is "this"; everything is "this". And since "this" is getting her just about anything she wants, she not saying many of the words she used to say. In addition to "this" she can say "kitty", "dada", "mama" (finally), "keys", "tree", "tootsie", and "gie" (doggie). However she's hasn't been interested in performing, so many of these impressive feats only Sean and I have witnessed.

Piper enjoys mimicking us, especially when we sneeze, cough or laugh. It's always very cute.

It's been a wonderful year. We are enjoying her more and more everyday and feel incredibly blessed to be able to share our life with her.

Recently we've begun to think about possibly having another child, however, my insurance doesn't cover maternity, and because I had a C-section no insurance company in Texas will provide maternity benefits for me. I'm in the process of talking to my doctor and the hospital about whether or not prenatal care costs are negotiable for those without insurance. We've heard that this might be the case. We'll keep you posted, but if you have any suggestions we'd love to hear them.

Now I'm going to snuggle with my little girl.

Happy Birthday Sweetie...

Kris (& Sean)