Out of Infancy and into Toddlerhood

Twelve months of age is the official moment when the term "infant" no longer applies. No longer is the baby a "baby"... she is officially a Toddler. ("Awww," says the TV audience in my head.)

So does it make me a bad mom that it has taken over two weeks for me to write a post about my toddler daughter's first birthday because I have been bitten by the Exceedingly Lazy Bug and would rather veg out with a beer and my recorded TV at night than to record this moment for posterity? (If you answered yes, may you be cursed with explosive diarrhea)

At least I have it all down in her baby book. That's right, folks. I have been faithfully entering every little moment of awesomeness in Olivia's baby memory book for the past year so that one day she will see that my OOD (Olivia Obsessive Disorder) didn't just start when she became a teenager interested in dating boys and being dropped off at the mall alone. I've been interested in every minute detail of her life since her conception. So there. She can roll her eyes at that.

So, at 9:21am on Thursday, April 1st, my little girl turned one year old. I recounted the story of how my water broke at 7am, just as soon as her daddy crawled into bed after a long night's work. And how when she was lifted from my belly the doctor said "There's the butt... and there's the baby!" because she was twisted into such a pretzel in there. She humored me with an occasional smile. She's a good baby. We had her party on the following Saturday. Here are the pictures:


The cupcakes


This is how Olivia spends her time while Mommy frosts cupcakes


First present? Her very own broom!


Next up, an abacus!


Oooh, car keys!


Countdown to first cupcake in 3... 2... 1...


And she's off! Frosting first. That's my girl!


Once the frosting was all licked off, she promptly stuffed the cake down the front of her highchair. Saving it for later? Daddy retrieved the cupcake, which she broke in half and pitched to either side of her chair. Hmpf. She really didn't want the cake!


In fact, the only cake she would eat were the few crumbs that Papi was able to catch as she flung the remenents from her chair. Papi's hands apparently make birthday cake taste more special. Oh, and in case you're wondering, Oxiclean works wonders at removing red velvet cake with pink, blue, and white icing from yellow cotton rompers. You know, in case you're into that kind of thing.