Mommy's Birthday

Sarah turns thirtysomething on Friday, and Tim's siblings threw Sarah an early birthday party this evening. We ate cake, we dined on pizza, and we made many toasts to the birthday girl.

What could mommy be wishing for?
Mommy's sibling-in-laws ... Jenny, Chelle, Mike, Allen, and Cheese Plate.
Rory gave her mommy a big hug before heading to bed.

Baby Model, Age 1

I can do "cute"

I can do "demure"

I can do "mischievious"

I can do "Paris Hilton has just been busted"

I can do "pleased with myself"

I can do "sleepy"

These photos were taken on Rory's trip to Austin, Texas. There, Rory saw her Nonna, Pops, Aunt Sydney, and many of her Texas relatives.

Rory at One Year

On Wednesday, Rory had her one-year check-up, and Dr. Lundgren declared our little girl fit for toddler duty. At 29.25 inches and 18.6 pounds, Rory is still tall (80%-90% percentile) and light weight (10%-20% percentile), progressing steadily along her growth curve.

In this picture, Rory shows off her ball-swimming skills. To see more of Rory's survival skills, check out this video! For a glimpse at an American Idol in the making, check out this one!

Rory's First Birthday, Part 4

On Friday, August 10, Rory awoke from her slumber to find her parents hovering above her crib. It had been one year ago that Rory's parents had last awakened as "married without children". By 11:31 that evening, Rory had joined her parents in the delivery room. At one year old, Rory is walking, clapping, feeding herself, and saying "uh oh" when she drops something (her first word?). On this important morning, Rory donned a pretty dress and hair barrett (finally enough hair to wear one!).
After a morning with her mommy, Rory visited her daddy in his office before taking her parents to a birthday lunch.
Rory chose "Bread & Chocolate" for her birthday lunch, taking a few bites of her daddy's croissant, but otherwise sticking with her peas, cheese, and chicken (her favorite meal).
Rory eyed the glass display case full of colorful desserts.
Rory didn't know what to do with her little cookie at first ...
... but she got the hang of it soon enough!
Later that afternoon, Rory gathered all of her gifts together. Right now, she seems most enamored with the musical stage ...
... and the lion "walker", which she uses it to zoom around the room with abandon.
Rory bowed down to her new panda, which her Pops ordered from the World Wildlife Fund. The WWF is located in the same building as Rory's daycare center, and a WWF staff member hand delivered it herself to Rory.

Rory's First Birthday, Part 3

Why is this little girl smiling? Because she got to celebrate her first birthday a third time!
This time, her birthday stash came courtesy of her daddy's family, who joined us for a party last Tuesday.
Rory delighted her Grandma, Uncle Mike, Uncle Allen, and Aunt Chelle with her exploits ...
... including some quality time in the "ball pit of fun"!
Allen's gift to Rory made a sneak attack, trying to join Rory in the ball pit.
As has become tradition, Rory was given a small cupcake to enjoy.
At first, it looked like she would dig into her cupcake with gusto, but ...
... she changed her mind! Yes, she can cry if she wants to, it's her birthday!
Fortunately, the sippy cup (and her cheering fans) saved the day.

Rory's First Birthday, Part 2

Lucky little Rory got to have a second celebration of her birthday with another group of her friends. This time, the event was hosted by Eli.
Eli had lots and lots of fun toys for Tim ... I mean ... for Rory to play with. To see what seven babies look like at play, check out this video.
Fortunately, we had learned our lesson last time and moved the party outside when it was time for cupcakes.
At first, Rory looked like she was going to eat her birthday cake with dainty little bites.
But then, Rory heard her daddy yell: put your whole hand into it dear!
And, suddenly, Rory was re-enacting a scene from her parents' wedding ... this time, it was Rory shoving cake into mommy's face!
Back at home, Rory got to open one of her birthday presents early! To see a video of Rory with her lion, click here.
Rory was a happy little kid tonight. And to think, she still has a big celebration with her family coming up this week!

Rory Laughs, Walks, and Roars

Rory cracks us up with her giddy laughter, her mighty roars, and her increasing mobility. These two videos were shot while we were celebrating Aunt Chelle's birthday (Aug. 1) with Uncle Mike and Uncle Allen. Rory Laughs and Rory Walks. Enjoy!

And while we're on the topic of my You Tube videos, it appears as though one of them has now gone "viral" ... the "Wookie" video has been viewed by almost 1,000 people, with most of those viewings having occurred in just the last month! (I have no idea how that happened!) The shame is that the "Wookie" video is not the funniest of Rory's video collection. Personally, I think that honor goes to either the Gerber "Rory Growls When She Eats" Video or the new Rory Laughs Video. If you agree, perhaps we could try to mount a campaign to circulate these funnier videos for the world to see!

Rory's First Birthday, Part 1

Rory enjoyed an early birthday party with three of her closest friends: Greta, Aidan, and Dahlia (also pictured here at 4 months)
Dahlia's mom presented cupcakes for each of the kids.
The moms sang "happy birthday" while the dads took pictures and drank beer.
Rory had a little help blowing out her candle.
But she dove right into the cupcake, smearing icing all over her mommy and herself (there is a reason the dads chose to hang back with the cameras).
Once she was cleaned up (that's the mighty paper roll in the foreground), Rory ate her cake like a little lady.