Archive for the “Birthdays” Category
Celebrating Miranda’s First Birthday
Lucky Miranda got to have cake three times for her birthday! Once at a party with a few friends the day before her birthday, once the day of her birthday at home with us, and once at her family party the following weekend. She really, really loved it! We love our sweet Miranda so much—we were so happy that she got to enjoy so many celebrations with so many loved ones.
Happy Birthday Girl
Parallel Play Miranda plays with Yoshi and Artie at her birthday party.
Yummy cupcake!
Pinkish-Red frosting
Who like’s cupcakes? "I do!!!"
Opening a gift from Josie
Cupcakes Revisited I
Cupcakes Revisited II
Cupcakes Revisited III
Cupcakes Revisited IV
Birthday girl with Meema
1 year old!!!
Heart Birthday Cake Mom is still learning how to pipe frosting.
“Happy birthday to you”
“You want some?”
“On second thought I’ll eat it myself”
“Here I am!” Wearing her mom-made birthday shirt
Present Time! 
Two favorite gifts A cat from Grandpa and Cora and a stroller from Meema and PopPop.
Auntie Jodi and Uncle Jay tickle the birthday girl
Not cooperating for a picture with Grandpa
Poor Sick Natalie with PopPop 
Storytime with Grandma and Meema
Aunt Kary with Miranda and Daddy 
Proud parents Natalie’s 4th Birthday Party
We’ve always had Natalie’s birthday parties at home. But since we now live in an even smaller place than we did before, and most of Natalie’s friends still live in NJ, we had her first non-house party. Unfortunately, the first party had to be cancelled because Natalie was terribly sick with a relentless cough. We rescheduled for mid-January to avoid holiday conflicts—it worked out well because all her friends were able to attend! Natalie had a gymnastics party, a real treat for her since we haven’t found a gym in Brooklyn we like as much as Schafer’s.
The party went exceedingly well—I don’t think even one child shed a single tear! The kids had the whole gym to themselves and Schafer’s provided two instructors for eight 4-year-olds. They jumped, tumbled, and swung from the trapeze for an hour and a half while the parents got to chat and watch, then we went to Nino’s for pizza. In retrospect, I could have planned a couple of activities for the restaurant, but Nino’s had crayons and place mats for the kids to color. Everyone was well behaved, and only a little post-cupcake craziness ensued.
Here is a slideshow of the party highlights:
High-res pics can be found on flickr. Click here to view.
Our big 4-year-old!
This morning I took Natalie for her 4-year well visit—only 3 months after her birthday! This was her first visit with our new pediatrician in Brooklyn. The new doctor is ok (no specific complaints) but the visit made me miss Dr. Stephen. A lot. We had such a good rapport and she was so engaged with Natalie. Is it crazy to take Natalie to NJ for well visits?
I’m not sure that I ever published Natalie’s 3-year stats, so here they are for comparison’s sake.
3 Years Old:
29 pounds (25%)
38.5 inches (75-90%)
4 Years Old:
34 pounds (30%)
41.75 inches (75%)
To us, the biggest indicator of Natalie’s growth is that she can now wrap her fingers around both sides of the end of our dining room table. All last year, Natalie would try and try to reach both sides at once, but was always a few inches short. Since we moved, we now keep the table against the wall, so she stopped trying at every meal, and Chris and I kinda forgot about it. Then one night, just after her 4th birthday, Natalie discovered that her fingers finally reached! She was so proud, as were we!
Reeeeeeaaaaaach! 
I can do it now!