So you're turning one, huh? (Ok, so maybe the kid is a little ahead of himself. Just try to look at one hand at a time.) What better way to celebrate than with two of your best friends, Kacey and Taline (who are also turning one), and about a hundred strangers?! Oh, you ask, what did I subject my newly one year old to? Well, according to his grandparents is wasn't as much a 1st birthday party as it was a coronation. Yes, it was a little on the large size. And yes, it was a little bit of a baby/kid-friendly wonderland resplendent with gardens lined with pinwheels, dozens of balloons, showers of bubbles, pools of every size and even a "baby lounge" full of a 100 baby-sized pillows.
But, come on, when you think about the fact that it was all for three babies (we like to think of it as Dashy's first menage) it really doesn't seem that over the top, does it? (I write this slightly wincing.) Ok, maybe it was a little much, but the main thing is that Dashy had a blast. And it seemed like everyone else did too.
In fact, Dashy didn't just have a birthday party, he had a birthday weekend!
It started with a small family party on Saturday...
When we sung Happy Birthday to Dash, he started to "dance" in his chair...
That evening while he was playing with one of his new toys, he took what I would consider to be his first real steps. Of course, that was the one moment that the video camera was turned off!
The next day was the big event. There was a lot of preparing that went into it. I have already told you about the overhaul on the yard. But there were some other last minute things to take care of.
Here's a picture that captures 3 layers of handymen at work... Dashy making sure that the rubber chips are all in order, Grandpa and Dave making sure that the teeter-totter is in good shape, and the painters finishing up the paint on the new gate. Oh, the hussle, bustle that goes into a party. It's exhilarating (and nerve-wracking!)
But, finally, everything came together!
The birthday babes...
Dashell...
Taline...
Kacey...
Balloons...
Bubbles...
Baby lounge...
...in action...
Cake... Alex made a masterpiece (we considered bronzing it briefly, before digging in!)
She also made deliciously organic smash cakes for the babies. Although there wasn't as much smashing as there was pawing...
And of course, there was plenty of partying and party-goers...
By the end Dash was pretty wiped out...
But his daddy had one more surprise in store for him...
The hugest balloon bouquet ever!!
Which had lost a little of it's oomph by morning, but Dashy loved it anyway!!
I declare the weekend Birthday-tastic!!
p.s. This party would not have been half as fantastic without all the amazing help from all the babies grandparents and great-grand parents (and of course parents). Thank you so much, everyone, for helping to make this an incredibly fun and memory filled day!!!
Happy 1st Birthday Dash!!! It was just 12 months ago that you came into our lives at 12:59pm, screaming, with crazy hair and wide eyes. It has been truly unbelievable. They say that children change your life and you definitely have. There's less sleep (and less tv; maybe a good thing) but there is so much more joy and laughter! Some mornings, I'm blurry-eyed and stumbly, and I would kill for another hour (or 10!) of sleep, but then I hear you happily babbling to yourself in your crib and I can't wait to get up out of bed and see what new adventures are in store for the two us! I love you. I love you in a way I never thought possible. In a way that I could have never experienced without having you in my life.
I love the way you ask to be picked up and then direct me to where you want to go by pointing to this or that and going "Ooo, ooo", like I'm both your car and driver.
I love it when we play "hide and seek" around your rocker. And how hard you giggle when I "find" you.
I love that you are fascinated by how things fit together. And when you're crabby all I have to do is to show you how something fits together and then give it to you to try to do yourself and you're instantly engrossed.
I love that your whole world grinds to a halt when you hear a new sound, until you have figured out just where it is coming from.
I love that you feel most at peace outside listening to the birds "talk", watching the breeze move the tree leaves, and touching the different textures of the plants.
I love (well maybe not love, but they are awfully funny) your 5 second temper tantrums that end when you realize that nothing's going to change until you stop.
I love it when I am comforting you to sleep at night, with your head on my chest, and I think that you are just about to nod off and then you suddenly pop your head up and grin at me, like you and I have a special secret, and then just as quickly put you head back down on my chest and close you eyes.
I love that you have helped me to feel more deeply and to see the world in a new, more magical way.
I love that you are part of my life. I love you Dashy. Happy, happy birthday!!
First an apology... I know the blog has been silent for almost two weeks. My excuses are not that original: I've been up to my eyeballs with work (yes, the madness continues), I've still been trying to cook Dashy all fresh food and keep the household running (laundry, bills, etc.), catch up a little on my sleep (I'm currently running at a huge deficit) and....I've been trying to turn this...
Into this...
And then into this...
...in time for Dashy's first birthday party. We still have a little ways to go, but we have a week and half. I'm hoping that's enough time!
One of my director's once said that I thrive on chaos and I'm beginning to think that there might be some truth in there. Unfortunately I think that I like to keep heaping it on until I can't shout "Uncle" because I'm being crushed under the weight of my projects! Arg! Maybe therapy is the answer.
Anywho, moving onto more interesting subjects...
Dashy has come up with his own verbal language lately. I haven't been able to determine which country I think the dialect is from. At first it sounded Swedish (I tried to get this on video but failed unfortunately. Trust me it was amazing sounding!) And now it's transitioned to something else. Take a listen...
I'm thinking Seussian. What do you think?
Dashy does have a new favorite book, "Go Dogs Go". And the reading of it has become an interactive experience...
He's getting pretty good with sign language too. When we are outside playing he will point out all the planes passing overhead by using his "up" sign everytime he hears one. (Our house is in a flight path in the mornings, so this goes on for quite a while but it is so cute the charm hasn't worn off yet!)
He has also learned to model the sign for "eat". If you ask him if he wants "Yum, Yum" (don't ask; it's a long story) he will model the sign for "eat" if he is hungry. And when Patricia told him that Arlo, our dog, needed to eat his lunch the other day, Dash modeled the "eat" sign for Arlo too.
And just so you don't think that all we do around here is converse, here's Dash breakin' out some of his new moves...
He just loves music and uses almost any excuse (his own singing, a rhythmic tapping he hears in the distance, etc.) to get his groove on!
He is also very into "feats of strength" these days. He is always trying to find the heaviest object he can lift. Lately one of his favorite "toys" is a rubber mallet...
Well, that's about it for now. I will leave you with this delightful sign-off from Dash...
So you're turning one, huh? (Ok, so maybe the kid is a little ahead of himself. Just try to look at one hand at a time.) What better way to celebrate than with two of your best friends, Kacey and Taline (who are also turning one), and about a hundred strangers?! Oh, you ask, what did I subject my newly one year old to? Well, according to his grandparents is wasn't as much a 1st birthday party as it was a coronation. Yes, it was a little on the large size. And yes, it was a little bit of a baby/kid-friendly wonderland resplendent with gardens lined with pinwheels, dozens of balloons, showers of bubbles, pools of every size and even a "baby lounge" full of a 100 baby-sized pillows.
Dashy making sure that the rubber chips are all in order, Grandpa and Dave making sure that the teeter-totter is in good shape, and the painters finishing up the paint on the new gate. Oh, the hussle, bustle that goes into a party. It's exhilarating (and nerve-wracking!)
