Avery's 1st Birthday

Today is Avery's Birthday!  I can't believe she is 1 today.  This year has been such a blur.  As soon as the sleepless nights were over, we started talking about the move.  Then, the sleepless nights began again.  Maybe that's why I can't remember much (except the pregnancy and birth which I do not want to do again!).

Anyway, we had a 4 day weekend and got to spend some great quality time together as a family.  We had a picnic at a park just down the street and met a couple of other families from the US that we know through work.  Kaeli rode her bicycle (Thanks, Carlsons!) all the way to the park.  Just 4 weeks ago, she could barely ride it just down the sidewalk.  Here are some pics from the party.

But, more about Avery since today is her birthday...  We think she is super cute and she still has gorgeous blue eyes.  Her hair is growing out and is looking a little curly in the back.  She is such a funny baby, well, I guess I should say she is such a funny toddler because she is certainly toddling.  She laughs at everything, especially her big sissy, Kaeli.  On Sunday, she started giggling for no reason.  She was giggling so hard that Bryan couldn't get her dressed!  She was bound and determined to be walking before she turned one, and today she walked all day at school and all around the house this evening.  Along with walking, she has become alot more confident and thinks she can do just about anything her big sister can do.  She climbed up both flights of stairs this weekend.  She refuses to eat anything that she can't feed herself, but also refuses to hold her own bottle!  She is off of formula and on to soy milk, which she loves.  She drinks sooooo much of it.  I don't know if it's the new surroundings or the weeks of sickness, but she has become much more cuddly.  She never liked to snuggle when we were in the US, but now she will nuzzle with just about anyone who holds her.  She has also started giving kisses and waves "bye bye" and even says "Dag" (that's "bye" in Dutch).  She got a birthday hat at day care today.  We put it on her at home and she didn't like that so much, but she did love the cake that Kaeli picked out for her.  She's now sleeping soundly with her little bottom up in the air, just the way Kaeli used to sleep.

More pictures of the birthday girl: