Happy 1st Birthday, Sophia!

I love birthday candles!


Gerritt helping Sophia to blow out the candle


Hugs & kisses from Korean grandma


Yummy!


Sophia in traditional Korean outfit

Today we've had Sophia's 1st birthday celebration. She turned one yesterday, but we've delayed the festivities until today (Saturday). We drove to Tacoma to share this special occasion with my husband's Mom, so I took a bunch of decorations with me. The first birthday pink & white balloons, the Happy First Birthday! banner, a candle, the first birthday hat & bib, pink napkins - all were ready to mark our little girl's first big milestone. We even stopped by the New York Cupcakes bakery this morning to buy vanilla cupcakes with pink frosting for Sophia & chocolate cupcakes with whipped cream & chocolate shavings for Gerritt. "Uncle" Ananth was able to join us as well & put many smiles on Sophia's face by making her laugh.
The morning was filled with the trip to the Korean photo studio for professional family photos while wearing the traditional Korean clothes. Sophia was cranky due to teething & a recently-acquired cold, but we've managed to get a few decent shots. We all got warm quickly due to multiple clothing layers & the hot photo studio lights. So as soon as the photo session was over, Sophia was dressed down to just her onsie & Gerritt to his pants. He did surprisingly well, smiling at all of the right moments & staying still instead of trying to run away as usual. Sophia wore the beautiful pink silk outfit bought by my husband's Mom especially for the occasion.
In the afternoon, my hubby & I decorated the room while the kids napped. We've adorned the table with bowls of colorful fruit & a huge Korean rice cake embellished with raisins (to bring good fortune). Our attempts at getting a cute photo of the birthday girl & her big brother continued in the evening. We lit a single candle in Sophia's pink cupcake, & Gerritt blew it out. Sophia had her first taste of the cupcake & loved it! She had the cake & frosting in both of her hands & all over her face - an unforgettable sight. For gifts, Sophia received a pretty dress with cardigan & a fabric doll (with removable purse, bear, hair clips, shoes & dress) from grandma Chris & grandpa Gerry as well as money from her Russian grandma. She has also received a vibrating teething toy from her nanny Irina. My husband & I gave Sophia a big stuffed white cat as comfort toy hoping to make the bedtime & middle-of-the-night awakenings easier. Gerritt has had his stuffed brown dog for almost 2 years now & rarely parts with it (so we had the same idea for Sophia).
By 8 pm, we called it a wrap & headed back home. At bedtime, Sophia tossed & turned for over an hour trying to relax enough to fall asleep. She kept trying to stand up, which resulted in her falling on the mattress over & over. Sophia would not give up, but giggle, & then try again. Finally, I had to say no to the up-and-down game & hold her down for a few minutes. She was definitely overstimulated to fall asleep on her own.
Sophia's first birthday behind us, & we keep on dreaming about getting more sleep. She slept all through the night (with a few awakenings, but without asking for milk at least) for 3 nights in a row this week, however, woke up again for a feeding for the past 2, probably due to teething. The 2nd pair of the bottom teeth are poking through.
When Gerritt turned 1 I was already 2 months pregnant with Sophia. After tactful inquiries, we've informed my husband's Mom that baby #3 is not in the plans until Sophia is at least 2 years old. Just the thought of having 3 kids in college at the same time makes the idea of having another baby in the next year unappealing.
We are certainly ready to be done with celebrations. My birthday, Mother's Day a week later, then Sophia's birthday this past weekend - happy times, but stressful too. The whole family is sick with a cold, so we just need to "veg out" for the next couple of weekends. :-)