Autumn's Birthday!

Autumn turned one on December 24.  However we already celebrated her birthday this year, back in June on her half birthday.  The weeks leading up to her birthday I would say things like, "for Autumn's birthday we should..." Evan finally said to me, "I am so confused about her birthday.  Are you talking about in June or next week?"  Ok maybe I am a little confused too.  I have a friend whose birthday is on Halloween.  When I asked her about sharing her birthday with a popular holiday she expressed positive sentiments.  She said, "Everyone loves Halloween.  Everyone is always in a good mood. And no one forgets my birthday."  I like that positive attitude.  Having your birthday near a holiday does have its perks.  You typically are with family. There is always good food. And people remember it is your birthday (even if they combine your Christmas and Birthday gifts).  It is better than my sister's birthday (August 1st).  She has celebrated it at a family reunion or girls camp (or by herself because everyone else is at girls camp) most of her life.   

I felt like this birthday, her first one, was crucial in establishing what Autumn's BIRTHDAY (like the day she was born-not in June) traditions would entail.  This is what I came up with.  She will get a new outfit to wear.  Wearing new clothes always makes me feel special.  She will get a special breakfast (as not to interfere with other evening time traditions).  People are allowed to wish her Happy Birthday all day long.  We will have dessert (after dinner) and she can blow out candles (and make a wish of course).  

I want to make her half birthday more of a spectacle with more gifts, a special birthday dinner (which she'll get to choose when she gets older), a party with friends perhaps, and cake with candles. I'll hang the "Happy Birthday" banner, and she can eat on the special red plate.  

There are two reasons I want to celebrate Autumn's birthday in this fashion.  

1.  I want to keep Christmas about Christ.  I want to be able to perform the Nativity each Christmas Eve.  I want to focus on giving to others and sharing the holiday with family and friends.  I don't want to nag/hassle/complain to my family and remind them that it is Autumn's birthday.  

2.  I want Autumn to have a special day.  I want Autumn to be able to choose what we have for dinner on her birthday.  If we celebrate Christmas with family I want them to be able to cook what they want for dinner, plus what if Autumn wants KFC for dinner are they even open on Christmas Eve?

This year we did a good job at keeping it low key.  Even though she had more to open then just her outfit.  My sister made (super yummy) pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast and Autumn opened a few gifts.

 

After 1st nap we took a tour of historic Uptown Charlotte.  It was rainy and cold.  Luckily my brother in law had the idea that we could see most of the historic sites from inside the sky scrapers/sky bridges.  It was a good thing it was practically a holiday and the buildings were empty.

Alice and Autumn playing.  We had yummy turkey meatballs Heather made for dinner.  She kept saying how good they were.  I was worried she hyped them up too much.  But she didn't they were amazing.  Then we played Bingo a Roberts family tradition. Then dessert

I (over) cooked a giant chocolate chip cookie cake for dessert.

Autumn loves to share with others.  It is adorable

Oh the dreaded "Month" pictures (and update)...I thought it was fun/cute to take pictures of Autumn on her "month" birthdays.  It was cute for the first 5 months.  Then she started to move around too much.

Autumn had a busy month with lots of big kid things going on.  She is so much more independent and can entertain herself for short periods of time.  She still likes to be in the same room as I am, but she is acting so grown up.  Things she really likes as of late are zippers (loves to pull her zipper down on her jacket, loves to pull at my zippers), buttons, loves lifting the toilet lid, she likes to put lids on containers and take them off, she likes to put things in boxes and take them out, loves getting the Ritz crackers out of the cupboard and feeding them to herself, opening and closing doors, walking, being chased around the house, and most of all SHOES! 

 She typically carries my running shoes around as if to say, "how come you haven't used these in like forever Mom".

Autumn seems tall to me and still a little skinny thing.  She now signs "please" all the time, what a polite little girl.  She cut her top 2 teeth Dec 5.  She now takes a nap without any rocking or aiding from me.  This milestone probably could have come sooner, lets just say it was more of a milestone for mom!  Dec 11 she figured out how to open the dishwasher all by herself.  The next day she said "Yes"-twice, but hasn't done that since.

payback from this

The little girls went to bed.  Then the "big kids" performed the nativity again.

Pre Christmas In North Carolina

We made a not quite last minute decision to spend Christmas in Charlotte, NC with my older sister and her family.  We were lucky that Evan was able to take a couple days off.  My sister was an excellent hostess and provided us with lots of entertainment and yummy food.  We left after Evan got off of work the Wednesday before Christmas and arrived very early morning on Thursday after we took the very long way around Columbus, Ohio.  

THURSDAY we just hung around the house since our girls don't take naps at the same time, one or both of them was pretty much asleep day!  That night we participated in the Baker's advent activity which was "bang on things while Christmas music plays in the back ground"

Heather's house is cold.  The house is just too big to heat.  Evan didn't believe Heather so he didn't pack accordingly.  One night he slept in his jeans because he didn't pack sleep pants.  I'm glad I brought my boots.  The girls were pretty good at sharing.

FRIDAY:  we went to the mall so Autumn could get her picture taken with Santa.  She was not a fan.  She even got a little nervous waiting in line, but her parents made her get a picture anyway.  

Then we wondered around Bass Pro Shop for a while longer.

Evan with the "twins"

Feeding the "squirrels"

They kept getting closer and 

CLOSER

SATURDAY: Greg and Rex went to visit Greg's family.  We took the girls to the park and feed them.

SUNDAY: Autumn was sick sick.  In the middle of the night she had a 105 degree F fever.  Autumn has been sick before, but this time was a little scary.  I just felt so helpless.  She is usually a very happy little girl even when she isn't feeling well.  I had a hard time consoling her this time.  

Because she was sick she skipped out on church.  But don't her cousins look adorable.

This is the one thing that calmed her down while she was sick.  Being pushed in the stroller...

Alice's doll stroller.  She looked that a person with a person in a wheel chair.  She liked to sit by the window and look out from her stroller.  It was kinda cute, but mostly just pathetic.

We tried giving her a bath to calm her down.  That didn't work.  She also refused to go in the tub without her blanket.  She isn't usually that attached to anything, but apparently that day she needed it.  I think she started to feel better after she had another nap, but she missed most of the Baker family party.

Evan teaching Rex about football

The start of the Euchre tournament.  This was right before they told Rex he couldn't play.  The tournament was suppose to keep the adults busy while the kiddos prepared for the Nativity play, but ended up dominating the entertainment of the evening.

The nativity.  Autumn was suppose to be a sheep with her cousin Alice, but she was asleep instead.

Narrator

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Yay for December!  Since I'm not working with kids this winter, like I have the last several years, it has been hard to get in the Christmas spirit.  Evan bought me my favorite Christmas CD by the Carpenters, which has helped.  We also accidentally found a house nearby that has their Christmas lights synced to music.  I loved that!  Last weekend we went with our buddies, the Andersons, to the same farm we visited in October.  But instead of visiting the pumpkin patch we visited "Santa's Toy Land."  I really appreciate when people/organizations openly display Nativity scenes and other Christian symbols at Christmas.

Nora and Autumn

I love Autumn in this coat, I think it is so funny! She has a hard time standing up if she falls down . 

This one is for my dad!  He knows how much I love cut out face things.

We enjoyed the Toy Land, then hot cocoa and donuts, and the girls had fun playing on the play equipment.  It is fun to go on outings with other people not only for the company, but then we can trade taking family photos for each other ;)  

11 months

Our little Autumn is now 11 months old. [Insert some comment about how the time has flown by or where has my baby gone whine].  She is still a little on the small size.  I had Evan weigh her when he was on his pediatric rotation and she was only 18 pounds.  She wears 9 month and 12 month clothes and 3 diapers.  Autumn is so full of personality, we crack each other up.  She started off the month with a few steps (10.26) and ended the month walking all over the place.  Autumn and I were at a play date with some friends at the mall play area and Autumn took several steps in a row (my friend said she thought it was about 4 or 5 steps-I was thinking more like 7.  I guess moms exaggerate a little?).  I was so excited, she hadn't taken any steps for almost 2 weeks.  The next night (11.8) she took 13 steps (I counted!) and since then has been all over the place.  I love having her so mobile.  She is much happier being able to get to and into what she wants!  She now enjoys putting things into containers and taking them out, oh what fun!  She went though a phase for a couple days where is was obsessed with getting the tampons out of the bathroom drawer, then pulling them out of the box and putting them all over the house.  She can sign "eat/food" and "more."  She now however has figured out that when she signs "eat" we react so she signs "eat" whenever she wants something.  I guess it kinda works though because she always wants to put it in her mouth.

I don't remember when I bought this but it was 5 dollars well spent.  Autumn loves to get pushed around on her little car.  She doesn't ride on it as much anymore though now that she walks.

She is a much better eater when she gets to feed herself.  I have been giving her a lot of pears and apples.

Autumn met Michael Skupin (from the TV show Survivor) at the library, when he was giving a lecture there.

Berries! Autumn cracks up whenever I laugh (or pretend to laugh) I think that is what is going on here.

I think this one is funny!

She loves to play with the singing/dancing toy Grandma Norby gave us.  She knows how to press the button to turn it on and off.  She loves to wave her hands in the air when the music is going.  She also really likes the One Direction song, "You Don't Know You're Beautiful."  She walks in the kitchen and stares at the IPod and bangs on Evan or my legs until we pick her up and dance with her.  She especially likes to dance with Evan.