Happy Birthday to Noelle!

It's official! I am now the mom to a one year old! That is really hard to believe. In some ways the time has passed so fast, but in other ways it seems like Noelle has been a part of our family forever. We have been so blessed by this little girl. From day one, she has had such a calm and laid-back personality. It has been really fun to watch her grow and change. It's funny to think that when she was born she couldn't really do anything except eat, sleep, and make dirty diapers. Although she's still a pro at those things, she can also sit up, stand up, walk (with help), play with toys, sleep through the night, feed herself, copy us, say a few words, and many more things. She's more than doubled her weight and has added about 9 inches to her height. (We'll know her exact stats on Friday.) It's just amazing to me! We've had a blast.
Last week, I got together with friends who have babies born within 6 weeks of Noelle. We celebrated their birthdays together with a cake and lots of play time. They were all so busy and it was hard to get a picture of all three of them.

Speaking of cake, I'm searching for a cake to make for Noelle's birthday that has no milk products, soy, eggs, or chocolate. Sounds delicious, eh? (We're trying to stay away from the major allergy foods until she gets her allergy testing done.) Anyway, my first two attempts have been less than swell. The first cake I tried sunk in pretty bad in the middle and tasted more like a shortcake. I didn't even waste icing for the second one...it was like a brick, and smelled a little bit like fish food. Today will be my last attempt, and I'll either choose it or the first cake I made. It's been pretty demoralizing for a cake decorator. :-)


We're having Noelle's birthday parties later in the week, so today will probably be pretty low-key. But if you think about her today, make sure and have a piece of cake on her behalf!