Another Birthday! And a First One, Too

This marks Hannah's third birthday with us.

Wow! Has a lot changed since then. She came home unable to speak barely a lick of English and now is reading everything she can get her hands on!

She was only about 50 pounds and a hair over 4'6" then, but today at her check up weighed in at a healthy 85 pounds and 5'2", telling me in no uncertain terms that my daughter inherited her birthmother's BMI gene...which was a good thing considering the gourmet menu of sloppy joes, tater tots and carrot sticks (yes, she really asked for these) and cake she chose for her birthday meal.
No kidding, there were carrot sticks.

And little sisters to help with the present unwrapping

A side note about the cake. The first year she arrived home, her tastes (and her language) were very limited. So, rather than a lengthy explanation, I simply took her to the bakery and allowed her to select whichever cake she wished. She, in her typically unassuming fashion, selected a simple cake with--what she called--the most beautiful pink and yellow flowers gracing the top.

And she was happy.

The next year, for her Almost Sleepover Party, her cake-making diva of a Godmother created the 10 in a Bed cake to absolute perfection.

And she was happy.

This year, with a big grin she said to me, "Mom, can you just make my cake this year? You know, the kind not from a store.
And can you use the heart-shaped pan?
And can I have white cake?
And chocolate frosting? "

And, it probably goes without saying, but boy--- was I happy.


After the family party, she decided to have a few of her closest girl friend's over (and, of course, the sister contingent) for a wonderful beading party done by a lovely woman who came to my house to do the party, while Mr. T and Baby Girl snoozed happily upstairs. If you live in the Fox Valley, you should absolutely check her out! She even does parties for those of us grown-up girls who still like to get fancy and play with beads!

Since (according to the birthdate assigned to us), we technically missed Baby Girl's first birthday. So, we decided to pick a day and celebrate with her. But between holidays and hospitals, we never could find just the right day. But with Hannah's birthday on the horizon and a lone Valentines' Day cupcake sitting sadly on the counter, we decided it was now or never.

Unsure how she would feel about this novel idea, we proceeded with caution.

Turns out, we had nothing to worry about. She warmed up to her new BFF, Cupcake, right away. Now that she definitely inherited from me.

Yeah! Birthday! Yeah! Cupcake! Let's do this again real soon, okay?