Victoria is One!!!

I can’t believe she is already a year old. Time has just flown by. We are having a small party for her tomorrow because the place we chose was booked today. I am too tired and don’t really have time to plan and execute a party at home, so we are having it at a place that takes care of everything. I just have to bring in some easily purchased food and a cake. Fiona helped me make little gift bags earlier this week. Because it is a small party, everything is much easier and cheaper than say, Fiona’s 5th birthday party, that had all of her classmates and former classmates and friends from my old nursing group. We almost didn’t have a party for Victoria, but I felt badly because I do not want her to later feel like she got less because she was the second child. I already don’t film her as much, don’t upload what I do film, haven’t written as much about her here. It’s really due to having a lot less time to do all of those things. I still record things in her baby book, I just fear she will have access to this later in life and wonder why I wrote about every little park play-date Fiona had but didn’t write about her. One other thing is that I often use my phone to take photos and that camera is terrible. The photos are often fuzzy so I don’t want to use them. I am an oldest child, but I imagine every child after the first feels a little left out of things. I just want her to know we love her and appreciate her as much as we do her sister. And her sister loves her! Tonight at bedtime, un-prompted, Fiona sighed deeply and said “I love my sister.” Aw.

We spent today in a leisurely way. We ate breakfast in our pajamas, played some games, and Fiona made a birthday card for Victoria. Then we went to someone else’s birthday party. We took a long drive after because both girls fell asleep in the car. When we returned home, we played Mary Poppins for a while. Fiona was Mary and John and I took turns being different characters. Before dinner we began watching Mary Poppins, the movie. My mom joined us. We had an intermission to eat dinner, then finished the movie after. It is REALLY long; over two hours. However, it is not quite as long as the play; that was over three hours. Fiona has some amazing sitting power, considering how late she was to the movie-watching thing.

Anyway, here are photos of Victoria from a few weeks ago and today, and some videos from the last few months:

 

 

Eating her string cheese:

She is a cheese fiend! If I don’t want to share cheese, I have to sneak it, because Victoria knows the sounds of opening a string cheese package. She is also an apple and orange fiend. She gets very excited about those things and loves to eat them, even if she is full from a meal.

John and Fiona showing me their gummy vitamins, that were matching today:

Also, John’s were stuck together and Fiona figured out that there were only three possible color combinations.

The card Fiona made for Victoria:

 

It says “Happy Birthday Victoria I love you very much”. The other side is a picture of Victoria and says “This is Victoria”.

Fiona as Mary Poppins:

She put on her black skirt, white shirt, hat, and cloth bag because that is what Mary Poppins wore in the play.

And acting out a scene with John in which she explains that she gave medicine to the kids and now there are sleeping:

At some point, she was giving John medicine (and singing the “Spoon Full of Sugar” song from the play) and asked what sort of magic she should put in the medicine. John suggested singing magic, but Fiona said “How about some behave yourself magic?” Who can argue with that?

She decided to play with my shoes today:

She’s definitely less into chewing on shoes lately, but still likes to look at them and touch them.

Fiona getting ready for ballet class:

She enjoys class but has no desire thus far to be a ballerina.

Here is a video from today:

 

Here are some videos from the last few months, I think they are pretty self explanatory:

 

This one reminds me of Fiona, because I have a video of Fiona at about the same age, also in her diaper, playing with the same towels (or at least the same colors):

Often times lately, Victoria does something and I am reminded that they are indeed sisters. Like when she grabbed toys out of other kids’ hands in order to return them to a basket during clean-up, or when she sits there and flips through all her books.

I’ll leave off with this photo of my little baby, who is growing up so fast, I am afraid I will miss something if I blink. A rare serious moment:

You bring so much happiness and joy to our lives and I can’t wait to see who you become as you grow up. Actually, I can wait, I want you to stay my cuddly little baby for a little while longer. Big big kisses! Happy Birthday my Love!