Birthday Season

Etta is TWO!!  I meant to post a blog that day, but we were both recovering from her being sick the whole night before, then it was crazy getting ready for her party on Sunday.  Lots of shopping and cleaning and a pediatrician appt. along with her regular therapy schedule made for a busy week!

So, our little girl is a big girl now (though she's still "fun size" @ 30 inches tall and 19lbs 6oz).  She's always very busy and can climb like a monkey.  She likes to squeeze herself into tight spots and climb over or around barriers placed for a good reason.  In fact, just yesterday, she climbed out of her crib for the first time.  Not sure how she managed that one, but when I went in to get her after her nap, she was just walking around her room playing with the dirty diapers from the trash can. 

Etta's birthday was last Tuesday.  She had a rough night the night before, running a fever and diarrhea.  So, we both spent the day recovering (aka sleeping) on the mattress in her playroom.  She was feeling better by that afternoon when Keith got home from work.  We gave Etta a bubble machine that day and we played with it on the patio.  Then we sang happy birthday to her with her annual Zebra Cake.  If you don't know the Zebra Cake story, it can be found by clicking here. 

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

My mom and my Nana came up on Friday night so they could spend the weekend with us and help celebrate Etta's birthday!

On Saturday, we made our way out to the DSAMT Family Picnic up in Nashville.  We arrived a little late and a few of our friends had either already left or were leaving.  We found a shady spot and set up camp.  Etta's friend Piper arrived even after we did and she joined us along with her parents, Julia & Steve, and Julia's mother and grandmother.  We had a really nice time visiting with them before we decided we were hot and Etta needed a nap. 

We had her party on Sunday and had a HUGE turnout!  Including the three of us, there were 51 people in our house!  Etta did really well!  No melt-downs and she helped open most of her gifts.  She was, of course, more interested in the tissue paper and wrapping paper, then the actual gift.  Well, with the exception of the shopping cart given to her by Rylee (and Nancy & Michael).  That was the second item she opened and she took off for a lap around the house before I guided her back to the rest of the gifts.  You can fin the album of photos from the party on her website http://www.etta.aboutmybaby.com/

For Etta's party, I made my very first two-tier cake.  I had a vision for it and I think in the end it was pretty true to that vision.  I had to go to Michael's to buy a bunch of equipment to make this thing.  I also had to make a practice cake the weekend before the party so I could feel confident in my ability to actually pull this thing off.  Etta had fun eating all of the cake we had around the house for the last two weeks!  The first picture is of the practice cake and the real cake is after that. 

I turned 30 yesterday.  It was a normal day with Etta's EI teacher coming over in the morning and Christophe our groomer coming later in the morning and a birthday nap while Etta napped and a trip to Target and Kohl's to make a couple of returns/exchanges from E's party and a stop to pick up some meds for Cassie.  Keith got home about five minutes after we did with his arms full of yummy take-out so I didn't have to cook on my birthday.  I had some sushi and Keith ate beef lo mien.  After dinner, Keith and Etta gave me birthday cards full of lottery tickets.  Only one of the scratch-offs was a winner and it only won another ticket.  HAHA!  We'll see about the PowerBall tickets in tonight's drawing.  They had already let me have my big present yesterday when it came in the mail.  It's a DS pendant made by betsy at be jewelry.  From the be jewelry  website "this pendant was designed by Micah when he was 7. he drew a similar picture while thinking about his little sister who has Down syndrome, aka trisomy 21. the holes represent three chromosomes on the 21st set. there are a total of 47 instead of the usual 46, so 47 dots. please understand that because i make each one by hand, they are each unique. Micah's creativity is AMAZING. :) "

The back has Etta's initials and birthdate engraved