Happy 1st Birthday, Nola!!!

Nola is 1!!! What a year she has had...she arrived at 5:42 am on 9/16/07 and has been busy ever since. She is a really great baby - started sleeping through the night at 7 weeks (even though it was in the swing, it still counts) - rolled over at 4 months - sat up at 6 months - started crawling at 8 months - pulling up days later - and walking at 11 months!!
She is a fantastic eater - loves bananas, pancakes, cantelope, watermelon, carrots, sweet potatoes, black beans. But her favorite 2 things so far are cheese and ice cream.
Nola woke up on her birthday ready for a fun day. After a pretty quick breakfast we packed up and took Reagan to preschool. We then picked up Cassidy and headed to the party store to pick up plates, napkins and order balloons for Nola's party. She was happy to walk around the store and Cassidy was trying to keep her from touching everything - it was a losing battle. After coming to home to play for a while it was time to go back and pick up Reagan at school. Once again, Nola didn't want to leave Reagan's preschool room - too bad for her it will be another 3 years before she gets to stay there.
Since everyone was in a good mood we headed for Hallmark and then Trader Joe's. Reagan was picking out a card that played music for Nola - and Nola danced with each one she opened. The ladies at Hallmark thought Nola was too cute as she walked around carrying my credit cards.
At Trader Joe's Reagan and Cassidy each got their own cart and we headed in. After stopping for the pasta snack (which they all loved and I bought) Nola pushed Reagan's cart a little, but when she kept crashing into the shelves, I gave her a box of cereal bars to carry and she walked the rest of the way without incident.
After a good morning and afternoon nap, Nola was ready to celebrate. We were lucky enough to be joined by Papa, Grandpa John & Grandma Jane. Nola enjoyed her Giron's cheese pizza and then it was time for presents. Nola got an adorable brown jumper - and she loved taking it out of the pretty bag. She got her first Madame Alexander huggums and bottles - she was quickly hugging and carrying her baby around before feeding her the bottle. (Reagan said she should name her Julia - just like her huggums - but we will let Nola name her when she can). Nola also liked the ball game that Reagan gave her - it has a hammer and 4 balls, what can be better?! Pat & I gave her a ride and spin pony that also has some interactive games on the TV. She loved getting on it and bouncing around.
Then it was time for cake. Reagan had picked out the cake, so we obviously had chocolate. We gave Nola a piece and it was easy to see...she is definitely a Mulcrone! She shoved huge pieces in her mouth - and loved each moment - we heard lots of 'numa numa' during dessert. Pat also gave her some ice cream and a spoon so that was fun to watch.
We are so blessed to have Nola in our family. Its so fun to watch how quickly she learns new things and how funny she is. She will sometimes make herself laugh which, in turn, makes us laugh. She loves to give hugs (and says 'awww' as she is hugging you). One of the funny things she does is to take Reagan's cup away. When Reagan isn't looking she will walk over and quickly snag her cup and start drinking. I think she realizes that Reagan's juice isn't as watered down as hers and (even better) sometimes Reagan has chocolate milk!! She is definitely forming her own personality and doesn't let Reagan (or others) push her around. She easily figures people out - ie, she knows that Uncle Mike is a softy and will hold her if she cries, she knows the nice ladies in the church nursery will hold her as well. She is so much fun and we can't wait to watch her this year and for many, many years to follow. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of her first year of life - we hope you will continue to be in her (and our) lives and continue to pray for Nola as she continues to grow!