One

My baby turned one! We had such a sweet, lovely, SMALL party--and I found the time and space to really savor and enjoy it. My daughter wore the dress I made for her and she didn't even get chocolate smeared all over it. And she ate chocolate cake for the first time! She was actually somewhat unimpressed. She took a few bites and then sort of smashed the rest into a ball and played with it. Apparently, she is wise enough to know when to stop when it comes to sugar. It's funny to think that for Mazin's first birthday I insisted on making a sugar-free apple cake! Ah, the first child... I remember shopping so diligently for Mazin's first birthday gifts (although I don't remember what they actually were). Poor Layla got only a nightlight. (Don't feel too badly for her--it's a stained glass piece made by a local artist, and it was a bit of a splurge at $30.) I don't feel the need to buy her toys, since we already have so many in our house, but I like the idea of getting her a few fine, special things to have for her very own.

Layla marked the occasion of her birthday by perfecting the stunt of standing on top of the rocking horse. (She also stands on the lego table and picnic table.) She'll stand on anything, actually, that she is able to get herself on top of. Mazin did the same thing, but Layla is doing it much younger. Suddenly, she is a toddler.