Happy Birthday, Ginger Sue!

Her middle name isn't really Sue, it's Litz...though heaven knows why because from Day 1 Ed was calling her Ginger Sue and it stuck like super glue and rhymes with everything when we make up songs so I just wish that was her name. But Ed says if that was her name he'd have to make up a new nickname. Typical male logic. Oh, well.ANYWAY...Ginger is ONE! Yesterday was her first birthday and I'm so, so proud of her. We started the day with a pancake breakfast and opening presents from Nana. Nana is a genius and very experienced Grandmother and sent two of one of the presents - one for Hazel and one for Ginger. It was two soft cloth purses with cloth lipstick, compact and cell phones - big hit!After breakfast Ginger got a special Happy Birthday call from Grandma & Grandpa Hickman and Aunt Natalee, in which they sung her Happy Birthday on speaker phone. She expressed appreciation with hand clapping and heavy breathing, and when I took the phone away, she cried and reached for the phone, emphatically signing, "MORE!" They were loving enough to give her an encore performance.

After morning naps I took the girls birthday shopping at Toys R Us since we hadn't really gotten Ginger anything. We hit the Little People aisle and did our part to stimulate the economy - the pink plastic industry in particular. I have never taken the girls to TRU because in general I am opposed to the over-stimulation. But it was actually a bundle of fun for all of us and I was kind of giddy when we left. Another thing I've never done is taken them both out to lunch by myself. But Ginger's a big one-year-old now so I thought she (and I) could handle it. We went to Wendy's, and it was another bundle of fun. It was also geriatric lunch hour, so the girls received much adoration and compliments. The only downer was I realized I'd dumped Ginger's pacifier in the trash with the tray, so I dug around in the gook but couldn't find it. Then on the way home I realized it was clipped to my own shirt for safekeeping. Sometimes I wonder why they let me out of the asylum.

While the girls took afternoon naps I unpacked and assembled our new toys. I also received the news that my Grandpa Younce passed away. We knew this might happen any day but that did not reduce the bittersweet mixture of loss and relief the news brought. I feel like the rest of the day was acted out through a surreal haze of mild but bereaved shock.

Our friends Kristin and Pierson came over for dinner to help us celebrate and I was pleased to find another food we can add to Ginger's very short "Will Eat" list - fettucini alfredo. She scarfed it like she'd never eaten before. And of course the evening ended with birthday cake - Favorite Apricot Nectar Cake*, to be exact. Ginger nearly leaped off Kristin's lap in excitement when she saw it, and Hazel helped her blow out the candle. We all ate civilized pieces off plates except Ginger who parked in front of the cake and ate handfuls. It's her party...The birthday was topped off with the perfect ending - Daddy coming home early! He walked in at 7pm which I'm pretty sure is a record in the last three years, and was able to spend some time playing before bedtime. Happy Birthday, Ginger - WE LOVE YOU!

*Watch for a future post on cakes.