Big Week!

Do you know what this is a picture of?  This is a picture of a one-year-old girl.  And do you know who this girl is?  I know you will be shocked when I reveal that this is Lovebug.  My little Veda, also affectionately known as the VedaBug, had her first birthday today.

I know nearly every parent who has ever existed cannot help but stand stunned when they look at how their children have grown.  And there is probably not a parent today nor from yesterday who can comprehend just how quickly time flies by.  But time does move forward and my baby is now acting more like the toddler she is than the baby she was.

I think she had a pretty spiffy first birthday.  She got a phone call from her Oma Ria from the Netherlands.  I know she does not remember her, but she did smile and babble a bit while I had Ria on speakerphone.  She also had a visit from her cousin, Dax (who turned a year just one week earlier) and her Auntie Stephie.  And she had her very own birthday book read to her this evening, Birthday Monsters by Sandra Boynton.  But probably the highlight of her day was taking her first bath in the full tub.  She even got to take her bath with her sister, who insisted, absolutely insisted, that Veda get to join her.  When Dave let Veda go in the tub she began splashing immediately and did not stop.  Ever.  She splashed from beginning to end.  She splashed her entire way around the tub.  She splashed with one hand, she splashed with two.  She splashed with her sister, she splashed without her.  Veda just could not stop splashing the water!

By the time the bath was over her little heart was racing and she was panting!  But at least she should sleep well tonight!

But Veda is not the only one who had a major life event this week.  Her older sister started school!  Sylvia has begun therapy for some speech and motor delays and in addition to her once a week in-home therapy, she also has class on Tuesdays for an hour and a half.  This past Tuesday was her first day.  We made a pretty big deal about it and I even found this adorable backpack:

She loved school.  She was very excited to go, but there were a couple things that made her nervous.  First, we had to take Grandma's car to school because Daddy needed our car to get to work.  Second, I don't think she realized that school was in a building she had never been in before.  She walked very slowly into the building and when I started to take off her coat (to put in her locker, yes, her locker!) she nearly lost it, she was so scared.  But then one of the teachers opened the door to her classroom, revealing the toys inside.  I have never seen such an instantaneous change in anyone before.  She zoomed off and didn't stop until it was time to go home.  I even got to sneak away and take a peak at the lending library.  So, for at least the next year, she (and Veda and I) have school.  [Siblings get to come, but it was very nice to have Grandma come and stay with Veda so Sylvia and I could do her first day with just the two of us.]

Birthday shindigs are this weekend, so more to come!