First Birthday!

I still can't believe it's true. Locke and Lola are one whole, beautiful, crazy, impressive, breathtaking, wondrous, wonderful year old. Their birthday was April 22nd -- Earth Day. It's gone by faster than I ever expected. Even after hearing a thousand times about how quickly they grow up. It's yet another part of the parenting process you could never have imagined before -- the sudden warp speed of time.

When Lola and Locke turned one, they suddenly seemed so much more like children than babies. They're walking exclusively now. They're drinking milk instead of formula (YEA!!!!). And they're so much better at communicating, pointing at things and babbling as if they're pretty sure they're speaking just like everyone else does and Mommy should certainly understand every word of my profound declarations and observations. I'm so proud, so amazed, so happy, and I'm so in love with these beautiful babies (I'm not ready to start calling them children just yet).

At one year, Locke continues his quest to put a smile on the faces of everyone he comes into contact with. He's wise beyond his year, studying the inner workings of every object -- and every person -- he encounters. He's at once competitive and generous, aggressive and sensitive, independent and cuddly. He is now 30 inches tall and 24 pounds.

Lola is our little doll, sweet and happy. She captures hearts with her striking blue eyes and she holds them with her beautiful toothy smile and melodic voice. She has the most adorable giggle, which we all attempt to elicit (and Locke most often succeeds). She's very easygoing, patient, and loving. She's now 27 inches tall and 20 pounds.

Their birthday party was at Grandmommy and Granddaddy's house, where they were showered with wonderful gifts and played all afternoon with Aunties Paula and Lesa, Uncle Ken, Cousin Connor, Mimi, and Grandmommy and Granddaddy. Locke and Lola had their first taste of cake that day. I'd been fretting for weeks about what to feed them because I didn't want their first bite of sugar to be an overly processed, sickeningly sweet store-bought cake. So I found a recipe for an applesauce cake that used natural ingredients and less sugar than most others, and Kelly, the family chef, made it that morning. Judging from the way Locke crammed handfuls of it into his mouth, I'd say they loved it. Or was that me with the handfuls? Anyway, it was yummy.

Not only did they enjoy cake for the first time, but Lola and Locke found another new love -- goldfish (the crackers, not the disposable pets*). I was happy to find that there is no partially hydrogenated or modified corn anything in them. Besides, anything that has a serving size of 88 pieces can't be too bad for them. At least not while they're eating 20 or 30 pieces tops.

So, Happy Birthday to our beautiful Locke and Lola. You've changed our lives in so many ways -- all for the better. I look forward to the many years ahead, watching you both grow and learn. I love you more than you can know.


* I apologize to PETA members and all other animal lovers who may have been offended by the goldfish description. I'm a huge animal lover myself and that is why I'll never** have goldfish again -- because of my horrible memories of fish flushing on more than several occasions.

** I should have learned in this first year of parenting never to say "I'll never" again.