American Mum: Cora's First Birthday!

It is SO hard to believe our sweet Cora is turning ONE! It seems like just yesterday I was rushing off to the the Birthing Centre to have her. I remember how shocked I was to be home on my couch with my new baby girl in my arms just 5 hours after she was born. Now, and entire year has gone by so quickly.

What a first year it has been for Cora too. She vacationed in London, Paris and Wales. She flew on 4 international flights to the U.S. and back. She went to Missouri, South Carolina and spent one night in Georgia. Cora traveled on a double decker bus, a packet boat and a train through the Chunnel. She has a picture next to Big Ben and she went up in the Eiffel Tower. She attended a gold medal Olympic soccer game in London. We think she is going to be a traveler when she grows up. Not bad for your first year!

Cora is still our chilled and patient child. She adores her big brother and sister! She is taking steps and into everything. She loves music, and she starts to dance as soon as she hears a song. She is crazy about books, and I often find her looking at books on her own. Cora uses signs for some words, and she has about 20 words in her vocabulary. Of course we think she is brilliant and SO adorable!

Usually for a first birthday, we have a big party with 30-40 people. Cora's first birthday was just the five of us. She received many calls, cards and gifts. I still decorated the house and made her a cake. I was going to have her wear the party hat and shirt I made for Amelia when she turned one, but I decided to make Cora her very own hat and shirt. I also made her a matching tutu. It was hard to catch her smiles, but she was a very happy birthday girl. Here are some pictures from her big day...