She's 1!

Poor McKinley.  On her first birthday this past Saturday, we were all totally sick.  We watched TV all day long.  Literally.  This is her on her actual birthday, putting on a brave face:

She's cute even when she's sick!  Luckily, the weekend before, grandma and grandpa Mitchell were out to see Wicked with us (it was spectacular), and we had a little celebration then.  Yay!

 

 

 

 

She is just a doll.  She has 6 teeth, which she uses to sample anything she finds within her reach; she can now wave "hi" or "bye-bye" and blow kisses - she usually makes the kissy noise first, then waves her hand in front of her mouth. :)  She has figured out how to go backwards down the stairs, but still sometimes gets off balance and so prefers to be carried instead.  She jabbers ALL the time; not many real words but she plenty to say about everything.  She does a pretty good bear/dinosaur/monster growl, and can grunt and reach when she sees something she wants, like a piece of watermelon.  She bounces up and down to music and loves to hear singing, whether it is mommy or the radio or church, she loves it.  She also loves to "play" the piano and can now reach on her tippy toes and plink a few keys on her own.  She pulls to a stand quite often (then looks for applause), and likes to walk holding on to fingers or a push toy, so it will not be long before she is cruising around with her brother and sisters.  She loves bath time and any water play, and flips and flops all over the place trying to have as much fun as possible before it is time to dry off.  I stay close by so I can reach in and sit her back up when she flips or flops under the water. :)  She likes drumming on things, taking things out of things, any noisy toys like rattles, looking at (and chewing on) books, and eating most anything.  She loves all the attention she gets from her doting brother and sisters, and we think she is the best little one year old on the planet.

Happy Birthday McKinley!