Finally got this done!

Dear Kristen,

So you celebrated your last and final birthday cake for your 1st birthday (who has heard of a baby who has 4 cakes by here first birthday) together with GrandUncle Ranjit. As there was an extra cake, you got one all for yourself! Lucky girl!

Mummy and Daddy were not there sadly... Sorrrrryy.. but yeah, we went out for Daddy's cousin's wedding. It was a really nice wedding and we got to see the fireworks at eye-level! Amazing... What was even more amazing was that we saw a boy who was the same age (except for 1 week's difference) and he behaved so well during the dinner! He could sit in his pram and entertain himself.

Daddy and Mummy were so impressed... Kristen, do you think you could do that too? One day maybe?

Anyway, again Mummy has to run off. You just woke up screaming and crying because of your nose. It sounds blocked and Daddy is worrying that it's because you got it from him. I don't know what it is but Daddy is patting you back to sleep now. You were crying so badly now you're still gulping for air. Sigh.

Whatever it is, I hope that you don't grow up with a perpetually case of blocked nose like Daddy has... Quite jialat huh... Anyway, looks like we'd need to teach you how to blow your nose really soon!

Dear Kristen,

On top of the party at Raffles Town Club, and at Ris Grandeur Function Room... you had a small cake-cutting session on your actual day.... TWICE!

Yah, there was once in the afternoon with the Haagen Daz Cookies'n'Cream ice-cream cake... (that Daddy ordered). Yum-yum. We loved it and so did you! Yah, it is your very first ice-cream that you got to taste. Good stuff!

And your second cake was at Grand-Uncle Ranjit's house! You share the same birthday as him, so you went over to celebrate!!

Butbut... oops. Mummy has to stop here tonight because it's already 1 and Mummy has to work tomorrow... Sigh. The weekend is just gone like that.

By the way, today (or rather the Sunday that just passed), you went to church for the first time with Daddy and Mummy! You behaved rather well though you did squeal a few times when we pulled your hand away from touching other people!!! You kept trying to touch other people and you waved at everyone. Faint. V distracting... indeed.

Yup... today was a pretty busy day for you because you went swimming, to church and then to the airport for dinner... by the time we were heading back you were wailing your head off because you wanted to sleep! ... Poor sweetie...

Dear Kristen,

Mummy has finally completed the collages for your party!

Copy of Poster put up that day at the party...

Dear Kristen,

Here's the photos for your 1st birthday party held on Sunday, 22nd July. Uncle Tuan has passed the photos to Daddy so Mummy can upload them! Mummy is still waiting for more photos of the party at Raffles Town Club, quite paiseh to upload to few photographs... She's hoping for better shots before she uploads them.

Mummy just realized that you didn't get to take pictures with the people who helped out the mossssst on that special day! Grandma, Ah Kong & Uncle Kelvin! *FAINT* How forgetful of Mummy. Even more so when you were especially sticky with Grandma that day and wailed every time someone carried you away from her. Sigh. Mummy is knocking her head on the wall now. Sooooo forgetful. Mummy feels so terrible about it. There are more photos waiting to be shown... Mummy is going to take her time doing them though. Her backlog of photos is huge!

Here's a short summary of the party -

That day, you woke up at 8.30am... which was 1.5 hours later than usual. This set everything off-timing because you should be asleep at 11am for your morning nap till about 12.30 (in time for the party), but instead, you fell asleep at 12.30. So... everyone was asking Mummy where you were when they arrived, but our little Guest of Honour just had to be fashionably late. Grandma was upstairs taking care of you (Thank you Grandma...) and brought you down when you woke up, so that Mummy and Daddy could chit chat with their friends.

When you came down at about 1.20pm you were still cranky because you just woke up. So you were sticky and uncooperative in letting other people carry you. Well, you warmed up towards the end, and you were back to your happy self by the time everyone left!

Anyway, everything went pretty smoothly except for the part where the drinks ran out and the cake cutting was delayed. Sorry to those who missed the cake cutting... and the cake eating! Everyone loved the cake, it looked good and tasted great. Mummy saw Uncle Lai and Auntie Mein scraping the cake tray and Little Damien licking the butterfly like a lollipop! The cake was ordered from Hot Fuschia! Mummy wants to order again!

Mummy did not get to eat the food she catered from Mum's Kitchen though. She heard from many people that the food was really good. All Mummy ate during the party was the Mee Siam. She tried the otah and the beef stroganoff later on in the evening though. Very very good. Mummy is hungry now thinking about the food. There was not much leftovers, so it must have been pretty good.

Oh yes, the huge poster that we did up? Must thank Ah Kong and Grandma for printing it all out and using lots and lots of ink (2 cartridges!!!... but Ah Kong says that it's the ink that's lousy... how come can run out after printing 20 pages only?!)  And... Daddy & Mummy for cutting and pasting it altogether! At the rate we were going at first, we thought we would finish only at 3am (on the morning of your party... yes, we were pretty last minute). But we soon got the hang of it and finished it at about 1 plus while enjoying an episode of Miami Ink. Hehe.

All in all, the party went pretty smoothly. All Mummy wishes is that we should have taken pictures with the important people ... and that Mummy got to eat more food!

Dear Kristen,

After months of planning... your birthday parties are finally over (despite them being before your actual birthday). Anyway, Mummy will write more tomorrow night or Wednesday night. Tonight, Mummy is tired and Mummy wants the photos from Uncle Tuan (our 'official photographer') before she posts the photos up and write the long long story, okay?

Still can't believe you're turning one soon. Hard to believe that just last year, on a Monday, Mummy's doctor, Dr. WK Tan, told Mummy and Daddy that you would be coming out within the next two weeks. Well, you arrived on a early Saturday morning. Scary. She even asked if we prepared the cot yet... "Umm.. No?" Yah, exactly last year this time, you were making your way down and almost out.

OK... Bed time for Mummy. You've been fast asleep since 9 already. Your timing is a little off today... Your naps were from 10 - 11am and 3 - 4pm, one hour earlier than your usual naps. I hope that this does not mean you'll wake up at 6am tomorrow!

Dear Kristen,

Here you are in one of your most cheeky expressions to date. You were playing with Mummy's handphone early in the morning. See... so cheeky and mischievous looking!

You played with the bear on Mummy's handphone until the bear has disappeared already. So now Mummy's handphone only has the ringing bell on it... The bear is gone!

Dear Kristen,

Finally, some real 'reward' from all the AVT (Auditory Verbal Therapy) sessions!

Here's your first word. As in, a consistent word relating to an item. "Dadadada" does not count because you say it anytime and at anyone.

You said Moo for the first time when Mummy was changing your diapers and she handed you your cow to keep you busy. You said it quietly at first and Mummy was so shocked to hear you say it. Then you repeated yourself again and again... Mummy is so proud! Your first official word, with meaning, is actually Moo! Haha... Here's a video capture a few days after you actually said it.

Dear Kristen,

Mummy found some old pictures of hers that Grandpa scanned into the computer...

See... a photograph from 23 years ago with the same Auntie/GrandAuntie holding Mummy and then you! Wow...