Gaja's first birthday
We celebrated Gaja's first birthday today! :) It was a bit delayed because of vacation and illnesses and everything, but never mind. It was actually a lovely day - and somehow, we enjoyed the preparations every bit as much as the actual "party". In the morning I took her with me to the store. We hadn't actually yet given her anything for her birthday, so I took her to a Trudi/Sevi toy shop - it's an Italian maker of realistic looking plush animals and of wooden toys. She adores cats - every time she sees a live cat (or dog) she gets all excited, points and goes something like "ti-ti". It seems to be a sound for something she likes, or possibly for an animal. Who would know, with a baby! Anyway, she knows it's a cat ("muca" in Slovenian) and turns to it and points at it if you ask her what it is. She got all excited in the shop and chose one of the smaller cats and then held it so tightly the shopping assistant had trouble reading the code at the check out. She mostly played with it all through the day as well. I hope it becomes her lovey - I'll try to promote it since she likes it so well.
When we returned from the store she slept and I used the time to bake the Sacher cake and prepare the filling and topping for a strawberry cake - I usually make two, a fruit one and a chocolate one. Somewhere in between Light of my Life made lunch. And the older two kids helped clear up the living room/kitchen. They were really very good. After Gaja woke up they played with her and they really helped with everything! Quite amazing.
The kids at the "party" were all very much older than Gaja, of course - mostly the two walruses' company - and they had quite a bit of fun, I think. M., as usual, played with Gaja. She needs to be restrained a bit now and then, or directed a bit - but otherwise, I'm beginning to quite trust her with her - though she does have to be watched, of course, it's not as if she could babysit or anything - but with her in the room, I'm practically free. And she seems to love it too. :D My sister-in-law and her family came by only for a short while - she and her son have a cold, so they didn't want to stop for too long. At first when they came they only gave us the present and asked for a bit of cake for my nephew who had been so very much looking towards this party and was now sick and unable to join the kids. The cake wasn't yet started on, but I felt that it was made to be eaten, not watched from afar, so I cut a quarter and wrapped it for them. They did come in in the end though, and when we actually put the candle on the cake, sung the song and blew the candle out, it looked rather funny, a quarter of the cake already cut and on a separate platter. *L* My sister-in-law was rather upset by it, I think - she likes to have things just so and the appearance of things is very important to her - and I think she'd feel unhappy if it was her cake, and she thought I might be too - but really, why bother about something like that.
All the while it snowed outside! And we were all a bit tired from three-day holidays - Easter Monday is a work-free day here - and full of food! So for the first time ever one of my cakes wasn't completely eaten by the time the guests left. *G* I'll take it to my sister tomorrow. As well as make the pizza we never got around to make today.
So, anyway, the pictures:
One of the cakes:
All the kids and me holding Gaja:
When we returned from the store she slept and I used the time to bake the Sacher cake and prepare the filling and topping for a strawberry cake - I usually make two, a fruit one and a chocolate one. Somewhere in between Light of my Life made lunch. And the older two kids helped clear up the living room/kitchen. They were really very good. After Gaja woke up they played with her and they really helped with everything! Quite amazing.
The kids at the "party" were all very much older than Gaja, of course - mostly the two walruses' company - and they had quite a bit of fun, I think. M., as usual, played with Gaja. She needs to be restrained a bit now and then, or directed a bit - but otherwise, I'm beginning to quite trust her with her - though she does have to be watched, of course, it's not as if she could babysit or anything - but with her in the room, I'm practically free. And she seems to love it too. :D My sister-in-law and her family came by only for a short while - she and her son have a cold, so they didn't want to stop for too long. At first when they came they only gave us the present and asked for a bit of cake for my nephew who had been so very much looking towards this party and was now sick and unable to join the kids. The cake wasn't yet started on, but I felt that it was made to be eaten, not watched from afar, so I cut a quarter and wrapped it for them. They did come in in the end though, and when we actually put the candle on the cake, sung the song and blew the candle out, it looked rather funny, a quarter of the cake already cut and on a separate platter. *L* My sister-in-law was rather upset by it, I think - she likes to have things just so and the appearance of things is very important to her - and I think she'd feel unhappy if it was her cake, and she thought I might be too - but really, why bother about something like that.
All the while it snowed outside! And we were all a bit tired from three-day holidays - Easter Monday is a work-free day here - and full of food! So for the first time ever one of my cakes wasn't completely eaten by the time the guests left. *G* I'll take it to my sister tomorrow. As well as make the pizza we never got around to make today.
So, anyway, the pictures:
One of the cakes:
All the kids and me holding Gaja:
