My baby is one!

This sweet little thing had her first birthday! We celebrated with a combo party for her special day and the 18 de septiembre, the Chilean independence Day.

And maybe the happiest part of the celebration was that, appropriately as the official first day of fall, it was finally cool enough to enjoy being outside!! You can come out of your houses, everyone in San Antonio, the summer is finally OVER!

Watermelon is definitely a favorite of this one-year-old.

Did Faye just steal my food?

We had fun looking at pictures of Isla from newborn to one as we ate meals the last couple of days. We also decided that she really doesn't look much different from when she was tiny. It helps that she has no teeth or hair still! We made her a whole wheat chocolate zucchini cake (and then topped it with some cream cheese, sugar-filled frosting, oops) and also served yummy strawberries and cream flowers.

And ohhhhh is this perfection or what? My version of heaven has Chilean empanadas all over the place. A Chilean friend made these and brought them over! Amazing!

My mouth is watering right now to have a repeat of this meal!

Isla and her amiga, Amelia.

This is actually yesterday, at Isla's one year check-up. (Waiting outside for an hour; how did I get the appointment wrong on my calendar??) She's playing with her new baby from Grandmama.

Although can you guess who has taken over the care of her baby? Faye keeps saying she'd like to trade her baby for Isla's.

So, sweet Isla did great at her appointment, despite missing her morning nap and being poked five times. The shots were bad enough, but then we had to wait forever to get her blood drawn, and at this doctor they draw blood right from her arm like an adult rather than a little finger prick! Holding her down for that was awful!

Isla weighs 19 pounds, so about the 20th percentile. Her height was more in the average range, and her head has actually always measured big. (I always say she has a tiny head, but I guess it's just narrow in the front!) She now only walks; we miss that monkey crawl! She says "mama" for sure, sometimes to mean "more," but mostly just repeating us. And she's said some other words (dada, ball), but not very consistently yet. Isla climbs. The other day I ran in from the car to get her to find her on top of the bathroom sink vanity. She mastered going down the stairs super quickly; Faye and I showed her a couple of times, and then she could do it! Isla has never had an ounce of separation anxiety. She's happy for anyone to hold her or to go anywhere without me. She likes playing at the nursery at the YMCA. She finally has two tiny teeth coming in her bottom gums. Isla currently takes a morning and an afternoon nap. She's still my least consistent nighttime sleeper! Usually she does a good 12 hours, but I'm still confused why occasionally she wakes up at night or really early in the mornings. Isla is a content, happy little thing, and we love her so.

Faye girl got to leave the appointment early thanks to a friend having an appointment at the same time and taking Faye home for me! (What are the chances?? The one and only Army friend I have here. Hi, Rachel.)

The big, pretty hospital where daddy used to work.

Back to the birthday party/Chile fiesta. The cake is ready!

She was too curious about the cake to pose for any pictures...

...but then she just picked at it a little bit and signed "all done." I've never had a kid actually go crazy eating cake on their first birthday!

Aaand the after party clean up, courtesy of Rick. (The fridge is chalkboard paint!)