It’s crazy to think that just one year ago, Pete and I were experiencing this and this. Celebrating Liesl’s birthday evokes feeling of joy (“our baby girl is growing up into such a cute little toddler!”), incredulity (“how did we survive months 0-6?!”), and fondness (for going through parenthood with such a great partner).

Throughout this past year, I remember hearing the phrase “it just keeps getting better and better” from my friends who also have little kiddos, and now that I have some time and perspective under my belt, I agree with this sentiment 100%.

Especially for first-time parents, who don’t know what to expect along the newborn/infant/baby journey, parenting and managing your child can seem so incredibly daunting, all-encompassing, and depleting at times. It’s actually only been in the past 4-5 months or so that I think Pete and I have had a bit more grace, patience, and flexibility in our approach to life with a child (compared to how we lived our life pre-kids). This improved attitude makes everything so much more doable and fun.

On to the birthday goodness! Liesl got to celebrate her birthday twice: once in Kauai with Grandpa and Grandma Schwichtenberg (more on that trip in a separate post), and then again the following week at home. In Kauai, we celebrated on the lanai overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Who wouldn’t want a birthday shindig with that view?

We had cake at both parties, and both times Liesl was much more interested in the frosting than the actual cake. In fact, she liked to play with it between her fingers more than she liked actually eating it.

She opened presents at both parties, too, and particularly liked anything related to books or Sesame Street.

Since we know how much Liesl loves the water, Pete and I bought her an inflatable pool for the backyard — she loves it!

Liesl has been walking for three months, and now she’s starting to act like a little gymnast. She LOVES crawling over horizontal posts (like the crossbeams on a tall kitchen chair) and then doing pseudo-handstands on the other side; I’m shocked that she’s strong enough to hold herself up on her arms and not boink her head as she crawls to the other side! She’s still working on saying words, and the main one in her repertoire right now is “dada”. She’s been practicing making lots of sounds with her tongue towards the front of her mouth. She especially likes making the “thhh” sound and blowing bubbles.