Maeve's First Birthday!

Maeve turned ONE!!!!!!

On March 2nd, Maeve turned a whooping one year old!!  We started out the day in the park for a run.  She really enjoyed it!

Bundled up

ready to roll

Counting on her fingers how many miles Momma ran...

Then we all hung out as a family the rest of the day.  Maeve even got to open some cards from family and friends.

Then we went out to dinner with Josh's parents and she opened a few presents and got to practice with cupcake...

present time!

The next day, we had her birthday party.  First though, we measured her on the wall in her bedroom. Recently at the doctor's she measured 28.25 inches and was 18 lbs 12 oz (25th% for height and  15th% for weight).

Then we got ready for the party. 

Cupcakes

Nana's BBQ recipe

Maeve's dressed up high chair

Party room

Favors

Hanging with Aunt Jess and Gigi

Chloe helped me make PB & J sandwiches

cousins!

Maeve has this hysterical habit of making "I don't know" hands.  Add the adorable hat that Nan made for her birthday that turns her little fairy ears out and her cuteness factor is through the roof!

kids table

I made a small cake for Maeve using Nana's Wacky cake recipe, being sure to make pink icing.  

So we disrobed her...

And sang to her...

she was not too sure about the whole thing...

and was acting a little shy...

But then we let her dig in, and she warmed up. 

At first she just brought the cake to her mouth and sucked on it, but then she got a little bit more messy, but not too bad!

Then it was time to open presents.  There were so many that were amazing gifts and so thoughtful! 

reading homemade cards

Jojo playing with Maeve's present

Happy family!!

So after we cleaned up from the party, it was time to play.  Maeve was very excited to try on her new apron with her helmet!!

hehe!!

playing with the balloons!

A few night's later, Jane and Dave had us for dinner, and gave Maeve another cake.  She is getting even better at eating them!!

While getting Maeve changed in the Jane's kitchen that night, I handed her one of her fur boots she had gotten for her birthday.  And then...she started walking away with it!! I got Josh's attention and he got to see her first steps as well!!! What a miracle that Josh and I were both able to see that for the first time.  As working parents, I was worried we would miss everything...so I was overjoyed to see that with Josh there too.  It wasn't until we pointed out that she was walking that she stopped...

We had a few other gifts to open, and by this time, Maeve is a pro.  She enjoys opening gifts, and putting clothes on, and ripping apart the tissue paper into tiny little pieces, then tries to eat them all.  It is a very fun time!

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Pretty excited about her present from Betty!

Reading her books!

At the end of the day, Josh and I both said, there is no present greater than the love we get from Maeve everyday.  It is hard to ever imagine the love you can feel for your own child, until he or she is born.  We relived the precious moments from her delivery and the roller coater of emotions as new parents.  We looked through pictures and reminisced throughout the year.  It was a year of giving love and being loved.  Maeve Willow McElroy, you melt our hearts everyday and we love you more then you will ever know!