happy first bithday, ruby!

today my sweet little girl isnt a baby anymore! all day today, as we slowly make all the preparations for her small party this afternoon.. i have been thinking back to this day last year that i spent in labor. it started at 2am, went to the hospital at 8am, and she was born at 8:33pm. its 12:20 now, so at this very moment last year i was about to get my epidural at 1pm. but enough about me, this is her day.

she is talking more and more, repeating words after us, and surprising us with a few of her own. yesterday we were at a friends house and she was pushing around a big car - and said so clear as day, "car!". she is walking more and more often, but still prefers crawling as her primary means. so for her birthday, i got her her first pair of real shoes. and they are cute! i wish they made them in my size.

everyone is taking a nap right now. but at 3pm, we will have two families come over for a mexican-themed bday party for ruby. mexican food is so perfect for feeding lots of people casually. we will just have a build your own burrito/taco setup, chips & salsa.. and margaritas for us! hey, really, the first birthday is really for the parents, right??

i told lucas he could "help" her blow her birthday candle. he's pretty excited about it and has been talking about it all week. he says "birfdy cake! bwoh!"(birthday cake! blow [out the candle]!) or sometimes he will ask me "wuby upenit pwesens, mama?" (will ruby open presents, mama?) and he's proud he helped me make the cake.