Lend me your Year
Well, it is official. Ellie Rae Grace Weien has survived one full year as of tonight. My beloved youngest daughter is officially one year old today, er this night, uh this morning. Abbie and I have prevented ourselves from giving the Child Protection Agency ammunition to arrest us, and she is a healthy, growing, and developing child.

Our toddler is growing up so fast I can't believe it. She has been standing for a month or two now. She is interested in walking, but wise enough to kneel down and crawl when needed. She is smart. The type of smart that you know you are being manipulated. She understand that clapping her hands means that someone will provide a new color and textured piece of food for her to either gobble or toss violently to the floor for the circling dog. If you don't she will scream. She has teeth like an alligator. I don't remember Emma having so many sharp oral tools at this age?! She has more hair than me and weighs over half as much as her sister, who is ALMOST four years old too! Oh man, I feel the time melting like a cheap Wal-Mart candle.

My two girls relationship is a love-hate textbook example. By themselves they are immaculate. Together they are the fine swirling mixture of oil and vinegar - not real great by themselves, but combined with a little bread, ¡Magnifico! And the dog agrees. At bowling someone had Goldfish they were nibbling on. They offered it to the group. Many hands dove for the dry cheesy crunchies. Mine stayed still. I can't even look at them or Cheerios. I am afraid that the vacuum dog will soon agree.

I love this little critter and can't believe a year has passed so quickly, yet if I stop and think of all of the whining that she produces, then I become amazed that it has only been one year.

You know that scene in Forrest Gump?
"You're momma sure does care about yer schoolin'" the principal said to the young boy.
Forrest responded, "uh uh uh uh uh".
That is my one year old when your face is not staring at her every moment. She is like an audio hologram. If you move your head too far to one side it goes off.

"But Jake, she is so cute!"
So are baby mountain lions at her age.
"But Jake, you have to be exaggerating!"
She can swipe a hunk of flesh from your leg or arm or face if you show fear. Gawd Forbid! Don't stare into her eyes!
"But Jake, isn't she so amazing?"
Amazing that she can't sit still.
"But aren't you proud?"
Sure, especially when she will go limp for an undetermined amount of time when I hold her upside down. Like a kitten held from the scruff of the neck, she is the safest when held that way. I don't officially know how long she would allow me to drain all the blood from her body to her head, only because it scares me how much she may be enjoying the free buzz.

WARNING! Don't leave a beer unattended. She can smell a vacant opportunity from across the house to grasp her tiny fingers around a brown bottle of cerveza fria.

Later today/tonight we will celebrate her birth. I expect the birthday cake photos are going to be classic. Casey will be fat from endulgance too. Check later for photos. For now enjoy this classic photo of the sisters. Grammy Sally and Pa Gene had the girls photos taken recently and the poor photographer had a hell of a time trying to catch the picturesque angels seen in parenting magazines. This one is true to life, I think.