Lucy's Birthday Party - The One With Her Friends

On Saturday morning we celebrated Lucy's birthday with lots of friends at a pool close to our house.




It was fantastic.  This was a double birthday party with her little friend Noah, and I definitely want to do a double party again in the future. 





Sharing/splitting the party planning is the way to go.  We know Noah and his mom Audrey through a playgroup that meets weekly, so it was nice that several of the party guests were mutual friends. 




The pool was huge!  And there was even a splash pad in the corner.  And a nice, shaded area to sit on the grass.  It was so lovely.



Daniel and I threw Lucy back and forth ("up, up, up!") and then watched her delight in swimming between the two of us. 



She is improving almost every time we go swimming--it is so fun to see.  She LOVES swimming and floating. 



Her swimming teacher Tracy slides her finger into the side/back of the kids' mouths to stimulate the gag reflex and prompt a burp whenever there's too much air in a kid's stomach.  Air in the tummy makes it difficult to roll over from floating to face-down swimming.  I've taken to adopting the same procedure with Lucy whenever her belly is tympanic with air, and it's surprising how eagerly she allows it!  In fact, the other day she was on the stairs at my parents' pool, and I was in the deep end with Elliot.  I said, "Lucy--do you have air in your tummy?"  and she said that she did.  I said, "Would you like to burp?"  and she said that she would.  So just like I had done (and Tracy before me), she opened up her mouth and put her little finger all the way to the back of her mouth, and out came an enormous burp!  She looked so proud of herself.  It was the funniest thing.



Anyways.  Lucy is fearless.  Well, not quite.  She's afraid of loud noises like the blender.  And she's timid in any new social situation, always preferring to be held until she finds her social footing.  But in the water, she's close to fearless.  Daniel thinks that particular trait of hers will end up giving us gray hairs, and he's probably right.



The food was so good. 


 

I spent the day before washing and cutting up fruits and vegetables and served a fruit dip and 2 veggie dips along side them. 



Then I made fudgie brownies on the morning of the party, and my friend Elizabeth made cupcakes.  Everything was so yummy!



When it was time to open presents (we call them "surprises"), it didn't take long for Lucy to understand her role. 


 

She had a fun time opening the gifts and got lot of help from her little friends. 


 

Elliot did great at the party.  Mom held him for a good chunk of it, and they enjoyed a very sleepy bonding experience.  It's so fun to hold a sleeping baby. 

 

It was a lot of fun playing with Lucy in the pool and knowing Elliot was nearby but enjoying himself much more in dry arms than he would have been in the pool.



What a fun celebration.  We missed our out-of-town family and friends.  But we were glad for everybody who was able to make it to celebrate Lucy at the pool.