Today is Lucy's birthday! We started the morning much as we ended the evening, with Lucy insisting that she be touching Daddy at all times. I am not sure that Chris got much more than 2 or 3 hours of sleep. Anytime we tried to move Lucy to her crib she would wake up and scream for Daddy. We finally gave in and let her sleep with him.
After breakfast we got on a bus with the other families and went to some historical building with some historical meaning. All I remember is that there is a copy of this building at Summer Palace. Now that we have our babies I am not sure that any of us are able to completely listen to the historical information. We're too busy staring at them.
The building was very pretty and had interesting tile decorations and some beautiful murals. There was also a good amount of souvenir shopping, which is what most of us did. There were lots of inexpensive Chinese trinkets and jewelry. I am hoping to buy several small gifts to give Lucy every year on "Gothcha Day." I was able to find a couple of potential gifts. We also saw a short stage show of Chinese opera and dancing. The music was wonderful and the costumes were bright and beautiful. Lucy really seemed to enjoy the music.
It is interesting to see the reaction of the Chinese people to our little girls. Most of them are very friendly and very interested in adoring our babies. Many of them want to have their pictures taken with them. They are especially interested in having pictures taken with anyone who is blonde. We spoke with one Chinese man outside of the historical building. He asked how old she was (at least I think that is what he asked) and I was able to communicate to him that today is Lucy's birthday. He was very happy and excited for us.
On the way home it was decided that we would all order Pizza Hut pizza for lunch. I am not exaggerating one bit when I say it was the absolute best meal we have eaten in 5 days.
After lunch we were joined in the playroom by some of our new friends for Lucy's 1st birthday party. It was a wonderful event! Lucy was in a very happy mood and was laughing and playing for a whole hour. First, Lucy and her friends Taya and Margaret Jane had fun playing with balloons. Then we all sang happy birthday and clapped for the baby. She loved it. She is a total ham. She was cheesing for the camera the whole time! Then we had birthday cake. The hotel gave us a complimentary birthday cake. It was mostly whipped cream and Lucy loved it! After the cake we let Lucy open her birthday present. It was a little white stuffed cat that Christopher bought for her in August at the Mall of America. She loves her new kitty. She laughed and played with it. Then she and Taya and Margaret Jane all tried out the rocking toys in the playroom. Taya and her Mommy Amy even got in the big box with the plastic balls. Lucy did not think that this was a good idea.
We took so many amazing photos at her party that it will be very difficult to choose 3 or 4 for the website. She had these great faces that she makes. The one she likes the most is sticking her tongue out as far as possible. It isn't very lady-like but it makes us all laugh!
After the big party we went on a little walk around the hotel grounds with Taya, her Mommy and Daddy Amy and Dana, her Grandparents Judy and Conrad, Margaret Jane and her parents Jonathan and Emily. Lucy fell asleep about 2 minutes into it and slept for the next 2.5 hours!
As usual, she had to be touching Daddy they whole time she slept. Normally Daddy is content to lie on the bed and watch TV while baby sleeps. Until he has to go to the bathroom! I am proud to say that we were finally able to pull one over on her. With much effort I was able to sneak into Daddy's place so that he could have a few minutes on his own. To do this, we had to put a blanket over her face so that she would not know who was next to her. While this is not particularly good for my self-esteem, it did get the job done.
Finally we woke her up to go to dinner and she became the center of attention. She is so funny! She was cracking us up all through dinner. She was even making Katie and her Mom and Dad (Scott and Kristine) laugh. She will play and play with me just as long as she is still in Daddy's lap. She even let me kiss all over her cheeks (best moment so far!) but she will not sit on my lap or let me hold her. Later we went to the business center and she was making all the ladies in there laugh.
She is so much fun. She loves to play with her toys and take a bath. She has the cutest laugh. She loves to shake her head and stick out her tongue. I can hardly wait to see what she is going to do tomorrow. She is wearing her Daddy out. She is very, very strong and has a vice grip. He is getting beat up by her but I think he likes it. He is such a good Daddy!
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