Leila turned ONE this weekend and her party was at the Pakes Ice Cream Parlor. We had such a great time preparing for her party. My sister, who is super creative had given me the idea for her party. She came a couple days early to help me get ready, and together we pulled off a great party.
Our little river girl loves to walk in the sand, put rocks and dirt in her mouth, and splash in the water. I remember watching video of me when I was her age, and dirt was my favorite too. The weather is still warm, but the afternoons before the sun goes down is a perfect time to play in the sand.
We took a quick last minute overnight trip to Vegas this last weekend and had a great time. We still haven't left Leila overnight so we loaded her up and made it a family event. She hasn't been known to travel well, but she behaved by watching her new favorite purple friend Barney. I am not a huge fan of cartoons at home, but in the car I will resort to whatever keeps her quiet and entertained. 
We had some friends that were in Vegas from California, so we met them for dinner at a very upscale restaurant. We got many dirty looks from other guests as we sat down, that were on vacation, probably in Vegas to escape their kids, and here we are with an almost 1 year old! She did great though! I was nervous when we sat down on chairs covered in fine white linen. What were we doing? I don't even think they had a kids menu, but she ate some Mac and Cheese that the chef made special for our baby. We kept feeding her, and feeding her to keep her quiet. She played with some toys, and when she got tired we walked around outside with her until we were done. I am a firm believer in adapting her to new environments so that she learns how to behave. We even got a compliment from the waitress on how good she behaved. She played in the hotel room, was in love with the toilet paper roll, enjoyed looking out the window, and even played by the pool the next day. 
Who sleeps in Vegas? When you bring your baby you still love to sleep. We had a beautiful room overlooking a really nice pool with many cabana's surrounding the parameter. I thought it was just a pool. Well, in the early morning, 1:30 to be exact, we woke up to loud bass music. Looking out the window, there was a big party going on at the pool. Oh, not just a big party, it's the new club they built right below our room! Just great! I'm sure when we called the front desk and complained they wondered why we weren't down there having a good time. The lady said oh, I'll call and have them turn down the music...at a club that is outside, yeah I'm sure those that payed a cover really care that we wanted to sleep in Vegas? I knew the music wasn't going to stop till 4am, so we switched rooms at 2am. Drug the pack and play up the elevator to the 60th floor, facing away from the club. Ahhhh, it was quiet, and we finally got sleep! Traveling to Vegas with a baby took on a whole new meaning. We did it, probably won't do it again (on a weekend) but had a good time. Next time we will bring along someone to watch the baby so we can enjoy the club!
I love this little face. She warms my heart with her smiles and giggles. I love every day that she calls me her mommy! 
I even love this crazy lasagna eating face!
This girl's got rhythm, and apparently some crazy hair. Whenever we put on music Leila moves to the beat. It's so much fun to watch, and we hope it wears her down and leads to a long nap! Our little Dancing Queen.
Untitled from Lisa Pakes on Vimeo.
Untitled from Lisa Pakes on Vimeo.
A few weeks back my mom taught Leila how to do "So Big," with her arms in the air, but we really haven't been working with her since. Yesterday Adam asked Leila, "How big are you?" She immediately threw her hands up in the air to tell us she was "So BIG." Love her to pieces!
Untitled from Lisa Pakes on Vimeo.
Our energetic baby is 11 months today and as happy as ever. What works one day, she changes the next just to keeps us guessing. I love her smile, her trust, her energetic spirit, and her persistence. She has changed our lives for the better and can't wait to watch her continue to grow and amaze us! Happy 11 months baby girl. You are the love of our life.
Just a week ago, she was taking more steps:
Untitled from Lisa Pakes on Vimeo.
Untitled from Lisa Pakes on Vimeo.
