I AM KNIT TOGETHER: Birthday Shenanigans

December twenty-second will always be one of my favorite days. The one in two thousand and ten is my most favorite, but the one in two thousand and eleven is definitely my second favorite. It was a day full of celebration and joy. We started the day heading to the Peabody. The nursing agency that staffs our nurses has a huge Christmas party for their patients and nurses every year and it just happened to fall on the girl's birthday this year. It was so wonderful. We got the girls all dressed up in their pretty red dresses. These dresses had been bought by their Mah Mah before they were even born in faith that they would be able to wear 12 month sized dresses. They wore them with flair! When we got to the Peabody we had valet parking, walked right in (after wrangling all of the bags and machines that accompany Penny) and the first thing we saw was the huge Christmas tree in the lobby. Lydia immediately started squealing with excitement at the lights. This is a skill she's been using whenever she sees anything that she loves. Me, Jonathan, her grandparents, but the loudest of squeals are reserved for very large brightly lit Christmas trees. Penny looked around taking everything in with wonder. Her eyes were as bright as the tree! On our way up to the party, we realized that the Peabody ducks were out swimming in the fountain! Penny's nurse Kim swears that she says "duck" and points to the duck on one of her toys so Kim was really excited to see what Penny would do with real ducks. She didn't disappoint! After looking at them for a minute or two she very clearly said "duck!" She's so smart!

So we rode the fancy elevator upstairs, took pictures with every christmas tree along the way, and finally made it to the big ballroom where the party was held. After our names were checked off the guest list and we were greeted with excitement by all of the people who work so hard to make sure Penny is cared for and have never met her in person, we were lead to a table. We weren't the first ones to sit there though. SANTA was sitting there! With his red suit and his rosy cheeks and his big plate of peach cobbler! Now, Jonathan and I haven't decided how we as a family will deal with the Santa issue, but we both admitted later that we were pretty excited to be sitting at the same table as he and his wife! Lydia was not as stoked about it and Penny just kind of stared at him. A little bit later we had a chance to take a picture with him and Lydia made it quite clear that she did not appreciate being plopped on his lap nor did she appreciate him calling her a "ho" three times! Her daddy promptly rescued her, but the moment is forever burned into my memory.

Also at the party was a very talented quartet who sang Christmas carol medleys for us. I believe they are called "Time and Again" if you are looking for a quartet for any reason. They were phenomenal. My favorite song they did was Happy Birthday! They came over and sang to two very special guests and made their mommy cry. It really was unexpectedly overwhelming to hear Happy Birthday sung so beautifully to Lydia and Penny when I wasn't sure if I'd ever hear it sung to them at all. It was a big moment.

We finally tore ourselves away from the party and headed home for a good nap in preparation for the family birthday party that night. I'm sure glad we all napped! Even with only immediate family, one nurse, and one party crashing aunt and uncle, our house was full of love and excitement...and presents!! We had so much fun. I really had expected Penny to get overwhelmed with all the attention. Boy was I wrong!!! She ate it up! She did all her little tricks that she knows make people laugh and she brought the house down! Lydia did her fair share of performing too trying to climb the piles of presents! When it was all said and done, we were all exhausted in the best of ways.

I think that's how we feel about the whole year. We are truly exhausted, but in the best of ways.

Yeh Yeh's birthday and Penny's first dinner with the family in the kitchen!

Hanging out with Nanny and Papa for the first time since April

Nanny and Penny are BFFS

I think they were talking about boys

We were all listening though

video chatting with Yeh Yeh

Lydia was in "jail" playing so well we hated to get her out

Now that she's mobile she resents being held...Nanny found the perfect solution

Mrs Kim getting Penny ready for her big day

The Chus and the big tree!

The girls admiring it...and me in my rocket pack (Penny's vent)

"the treeeeee!"-L

"DUCK!"-P

Lunch part A

Lunch part B...don't worry. At a party for special needs kids...you're not cool unless you feed or breath through a tube. Penny's got this thing down!