South Dakota Knows How to Party

Dear Baby Waider,

We achieved our over the top birthday extravaganza party for your first birthday. I have to admit that the bar was set pretty high with this birthday. Your dad and I worked pretty hard to make it awesome. As stated in a previous blog the theme was "Over the Rainbow." Your dad hung hundreds of rainbow streamers and also made a balloon swag. You had a rainbow cake and lots of fun. As Grandma Halter called it...organized chaos. Although to an innocent bystander it would not seem the least bit organized. Kids everywhere. A slide indoors, and a dance party. We had a pretty good time. You also received wonderful gifts. It was fantastic.


Fortunately during the day of your party while we got ready you were able to hang with Grandpa Halter. Mom, dad, and grandma Halter worked like mad to finish everything up. He played with all of your toys with you and also took you for a little walk. Thankfully grandma helped mom wrap up everything in the kitchen and dad wrapped everything up outside. We were pretty much ready to go just as our guests arrived. You got to eat your cake, which you loved, and I think everyone had a good time. I know that you did. Until you got too tired you had a huge grin on your face and were dancing your little dance all around. It was worth all of the time and
effort that we put into it.



THE REAL BIRTHDAY

Mom often THINKS that your birthday is on October 8th. Maybe it is because that is her and dad's wedding anniversary, or maybe it is because that is the day that she actually went into labor. Whatever the reason I can't remember your birthday for the life of me. Anyway. You were pretty under the weather that next morning and dad decided to stay home with you. Mostly, we think you were exhausted and enjoyed the day at home resting. We had a grandparent birthday party that night. We had pizza and salad. You actually had an avocado, some rice, and, carrots, I think! We had a great time. Grandma and Grandpa Halter were there and so was Grandpa Marker. That's when mom and dad gave you your kitchen! You loved it and cried and cried when we didn't let you play with it anymore and made you go to bed. Your favorite part of the kitchen was the fork that you used to walk around with in your mouth. You have since lost the right to have the fork.

The Day After That

You might be thinking, you are writing this blog on October 28th? That's exactly 20 days after the party. Yes, you are right because the day after your birthday, the day that one year ago we brought you home from the hospital mama wrecked her car with YOU in it. On the way home that day I was actually remembering how exciting it was to bring you home from the hospital. I was nervously riding in the back seat of the car with you and dad was carefully driving the old Subaru. We got stopped by the train and there was a car full of hooligans. Your dad and I laughed and decided that you would NEVER be hanging out with that crowd. Then we got home and I remembered how we introduced you to Mia. Which, by the way, the two of you have quite a good thing going. You now feed her and in return she lets you hang out with her. She even, dare I say, likes you! For that matter since I'm on a commercial break from my story, Boo the cat really likes you too. It's taken them a year, but the pets seem to even enjoy you at times. Soup is still hoping that you catch the plane back to wherever you came from, but she thinks the same about me. Sorry, back to the story.

I was thinking back to that magical day that you came home with us and I was really on cloud nine. Then, as I was driving there was some fool on the side of the road. He was jumping and waving and acting all crazy. I couldn't figure out what he was doing. Well, I spent far too much time looking at him because when I stopped looking I was hitting a car that was stopped in the driving lane in front of me. I hit her pretty hard. I don't know why they were trying to turn from the driving lane, but I should have been paying attention. I called 911 right away and became hysterical. I was so worried that I had hurt you. Luckily your dad is up on car seat safety and still had you rear facing. You didn't even cry and were just fine. Mom was not okay. I was super sad that I totaled our car! It was such a great car and really had a lot of life left in it. Your dad had recently rebuilt the engine, and it was in top notch shape. Anyway, to add insult to injury I got a ticket for careless driving and found out that I hit someone who lives right by us.

The process of having insurance look at the car dragged out for a long time. Seemed like a week. Finally they told us that the car was totaled. We got a check and needed to find mom a new ride. Side note. Your dad shops for cars when we don't need cars. He shops for cars for other people. If he hears that someone somewhere might want a car at sometime he's looking for them. He's sort of a madman about cars. Also, when he gets a car it becomes a member of the family. So, it is almost like he interviews cars rather than test drives cars. I love cars too. In fact before we had you dad and I used to just go out and test drive cars for fun. This wasn't so much fun. We felt like we really needed to get a car and we didn't feel like we had that much time. We managed to find a car here in town, but it wasn't the right fit. Actually, it almost was our car. We offered 19,000 for the car and had they counter offered 19,500 we would have bought the car. Luckily for us they didn't accept our offer and we ended up with a much, much better car. We got a car 10 years newer than our old 2002 Subaru. It had 26 miles on it when dad bought it, heated seats, a moon roof, and bluetooth, which means we can easily jam out to music on mamas phone.

The only catch is that this most perfect car was not anywhere near us. It was all the way in Colorado Springs. So, dad had to drive through a ground blizzard in Wyoming,in a Chevy Cruz rental car, all the way south of Denver to get our new family member. We are really lucky that he's adventurous because he found us the PERFECT CAR!

It still seems sad to me that I killed our old Forester. The one that just a year earlier had safely delivered me to the hospital, despite your dad's efforts to try to stop me from making it. The car that took your dad and I on countless adventures and trips. The car that safely brought you to our home...I'll admit it, I'm still sad. One time when I called the body shop I actually had one of the guys there give me a life lesson. I was asking him to please not total my car out. He then said, "Ma'am I know you are sad about your car, but it did its job. It kept you safe in an accident. You and your daughter are both fine. In one year is it really going to matter what kind of car you have? But, in one year if your legs didn't work or you were seriously injured what would you think about that?" I had to agree with the guy. I thanked him for the attitude adjustment.

Tonight as I wrap up my blog I am feeling pretty blessed. October was a roller coaster month. Ups and downs. Being happy that my baby is one and that we made it to that milestone. Being sad that you don't lay and cuddle with me for hours on end. Being terrified that you were injured in the car accident. Totaling my old car. Getting a new car. Watching you perfect the skill of walking. Playing for hours on end. All in all things do have a way of working themselves out. It's hard to believe, but here come the holidays!

Mama loves you!

Love,

MAMA

PS While captioning all of these pictures could prove to drive me crazy I do want to point out the little chair. It created so much drama! Your friend Brandon gave it to you. Finn loved it, fought his mom for it. That's the picture of Finn crying and auntie laughing. Also, Harry was standing in it the wrong way and Grandpa and Wayne were doing something with it too. You still love the chair, but have a way of getting into quite a bit of trouble with it. I frequently hide the chair, as does dad. We are working with you to quietly read in the chair rather than stand up in it. Updates to come...