Today Gal Smiley is turning one year old. It’s gone by crazy fast, and I’m a little sad that my baby girl is growing up. I’m pretty happy about the weaning though — this past week I’ve had wine, caffinated coffee, and peanut butter, luxuries I’ve been denied for more than three years. Whee!

A while ago Gal Smiley had her first taste of cake, with her lunch (Captain Jelly Belly was frantic about getting his hands on the cake, so neither one of us could handle waiting until dinnertime to cut into it). Gal Smiley is an awesome eater — carrots and broccoli are her favourite foods — but I think that she might never eat anything other than cake again. She loved it and would gladly have eaten all that I offered her.

Afterwards she was totally on a sugar high and it was pretty funny. She has just started walking and she was rushing around and falling all over and alternating between laughing and crying. We tried to read a book but she just wanted to flip the pages really really fast. Eventually I found one of those little head-bow things that people put on babies that I really hate, that matches the dress she is wearing today, and put it askew on her head. Combined with the hyperness it was quite a hilarious effect — as if she’d gone to a party and gotten really drunk and put a lampshade on as a hat. Does it make me a bad parent if I laughed at her?

Anyway, happy birthday little girl :).