Happy Birthday Holly

Our little girl has turned One-Year Old! Unbelievable! I cannot believe its been a whole year since Holly popped into the world.

We would have loved to have had a big party for her birthday, but the tininess of our apartment meant just a small gathering. However, it was great, especially as Holly had her favourite three little pals, Maite, Poppy and Luke, there with her. They tucked into a big bowl of cheerios while the big people enjoyed the birthday cake.

And while we were exhausted by the little get-together, Holly was energised! She was buzzing even after everyone left, so much so, that she decided that that would be the day she would take her first steps! Sure enough she managed three or four steps on her own. And now there is no stopping her. By the next weekend she could walk clear across the living room and now she's more of a walker than a crawler. We even had to go out and buy her some new walking shoes.

Her talking has really developed as well. She's got at least about 10 words in our language, but talks constantly in her own. And she understands us very well too. She can't say "no" yet, but sure knows how to shake her head "no".

Her manual dexterity has improved immensely as well. She can now push shaped blocks through the correspondaing shaped holes. Annoyingly, she can unscrew the lids off containers, prompting a whole new level of babyproofing.