Off and running - Deva's walking now!

I (Bill) got to see Deva taking 5-6 steps before leaving on two week trip to Asia (work - yuck!). Many times taking the steps going between daddy and papa. When I returned from Asia, she was off and running! So, I didn't miss the first steps, but it sure was hard to be away from my little dumpling for so long. Deva has graduated from o-e-o's (Cheerios) to toast (as you can see below) - she likes to have a whole piece to work on for a while. Deva also like playing in a sea of bubbles. What a sweetie - how did we ever get so lucky?

Deva's birthday trip (comments at the bottom)

We had a great time visiting Kansas and New Jersey - to get help from family and friends to celebrate Deva's first birthday. After opening tons of gifts at the party hosted by Buck's sister's family - Deva had her first piece of cake. She did some careful inspection first and then went head first into the cake - very funny. We also visited Jennifer and her three children - where Deva was introduced to cheese - which she took to immediately (smart girl). Among the other firsts in the food department was frozen custard. After one bite, Deva shot me a look that said "why on earth would anyone eat that?!" The "official" birthday was celebrated in Avalon. Deva had a lot of fun playing with a million red, purple, blue, and green balls - and making friends with Barb's dog Jack. All in - a great first birthday - or as Deva would say ah-DU, ah-DU, ah-DU!