HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY KINLEY!!!

I can't believe Kinley is already a year old! Believe it or not, even with all we have been through with her, this first year really did fly by.

Kevin and I are so proud of where Kinley is today. Looking back to a year ago we could have only imagined that she would be crawling, eating on her own, and an otherwise healthy, happy 1 year old little girl today. We just wanted to thank everyone who has supported us and prayed for Kinley this past year. We can't express how much it truly meant to us.

Kinley - You are an inspiration to us. We are so sorry you had to go though what you did, but you did it with flying colors. We have a feeling most everything you do will be with flying colors. You have made an impact on the lives of so many people already, especially your mom and dad. Every time we look at you we see a miracle. We can't wait to see what the next year brings for you.

Alright, now what everyone is waiting for...picture time!

Setting up for the party.

Mmmm desserts, the best part.

Kinley's cupcake is the little one in front. Three Women and an Oven (the bakery) did a great job with her cupcake, you can't really tell from the picture, but it had "fairy dust" sprinkled on top to make it sparkle. The other mini cakes are lemon, chocolate covered strawberry, and the pink one is champagne. They were delicious!!

The party started just after Kinley woke up from her nap. She is still a little shocked in this picture.

Kinley and Chase playing together for the first time. They played really well together after Kinley got used to sharing. As you can see, she wasn't too sure about it at first.

Just hanging out, playing with her friends in her room before the festivities began.

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you...

Kinley's cupcake was a little top-heavy with the icing, I couldn't get it to stand up after taking the wrapper off.

This is what Kinley's tray looks like after a typical meal. There is milk everywhere because she likes to pour just as much on her tray as in her mouth and there is always some milk-soaked food left on the tray.

Present time!!

Kobi did a great job showing Kinley how to open her gifts.

OK, I give up on the formatting for the rest of this post. No matter what I try I can't get the spaces between paragraphs to show up when it posts. They are there in the draft, but don't transfer when I post. Frustrating, but at least it will get posted.

A big THANKS to my sister for practically planning the whole party. She was in charge of decorations, invitations, food, and all the little "extras" that made the party so special. Unfortunately, she was sick the day of the party and had to miss the whole thing. We were so sad she was not there, but the party was a huge success because of all her hard work planning the whole thing! Thanks Aunt Mary and get well soon!!

If you were wondering about Kinley's birthday attire, it was actually a gift from Great Aunt Jody for Christmas. It is a pink onesie with matching tutu. The onesie says "does my butt look big in this tutu". I thought it was cute for her birthday.

After Kinley's party we let her take a little nap, but after she woke up it was more birthday fun. We dressed Kinley up in one of her new "outfits" and took her, as well as 12 dozen mini cupcakes to the NICU at Children's Mercy Hospital. We were disappointed that Kinley could not even make it past security. Apparently kids are not allowed in the hospital unless they are the patient due to increased precautions regarding the swine flu. I stayed in the lobby with Kinley while Kevin when up to the NICU to deliver the cupcakes and a little note with a current picture of Kinley, so that everyone there could see how well she is doing just a year later. We thought it was an important part of Kinley's Birthday to take time and thank those who made it possible. Kevin even ran into Dr. W. while in the NICU and she came all the way down to the lobby just to see Kinley and catch up. It was great seeing her again.

Here is the new "outfit" Kinley wore to Children's Mercy. It is a pair of scrubs with Dr. Melcher embroidered on it. This "outfit" was also from Great Aunt Jody. I don't know where she finds this stuff! Too cute.

All and all, I would say a very successful and fun 1st Birthday for Kinley!!