Happy 8th Birthday, Abigail!

Abbie had a very low-key birthday this year. She didn't want to have a party, but instead opted for a series of smaller celebrations. We kicked it off with cake after dinner on Saturday with a friend of hers who lives in Dallas. Then, on Monday (the actual birthday), she celebrated with her class at Montessori. They have a traditional thing that they do for birthdays where the child brings in a picture from each year of their life and tells a little bit about it. Then, they finish up with a treat for the class. So, we did that with her yesterday morning. Then, she chose her birthday dinner, which Chad prepared last night - steak, green beans, sweet potatoes, and angel food cake. It turned out to be a great meal, and I think she enjoyed it.

Abigail's 8th Birthday

As you can see, we sang "Happy Birthday" to her but it was all quite subdued. She also got presents - some clothes, a book (which she has already finished reading), a beaded "door" for her room, and a 3-D globe puzzle - and lots of calls and texts from family members. So, all in all a successful day!

Also, I got a total blast from the past the other day. When Abbie was 3 months old, she participated in a vision and attention study at Cornell's baby lab. Part of the research is longitudinal so the researchers have kept in touch with us over the last eight years (not an easy feat!), and now it is finally time for us to complete a follow-up questionnaire. The big surprise, though, was that they attached to the email notice a photo of Abbie that they had taken the day that she was in the lab way back in 2006. It was stunning to see, and I think is pretty cool - check it out:

Just a few changes in the last eight years, wouldn't you say. ;)