Beatrix's 1st Birthday

We celebrated Beatrix's first birthday after church today.  She had no clue what was going on, but we all had a good time watching her. 

First up was where we laid out a few items to see which she would go to.  Whichever she chooses will be her future occupation.

It was a little funny because she didn't seem to want any of them.  I'm guessing we didn't put out the right item or maybe she just doesn't want to work.  I had to move to behind the items because she started crawling toward me instead. 

In the end she chose...

 the spoon.  Maybe we have a future baker on our hands.

Next up we tried out a Japanese tradition called Isshou Mochi, which means first birthday rice cake.

 I made a 1.8 kg block of mochi, which is about 4lbs.  We then put it in Calista's backpack and then onto Beatrix. 

According to the internet, "This ritual symbolizes the parents’ wish that the child will successfully navigate the travails of life while remaining in possession of good health, food and emnan (a word meaning peace, harmony, integrity and other such attributes) throughout."  And, "Life is never a smooth ride, it is full of ups and downs, so it is better to let your buttercup know that it's ok to stumble along the way."

Here we go.

 She was not a fan.

We left it on for about two minutes and then freed her.  Check out the video.

 Isshou Mochi


Ok and lastly onto our American tradition of birthday cake.  Beatrix was mesmerized by the candle.

Once Bob blew it out she wasn't sure what to do.  It took some coaxing but we were able to get her to eat a little.

After a couple minutes we just cut it up and put a slice at her seat on the table.  She was much more receptive to that.

Happy birthday Baby Girl!