My little girl turned one not too long ago. We finally finished celebrating yesterday. We had 4 separate parties for her. The first came in August with my mother’s side of the family. She wasn’t even 11 months yet at that point. She had her very own cake made for her, but didn’t really dig into it like everyone was hoping. She just tenderly touched the cake, inspecting it to see what it was.
The next celebration came on her real birthday. Mommy, Daddy and baby girl celebrated together. They went to VIPS (an all-you-can-eat buffet chain in Korea) so daddy could have ribs. She got to sample lots of different foods; she even tried ribs! She loved to chew on the bones after daddy finished them off. Sometimes she feels like a pet…
She tried so many new foods and seemed to relish the opportunity of eating whatever she wished. She had pineapple and litchy fruit for the first time ever. She loved litchy fruit - who doesn’t? Some waitresses came and gave the three of us some silly hats to wear and then sang a jazzed up happy birthday song for her. After the meal she went into the kids’ playroom and ran around screaming excitedly. She was so happy to be with other kids, and we were shocked at just how well-behaved she was with other children, no matter what the other kids were doing. After VIPS, our family went back to our apartment to have cake. Mommy and daddy sang happy birthday and then let baby girl play with her cake. She really liked it.
The next celebration was the big one with all of her Korean family and friends. We rented a room at the same buffet place that mommy and daddy got married at. More than 50 people showed up to celebrate with us! Daddy made a video for his daughter, and there were some ‘MC’s’ who danced and ran the program. A table was placed out for her which contained some objects which symbolize possible paths for baby to take in the future. Among the items were a microphone, mouse, pencil, money and stethoscope. She was supposed to choose one item. The microphone meant she would be a singer, the mouse meant she’d work in some capacity with computers, the pencil meant she’d do something with education, money meant she’d be rich, and the stethoscope, well, obviously meant she’d be a doctor. When asked what we’d prefer baby to choose, mommy said money and daddy said the pencil. As it would turn out, she chose the pencil, and daddy couldn’t have been happier!
The last and final celebration came yesterday with people from church here in Busan. About 30 people came over! We had cake and ice cream, watched a video and opened gifts. She really dug into her cake this time. She loved it! She got it all over her face, arms and legs. She was so good with everyone and was hamming it up for some of the girls.
Our little girl is now a year old. It’s so hard to believe that a year has already passed. She’s developing well, getting cuter by the day, and making mommy and daddy laugh so hard every day. Her name, Charissa, means joy. Over the past year she has displayed how aptly she is named, as she has been a constant source of joy to those whom she meets. We brought her into school one day, and one of the teachers told me that seeing Charissa helped her get through the long night of work she had to do.
We love you little girl, and we’re still praying that you’ll grow up to know the joy of honouring and serving the Lord. You are in our hearts always, and we’re so proud and humbled to be your parents.
