Appartment 14244, morning, the Temmincks -- Morgan's first birthday!
A whole year! Sasha couldn't quite believe that it had been so long since Morgan had been born. The time had flown past. She was a married woman with an adorable child - it almost didn't seem real.
Luckikly, there were the Temmincks, who were much more practical at times. Maude had prepared an enormous birthday breakfast -- why wait until teatime? -- and Manny had splurged on a few colourfully wrapped boxes for mother and daughter, so when they woke up and came from their rooms, they'd get horribly spoiled.
Rolling over and realising that her husband wasn't still in bed with her, Sasha smiled sleepily. Manny was almost certainly up to something - he did love to spoil his family sometimes. Well, she couldn't disappoint him! Sliding out of the warm sheets, she slipped an intricately embroidered Chinese style dressing gown - another of Manny's gifts, from a trip to Taiwan - on over her night-dress, running a brush through her wildly curly hair before heading through into Morgan's bedroom, through the door that joined the nursery room with their bedroom, to wake the child.
Morgan was already awake, waving her hands at the shadows cast on her bedclothes by the mobile hanging over her crib.
"Hey, sweetheart," Sasha cooed at her, scooping the baby, who grabbed at her mother's hair with delighted 'Mama!'s and demands for 'where Dad?'
"You are such a Daddy's girl," Sasha told her, stroking her soft little cheek. "Come on then, let's find your Daddy."
Morgan shrieked with delight - Daddy was much more important than birthdays!
Only because she had never had a birthday before! There was cheerful if quiet music playing from the dining room, and the enticing smell of burning candles, cream cake, and fresh coffee. Sasha laughed quietly as she entered the room, Morgan cradled against her shoulder.
"You two, she laughed at Manny and Maude, "are the silliest people ever. Morgan doesn't even know it's her birthday!"
"That's why she's got to learn!" Maude beamed, standing behind the cake. "Birthdays are fun!" Manny said. "At least while you're so young -- so why waste them?"
He brought out a number of silly hats and presented them to Sasha and Morgan. "Pick one each!"
Sasha shook her head, laughing, and turned Morgan so she could see the hats properly. The baby made gabs with both hands for the brightly-coloured objects. "I guess she's chosen for me!" Sasha chuckled. "Which is mine and which is hers, though?"
"You really should wear the one with the dancing cat pattern," Maude smiled. The hat was made from good Japanese paper, and very long and pointy. Manny laughed. "It'll go well with your dressing gown!"
"Silly," Sasha giggled at him, but she bent her head so that he could sit it on her, not having both hands free herself. "Which means Morgan gets the bunnies then."
Morgan squealed delightedly and 'allowed the hat to be put on; then, she pointed at the candles. There were twelve little ones, and a big one. "Twelve months make a year," Manny explained to his daughter, "and you're a whole year old today!"
Morgan reached her arms out to her Daddy, and Sasha smiled slightly. She would never tire of how sweet her husband was with his little girl.
"And now, we blow out the candles," Manny said. "And then we eat cake. We can't eat cake with the candles still burning, that is ouch."
He carried her towards the cake and pointed, and them mimed blowing at the candles. Maude got her little digital camera ready.
Morgan giggled at her funny Daddy, making silly faces for her. She blew bubbles back at him.
"Here, blow at the candles!" Manny said, trying to demonstrate without actually blowing one out. He looked majorly silly, and Maude took a picture, laughing at her silly offspring.
Morgan stuck her tongue out at him, and blew a raspberry. It was closer! Sasha, meanwhile, was in fits of giggles.
"Come on! Again!" Manny encouraged. "Blow at the candles! Phooooo!"
Morgan blew. Alas, her little lungs couldn't generate enough puff to make the candles more than flicker.
"I think she needs some help," Sasha laughed.
When Morgan blew at the candles again, Manny blew along, and three candles went out. Maude took pictures.
Morgan made a face and pointed at the extinguished candles. "More!" Manny said to her. "When they are all out, we can eat cake!"
Magic! Morgan blew again, an astonished expression on her tiny face.
Manny helped, Maude took pictures, and when all the candles were out, Morgan squealed with delight.
"Now we can eat cake for breakfast!" Manny declared, as if that was the best thing ever.
"But only on special occasions," Sasha reminded him, laughing, as she settled Morgan into her high chair, and took her own seat.
"You're spoiling her, you bad man. And you too Maude!"
Maude cut the cake, and Manny served it to Sasha and Morgan, then adding a sippy cup of milk for Morgan, and a mug of freshly brewed coffee for her mother, before sitting down himself. Maude beamed like a whole lighthouse. Poor old Manny senior, rest in peace, had never been this good in making his family happy.-