To my ONE year old!

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

One year ago........

Today...

I Love...

-Just listening to you talk; mostly babbling but you can say Mama, Dada, hello (but it adorably sounds like ha-bow), bye bye, uh oh, no, Shadow (which even more adorably sounds like sha-oh, or ah-oh) and a ton of words that you will repeat if we say them first like shoe, sock, that, etc...
-Finding out what new "kiley word" you will have each week, you are currently saying a lot of blar, blar, and na na.
-How many words you understand like hungry, sleepy, cookie, night night, bath, drink, more, outside, go get him, im gonna get you, book, kiss, Shadow...
-Communicating with you through signing. You can tell me more, all done, please, and sometimes food/hungry, drink, and thank you.
-Watching/listening to you read. Reading to you is fun to but seeing you figure out how to read melts my heart. You turn a page and go "ha-toe", turn a page "ha-toe", sometimes you even will interact with the book by pointing out things, pushing, feeling, knocking, kissing...
-Seeing all the kids that want to be your friend. You already have this magnetic personality.
-Which could be because of how you flirt with everyone. You know you have a smile to die for so you will just sit and smile at people until they look at you and die.
-Watching you dance. You had to have learned that dance from your dad.
-Watching you learn about the world around you, you get so intense when there is a bucket and stuff to put in it.
-Also watching you pick up on people around you. You have learned that certain things are meant for certain purposes. You will put the cell phone to your ear and say "ha-bow", you point the remote at the tv, you move the pen on the paper, you tap on the computer, you hold the keys to the door, you take the diaper to the diaper pail, you put your binky in your crib when I take you out because "binkys are for bedtime". Dad and I are going to have to start watching what we say and do around you: )
-Kiley hugs and kisses. You usually just freely give them out now, not just when we beg for them. Especially to daddy. He never has to beg: )
-Seeing how excited you get when you see someone you know, like when daddy comes home from work, or when Grandma comes over.
-Your snuggles. The first time you wanted to just sit in my arms with your head on my shoulder watching the world-not because you were too small to wiggle your way out, and not because I was holding too tight and wouldn't let you go, but because that was just what you wanted to do at that point in time literally melted me into a puddle on the floor. You are too sweet for words.
-How exited you get over playing in the baby pool or bath time. You are my little water baby. Except in Grandmas jaccuzzi tub. You don't want anything to do with that scary bath.
-Playing if I whisper you whisper, if I yell you yell. You think this is endlessly entertaining right now.
-Watching you walk. I can see you get more and more independent with each step.

-Teaching you to do the V sign for vandals and the wolf pack sign. (I think you like the wolf pack sign better because it has a wolf sound that goes along with it:) )

-Watching you climb everything! Well, I usually do it with one hand over my eyes and the other in catch position but I try my best to let you do it all by yourself and you are really pretty good at it. The other day I watched you scale the couch to get the remote and change the channel to the disney station. Haha. I've also watched for several months as you master the stairs and you just figured out how to get in and out of the bathtub and off the bed.

-Your goofy faces. I don't know where you learned it's funny to make a big goofy smile and noise with a big spoonful of food in your mouth but you picked that up somewhere.

-Letting you feed yourself. You get very upset at me if I try to feed you anymore. You want to do it all by yourself, and I don't mind one bit-even if it does take 10 minutes to clean the area and you up afterwards.

-Watching you and your daddy have tickle fights. I don't know how he found all your ticklish spots before i did but I'm kind of glad cause I could watch you two for hours.

-How you taught yourself to fall asleep all by yourself. I kind of miss the cuddle time but it's so nice not to have to be so careful and quiet putting you in your crib.

-Nursing. I am trying to soak up all these last nursing sessions/cuddles as we start the weaning process.

 

My little munchkin-

The other night I went in to your room to check on you, after I came out of your room I checked the clock and 20 minutes had gone by. I hadn't even realized, I was so entranced with watching you and with my thoughts. I couldn't believe seeing you in your bed how much has changed this year. I feel like it was just a few days ago I took this pic:

 because you looked so tiny in your big ole crib, and now I look at you and you fit so perfectly in it-no matter what direction or position you get yourself into. I couldn't believe how it seems like no time has passed and yet my memories of what you used to do at 1 month and 2 months seem like such a distant memory because you have developed so much in just one short year. It's crazy to think that one year ago your dad and I sat in a hospital room looking at this beautiful baby in such awe. Awe over what we created, awe over what my body had just been through, awe over how little you were. We had no idea what we were doing and over this year we have figured out we never will know exactly what we are doing but we try our best and we do okay. You are always full, clean, warm and loved and the rest is what we will spend the rest of our lives figuring out. You're usually pretty patient with us, so thank you for that. Thank you for teaching us about love and patience and innocence and beauty. I love you more with each day and YEAR that passes.

Happy Birthday sweet girl!

Love,

Mommy