One

My baby girl is one year old today.

I'm not sure how that happened already. I must have blinked or something.

It seems like just yesterday I found out about this surprise pregnancy which threw me for a loop and turned my world upside down.

It's funny, you never know what you really want or need until you have it.

I can't imagine our lives without this sweet child.

She has the sweetest personality of any baby I've ever seen.

She's perfectly happy entertaining herself with toys, especially if they really belong to her brother.

She loves getting attention from her big sisters, and her big brother makes her laugh hysterically on a daily basis.

She's a sweetheart, but she also has spunk.

I have no doubt that she'll be able to take care of herself, and when she gets a little bigger, The Boy had best watch out. I'm pretty sure she'll be able to give back every bit of grief that he gives her.

She's not a snuggler, she would much rather be along in her bed with her paci and her blankie when she's ready to go to sleep.

Really the only way to get good snuggles from her is to put her blankie over your shoulder, then when she snuggles the blankie, you get free snuggles too.

She does love to give big, wet, smoochie kisses.

She's a great eater. I don't know how a child that size can hold the amount of food she consumes on any given day.  We have yet to find a food she doesn't like.

She also loves to try to eat Barbie shoes, matchbox cars and any other small toy or piece of trash she can get her chubby little hands on.  And she gets royally ticked off when we remove those things from her mouth.

She loves to be outside and occasionally throws a little fit when I bring her inside.

She can say "Mama" when she really wants to. She says "Dada", "Thank You" and something that may or may not be the name of one sister.

She loves to dance and play pat-a-cake.

She does not love having bows in her hair and rips them out shortly after I put them in.

As I type this, Baby Girl is wearing a dress with "Birthday Girl" in silver sequins on the front and a pink ruffled skirt.  And she's playing with a tractor.  I think that pretty much sums her up!

She is a true joy and a blessing, and I am forever grateful that God saw fit to put her in my life when I didn't even know I needed her.

 

9/11

I had a post about college football in my head this morning, but that will have to wait until later in the week.

I just came in from sitting on my patio with The Boy as we watched Navy jets fly over our house.  It was amazing.  They were so close, and the noise was incredible.  One of those noises you feel in your chest.

It brought tears to my eyes and brought back all the memories of that day ten years ago when it felt like the world was ending.  I held The Tween all day that day.  She was only three months old at the time.  I was terrified about the world she would grow up in.

Our lives have changed so much since that day, but I hope that we never forget the lives that were lost, and I pray that we, as a nation, will always be grateful for those who are still fighting to keep us safe and free.

I Thought...

...that she...

...was sleeping, and I thought that he...

...was watching tv with his big sisters, but I was WRONG!

I was very,

very wrong!

Look Who's Walking

On Wednesday, August 30, my baby took her first steps. 

I stood her up, and she took 4 or 5 steps to get to me. 

She's right on schedule.  All four of my kids have taken their first steps about two weeks before their first birthday. 

She still won't just let go and walk by herself, but any time we stand her up in front of us, she walks right to us.

She gets so excited when she does it too. 

I think if she would just slow down and stop laughing, she could make it a few more steps before falling down.

{A Photo} Challenge