One Year Old

So maybe I have been in denial about Leah turning a year old. That must be the reason. I normally look forward to writing about how she is changing and what she has been doing, but it's just been more difficult this time. I just wasn't ready to admit that my baby turned one. Still makes me tear up a bit. I can't believe it was an entire year ago that I held her for the first time. I felt as though life was just beginning at that moment. God filled my heart with a love that I had never known. I remember looking at her as she was on my chest thinking that life could not get any better than this. What a wonderful wonderful day that was. All the waiting, praying, hoping, joy then sadness, emotional ups and downs, and pain that we had gone through over the past 7 years seemed to vanish in an instant. It was like God said, "Here's what you have been waiting for...wasn't she worth it?" Oh, yes!

God, thank you for my little girl. What a joy and a blessing she has been from the moment we first saw her little heartbeat on the ultrasound. Everyday she has filled our hearts with a love that we never knew existed. Thank you for entrusting her to us while we are here on this earth. Please give us the wisdom to teach her to follow and trust in You all the days of her life.

Prior to Leah's birthday, my best friend and I took our girls to have their pictures made in their birthday outfits. AG is just 12 days older than Leah. Since they moved to Dothan, we didn't get to be at the actual parties so we had to celebrate for ourselves. They looked so cute!

So for Leah's first birthday, I wanted to do it all. By that I mean that I wanted to make her outfit and her cake. Now, I'm not saying it was the cutest thing that has ever been done, but I liked it. I decided I wanted to make her a ladybug cake. I don't even know why I chose that. I just liked it. We had family over for lunch and cake to follow. Aunt Sara made some wonderful gumbo. Then we all watched Leah dig into her cake. At first, she gently put one little finger into the icing and ever so slowly licked it off her finger. She did that a couple of times before she really grabbed a piece of cake. After a few bites, she decided that it was much more fun to just play in the cake rather than actually eating it. Once we cleaned her up, she got to open her gifts. My dad repainted my baby doll crib that I had when I was little. My mom made a mattress, blanket and pillow to go in it. Among the many things they gave her was a baby doll. She loves the doll, but most of all she likes to play with its eyes which open and close. She received so many toys, clothes and books. She has enjoyed playing with everything. It was a good day. It was a day that arrived much too quickly for me, but it was fun to celebrate.

The tablescape."Do I really get to eat this?"
"Now this is great!"
Playing with some presents.
Leah thought she should be in the crib.

So what is she doing now? We'll she "talks" a lot. She says mama, dada, wawa (water), eye, buba (bubbles), dut (duck), bye bye, baby, wu-um (worm), no no (when telling Dixie to stop barking), IE (light), and there are many other things that she tries to imitate. She can make the sounds for dog, cow, rooster, horse, owl and monkey. She can blow kisses, call Dixie (clicking her tongue and motioning with her hand), point to various body parts (mostly other peoples', not her own). She loves bath time. She doesn't really have a food she doesn't like except milk straight from the fridge. Yes, I have to slightly warm her milk. It's still cold, just not as cold as it would be. She can tell! We are working on that one. She loves loves loves books! She is crawling and cruising, but not even close to walking on her own. She likes for us to hold her hands and walk with her. She talks to most everyone we meet while out shopping. It seems that she is learning new things on a daily basis. It's hard to keep up with all that she can do. It's just amazing to watch her change. She wears 9 month clothes, but I put a lot of 12 month things on her because there are so many more options. They'll just be a little big for a bit. She wears size 3 shoes which I have learned are very difficult to find especially since her feet are so narrow. Until she starts walking, I'm not sure if she will have shoes to wear!

We are having the time of our lives with her. I look forward to every day that I get to spend with her. I know I don't deserve her, but I sure am thankful God saw fit to make me her mommy. What a year it has been! I sure hope this next year doesn't go by quite so quickly.

I love you, little girl, more than you will ever know!

Keep posted for her 1 year photos. They'll be coming soon!