Where to begin?!
I have been thinking about this post for a while now, pondering about what I would want to say, what to include, and just reflecting a lot on this past year. (
Warning: this may be a wordy one. :o))
I think back to who I was 366 days ago, the day before Taylor was born, and it makes me almost smile to think of how little I understood what having a baby was going to mean and how it would change my perspectives, my priorities and my life in general. I am still me, but just a different version of me. Adding the role of 'mom' to my life 'resume' was a big change, and I wouldn't ever want to go back. Ryan feels the same way. I LOVE seeing him as a daddy. He is so wonderful with Taylor, and she just loves him to pieces. :-)
If Taylor ever looks back at these blog entries someday, I would want her to know, from the bottom of my heart, what a blessing she is in my life. A true gift of God. Every single night when Ryan and I go to bed, we talk about Taylor. We used to refer to her as our baby girl, and now we call her our little lady. In one short year she has changed so much, and I really adored each stage. Some stages were harder than others (full nights of sleep are a WONDERFUL thing :-)), but each stage was such a learning and growing experience for Taylor and for our family! We had to learn to adapt, take risks, reach out for advice, rely on each other, follow our instincts, be patient, pray for guidance, and at the heart of it all, know that we would do anything for Taylor and always know that we were simply trying to do what was best for her! It is almost better that babies don't come with instruction manuals, because it requires so much more learning (and let's face it, maturing) along the way!
And part of what I was feeling this morning when I woke up (which a co-worker and I shared this same opinion), was that WE MADE IT! We made it to a year! Ryan and I brought a little, helpless, 7 pound tiny girl into our home, and she is now a thriving, sweet, rambunctious, healthy, HAPPY, one year old!
SO, little miss Taylor, here is what you are like at ONE YEAR OLD!
You are:
* Getting bigger and taller and stronger, but we will have to wait to find out just HOW much bigger at your one year appointment next week. :-)
* Wearing size 3 diapers and 12-18 month clothing
* Sleeping GREAT at night! Going to bed between 6:30 and 7:15, and sleeping until 7am or after without a peep!
* Still taking two naps, although your morning nap is dwindling. Your afternoon nap is still nice and long, sometimes 2 hours or more (which is great because mommy has grad work to do while you are sleeping. :-))
* JUST starting to stand on your own independently for a few seconds at a time, then slowly lowering yourself to the ground
* Crawling like crazy...you are one fast little lady!
* You LOVE to make noises, especially if someone will chatter or make the noises with you. We hear lots of ba-ba's, ma-ma's, da-da's, uh-oh's, and ooooooh's
* Your daddy and I love it when you give "huggies" by putting your head on our shoulder or lap, you also like to give hugs to your stuffed animals
* It is fun to watch you really start to understand cause and effect while playing with your toys
* You seem to enjoy your convertible car seat more than your baby one, and we had a pretty successful drive up north last weekend
* You have discovered how fun a roll of toilet paper can be, you now open cupboard doors, you like to take things off shelves and out of baskets, and will push anything that moves around while crawling or standing next to it
* You are picky about food - sometimes you like baby food, sometimes not, sometimes you like certain finger foods, then the next week you won't touch it. You are sensitive to the texture of food and can be bothered by a certain food just sitting on your tray in front of you. You are still nursing - we made it a year! And we now get to introduce you to things like cow's milk and whole eggs, which is fun! Favorites that seem to be staples with finger foods include, Nutri Grain waffles, sweet potatoes, apples, cheese, bread, turkey, and fruit bars. I also made you a turkey loaf that you seemed to like as well! Also, your first "cupcake" was made with whole wheat flour, bananas, applesauce, apple juice and cinnamon, and you really liked that, too!
* You still only have two teeth.
* You are not very patient with having your diaper changed or getting dressed - your daddy and I have to be masters of distraction!
* Bath time is always fun, you love playing in the water, and don't mind water going over your head or splashing in your face - you just keep playing
Pictures!
Taylor over the past year...
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| 5 days old |
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| One month |
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| Three months |
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| Four months |
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| Five months |
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| Six Months |
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| Eight Months |
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| Nine months |
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| Ten months |
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| 11 months |
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| One year! (Not too happy about not being able to roll over while I took the picture. :-)) |
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| She thought it was a game, and quite funny that I kept rolling her back over.... |
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| Finally, a good one! ONE YEAR! |
Taylor Leigh, your daddy and I love you so much. You have added a new dimension of love to our family, brought about a greater perspective for how precious life is, and (as one friend put it) dropped a JOY bomb on our lives! We laugh more, play more, and appreciate each other more because of you. We find joy in reminiscing about the past, and like to dream about your future, but often just talk about how happy we are in the present. Right now. The present IS a gift from God, and we try to cherish each moment.
Now let's eat some cake and CELEBRATE! :-D
