Happy 1st Birthday Baby Girl

The days are long but the years are short. I can't believe a year has come and gone so quickly. 

You are one year old and wish I could stop time and keep you exactly how you are right at this moment. Probably because you are my last but everything makes me emotional with you and I want to remember everything. How your chubby feet and tiny toes grip my cheek when I kiss the bottom of them. The sound of your baby voice and laugh. That look and squeals of excitement I get from you when I walk in the door after work. When you stare at me while I'm signing and rocking you to sleep. I never want to forget it. You completed our family and filled our hearts with even more love than we thought possible. 

I've been thinking over the past few days about how to describe you and it's just not possible to put all of your personality into words but I'll give it my best. You are a complete and total nut. An absolute goofball. Constantly doing things to make us laugh and always making us ask, "what are you doing?!" You already have your dads gift of gab because you hardly stop talking. I swear you are trying to converse with us and try to repeat what people say. You are darn close to saying Bubble Guppies! You say "boo-ka boo-ka boo-ka" a lot right now, no idea what you are trying to say or where you picked that up from but it's funny every time. You still enjoy letting us hear your high pitched screams all the time...usually when we aren't feeding you fast enough or something really excites you. And man are they ear piercing! Your goat laugh has faded so we don't hear it as often but sometimes when daddy or JT get a belly laugh from you, it comes out. I could listen to your sweet voice all day.

You are so feisty.  I often joke that you are the reverse of the Sour Patch Kids tag line, "first you're sweet then you are sour." For instance yesterday you snuggled your face in my shoulder (one of my favorite things you do) but then bit me. Or when you are so sweet playing with my hair and then a second later you pull it out. We are constantly working on "nice puppy" with you for Maisy. Luckily she's just as amazing with you as she was with Jaris. 

You are a total mama's girl right now and I secretly love it. I get to spend an extra day and a half with you during the week and it's been so amazing. Just me and you...play time, running errands, napping, and usually a cheer practice. You love playing with daddy and if I'm not in sight things are fine, however I'm soaking up every second for now! 

You are definitely a girl who knows what she wants and is not afraid to voice it. Which comes with a whole lot of sass! You want to do what you want, when you want to do it. You dance to the beat of your own drum and I think that's one of my favorite things about you. The way you sit in carts, hardly ever the right way. The way you nonchalantly cross your legs at the ankles all the time or put one leg over your knee when I'm trying to change your diaper. How you always grab your sleeve to snuggle with when you suck your thumb. You are just like me in that you HATE not being able to move your arms...if I don't get your bath towel off your arms fast enough I'm going to hear about it! When you laugh every time I put lotion on you. How you scoot on the wood floor rather than crawl. And so many other little quirky things you do! 

You have 6 teeth: two on the bottom and four on top And we just discovered today that your bottom molars are coming in! 

You dance (or bounce up and down rather) anytime music comes on.

You love the Bubble Guppies.

You light up when your brother walks in the room, none of us make you happier than he does. Which makes me a blessed mom.

I still have no idea what color your hair is going to be. It's slowly getting longer and initially it had a red tint but that is gone and right now it's blond but almost looks like it could go darker. It was super dark, almost black when you were born. Either way will be perfect with your blue/green eyes...you get those from your daddy.  And you are starting to get curls in the back as well, especially when it gets wet.

Weighing in at 21 pounds and measuring 29" long.  

You are an incredibly easy baby, I honestly can't remember a single time where I couldn't calm you down, or really even remember you crying hardly at all for that matter. Not one time have you ever cried yourself to sleep. I put you down awake and you just lay until you slip into dreamland.

Getting to be your mom has been amazing. You are pure sunshine and I've said this before but I'm obsessed with you. I can't give you enough kisses, I can't squeeze you enough, and I can't get enough time with you. You bring laughter, sweetness, feistiness, and so much joy to all 3 of us. Jaris loves you to "the moon and back times infinity" and we know you feel the same. You and your brother are our greatest blessings and the best thing we've ever done. While I would love to stop time now, I cannot wait for the future years of dressing you (which is already so fun), fun photo shoots, doing your hair, dance recitals, barbies, and more. There isn't a day that goes by where we don't thank God you are ours.

We love you sweet babes. Happy 1st birthday.   - mom and dad