You are now almost 14 months old. Yep--you've gotta hand it to your mom for being two months late on such a huge milestone in your life. I have mentally drafted and re-drafted this, but just haven't sat down to write out my thoughts. Some of it has been pure busy-ness.... I have started back to work, you have started preschool two days a week, your daddy is working his normal job and has also started another business. Some of it has also been me being a smidge unable to wrap my mind around the fact that you are one, and seriously, how am I supposed to wrap up a year in one little post?
What has given me the final nudge to write is that today, while uploading pictures of your birthday, I stumbled upon pictures from the hospital when you were born. How an entire year went by without me knowing these pictures were on there is a mystery to me. I blame it on complete exhaustion/medication/confusion at the hospital and then pedal-to-the-metal newborn craziness. Finding those sweet pictures were such a treasure to me. There are so many things I don't remember from the hospital so these were like a glimpse into our lives a year ago.
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| Hair, courtesy of your Aunt Kristin. |
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| So glad there actually *was* a picture of Tim and me before you arrived |
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| The only day you ever allowed us to swaddle you |
There are a few more, but only the kind of two-inches-to-the-left, two-inches-to-the-right kind of pictures a mom would be able to study and drool over (they just look the same to everyone else).
Anyways.... your birthday was on a Friday, but we did not celebrate until the next day. We had planned to have a cookout with kiddie pools and other water games in the yard for you and your cousins. Unfortunately, in the most unusual August weather, it ended up being about 65 degrees and raining cats and dogs. We quickly threw together some Pin the Tail on the Donkey fun for your cousins.
You had never seen so many people in our house at one time! I swear, you smiled maybe only a very few handful of times the entire day--you were enthralled by the sheer energy and tiiiiightness of people in our house that I think you were a little overwhelmed.
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| Ecstatic about getting it right the first time! |
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| Serious baby, happy Paas |
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| Some of your favorites: bunny, Peppa Pig, ducks/yellow, and Chex Cereal |
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| Squeezing your Curious George monkey from Grandma/mawmaw |
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| Your favorite trick: "How big is Lierre?" "Soooo big!" |
We all sang to you and your cousins helped blow out the candles (so did I). With all my heart I sang and wished you years and years and years and years of happiness, health, and love.
You have grown and changed so much since your birthday. You took a few steps from our coffee table to our kitchen two days before your birthday. At your birthday party you took another few steps. By mid-week of the following week, you stood up after I got home from work and proceeded to walk up and down the hall way, around the living room, and to your bedroom--as if you had been doing it forever! Now you refuse to crawl and have started running a little bit... even with shoes.
Your favorite foods include: grilled cheese, cheese toast, toast (do you see a theme?), mandarin oranges, apples, and all crackers. You still adamantly refuse almost all meat (exception: chicken from fajitas)...you immediately stick your tongue out and watch the food fall to the floor. You have also learned how to feed Jack. Between the two of you, meal time is never easy or quick or clean. You have learned the sign for "more" and do it over and over while we eat. Sometimes this is helpful and has significantly cut down on the screeching you love to do. Sometimes it is not when you already have all the food on your tray, sign "more, more, more," and it will take me 2 minutes to realize you want water.
You are becoming more inquisitive daily--really inspecting your toys and wanting to know how they work. You will open and shut doors, latches, lids over and over and will clap for yourself when you do something "good." It warms my heart when you are playing and then pause..... you run over and launch yourself into my legs and throw your arms around them. You wait until I pick you up, give you a squeeze, and then squirm to get back down. It's as if you just want a little reassurance and love--I will give that to you, little one. As much and as often as you need it or want it.
You are a complete daddy's girl lately. While it makes my heart tighten a little bit when you reach for him while I am holding you, or run to him when you get hurt instead of me.... it is so incredible and gratifying to see how intensely you two love each other.
A few days ago, the weather was perfect. Your daddy was going to grill and all three of us (and Jack) were in the yard. It is the first time we have all been together, outside, walking, with nice weather... ever! It was so fun to see you play with your Dora ball, roll around in the grass, laugh. It set the stage for what will be many more years of playing and growing and making memories together. Tim and I stopped more than once and just smiled at each other--once or twice we hugged and said how great and awesome a day it was.
You are the light of our lives. You have our entire family (immediate and extended) wrapped around your finger. There have been times where an hour or so will pass and your grandmother and I realize all we have done is watch you play. Every day that passes, you are a little bit different, and a little more fun. The love we have for you is fierce, unwavering, relentless. You have pushed us and forced us to change and grow, change and grow, and change and grow some more. You have kept us up, driven us a little crazy, given us days and days of laughter, and have made my heart stop more than once.... and yet you have pushed us to be more patient. More understanding. Work on communicating with one another. You have taken every ounce of love and energy we have and demanded still more. Just when I think this couldn't get any harder or better, it always does. You, dear girl, sweet little bird, have made me a momma. I am such a different person than I was a little over a year ago. Feeling the love I have for you had made me be able to understand God's love for all of us a little bit more. Before there were times I would wonder at "unconditional love" or forgiveness.... now from a parent point of view I can see where God is coming from. There is nothing I wouldn't do for you, and so many silly and crazy things I would do for you. Nothing you do can separate you from my love (and your daddy's love). I think you are truly a blessing and so awesome. I used to daydream about being a mom. Now I daydream about seeing you grow, with Tim by my side, and becoming one of your best friends.
Happy (belated) birthday, Lierre Elizabeth! We wish you many, many more years of all things good. Now I'm going to go check on you sleeping one more time, breathe in your sweet little scent, and thank God for entrusting you to us. Just like I said when I first saw you.... We are so proud of you. We love you so much. We will take such good care of you--we promise.
Love,
Mommy
