12 Months.

Dear Rylie,

On October 8th, you turned one year old! And that evening...we celebrated.

You had a chocolate covered cupcake.

And quickly became a pro at unwrapping presents, throwing the gift over your right shoulder, and moving onto the next. It was such a joy to watch you celebrate.

Little Missy,

This past year has been amazing. The amount of love I have for you is simply beyond measure. It's unconditional, real and powerful! You bring joy and excitment to every single day. For more than one reason, the best part of my day is picking you up from your babysitter's house. As soon as I walk in, I find you contently playing in the middle of a group of kids. But as soon as our eyes meet, you proudly start to look around at the other kids as if you are saying, "That's my mommy and she's here to pick me up!" You let out a loud squeal and immediately start to make your way over to climb up my leg. And then you sit high on my hip and waive bye-bye to your friends. It makes me feel so special and I'm so very proud to be your mommy!

You constantly call out to ma-ma and da-da and have recently started to babble long sentences. And the way you fluctuate your tone of voice throughout those sentences makes for adorable, yet messy, stories. You still aren't walking, but you are getting pretty close. You love to cruise from one thing to the next and have stood unaided a few different times. But you have such a hard time moving those little feet of yours. That's okay though...you will walk when you are ready.

Now that you are one year old, it's time for us to start breaking some habits. And so far, the attempts that mommy and daddy have made have not been very fun. You still heavily prefer your bottle over your sippy cup and that binkus might be around for a little while longer. But there is a new favorite in your life and that is your "blankey!" You love to snuggle up with it and it always looks so comforting.

You are wearing size 3 diapers and you have finally outgrown your 3-6 month clothing. And now that the season has changed and it's starting to get cold outside, I have started this weird obsession to you wearing shoes. But none of them look very comfy. So I usually just cover your feet with socks. I see all these little girls in dressy pink outfits with tights, coordinating shoes, ruffle socks, earrings, and bigs bows. And they look adorable. But that's just not YOU. I typically have you wearing a onesie with red, purple, pink or brown sweat pants! But honestly, I don't think you mind at all! You can not stand anything on your head. Bows...forget it! Hats...nope! Hoods...oh no!

You went to the doctor a few weeks ago and weighed 17.8 pounds. Unfortunately, we visited the doctor because you had your first ear infection. We hated to see you sick but thank God every day that you have been such a healthy baby!

Mommy and daddy can not believe that it has already been one year since the day you were born. It seems like yesterday when we brought you home from the hospital and didn't have a clue on what to do next. I remember it vividly. Daddy made a quick trip to Wal-Mart and I sat there, in awe of you, and wondered..."now what?!" Today...doing things with you, for you, and because of you is our way of living. And it's wonderful!!

Happy Birthday, baby girl!

Love,
Mommy