Curious Busy Brynnly

You love the open fridge, this was however the first time you stood in it. The walker isn't much fun anymore, you are an independent stander and almost...very very close-to walker...

Could you be any more adorable?!?!

I love your miniature little body, seriously it is the BEST!

Here you are pushing the walker toy for the first time, uh yeah, you took off!

You love it.

You were wobbly at first, but were very determined.

It was soooo exciting, we were all cheering you on!

Won't be long now and you will be walking on your own!

August You

The quintessential toilet paper unrolling pictures...

...you're really not bad about this, today you just happened to find it mildly entertaining. You do get into things, but you also have no problem being redirected. You are a GOOD baby!

You are now well aware of the camera and will smile and pose when it is pointed at you!

My goodness are you ever cute!! And SMART!

Just can't help myself...I see you doing the simplest little thing, like reading a baby book in the sunlight and I run for the camera. I want to capture every moment of you, freeze it and keep it forever. I know you will keep growing and amazing me, but right now, in this beautiful summer of your babyhood I will hold on to each and every ounce of you. I will celebrate and relish you, I love you so much and get such immense pleasure from you, such pure joy. You're perfect and you love me and I love you and it is the most wonderful time.

In just one week...

man has turning 1 done ONEders for you!

You now crawl all the way up the stairs, which is heart stopping for me. I hate that you like the stairs, but it is such your personality to be this way. You are adventurous, you are a daredevil, you scare me. You have already fallen all the way down the stairs and that was just once you learned to crawl and I'd forgotten you could actually on your own free will leave my vantage point. Now you can climb the stairs I have to be on constant look-out.

You bite like crazy. I am worried you're going to be a biter?!?!

You have started sticking your tongue out and too your left like you're concentrating. It is hilarious. You've always been a tonguey babe, at 6 months especially. And the cute little pink wet appendage has made a reappearance and I love it!!!

You want to walk- you think you can. If I hold you under your arm pits you just take off. You often do most of the walking on your tip toes, its precious.

You like to feed yourself. You grab the spoon out of my hand and happily give it back to me once you've placed it in your mouth. You're such a good happy girl!

i love you.

you make the best faces!

today you were in the thick of things.... and we loved having you there!!!

Best Face EVER!

Oh how I adore you, probably as much as you adored eating blueberry pie tonight!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Just a few minutes ago you officially turned ONE YEAR OLD, you and I slept right through it this year. Yep, we were taking a nap, you were of course nursing in my bed as we did so, but that's going to be our little secret. I am in no hurry to wean you, and you are in no hurry either.

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY my lovey girl. What an incredible year this has been, one of the fastest of my life. From the second I first laid eyes on you, to right this very second my heart has been bursting with the most intense love and gratitude for you. You have been one of the biggest blessings of my life, surely just one of four greatest gifts I have ever received, and every single day it has been my truest pleasure and honor to be your mother.

I know you. I know you not just as a person, but soul to soul. As I picked you up today from your morning nap you clung onto me, fitting into me like an exact matching puzzle piece, and in that moment I felt, like I have so many other times in your first year of life that you are mine, a piece of me that existed before we met a year ago, a part of me that completes who I am and at the same time has helped develop all of who I am supposed to be. You bring an intense feeling up inside me when I think of you and who you are, and all that you will become. You are simply incredible, I hold you now so pure and small, but there is a giant of a person inside you, I feel it and it is like a bright bright light goes off inside me, and to think I am your mom, I feel the most amazing amount of humility and privileged.

I love you. I have loved every day of your life. I have enjoyed you, even the hard days and nights, MORE because I have a greater understanding of how quickly it all goes by. I have known you are special since I first held you, there is just something about you, a knowledge that I don't completely have, but an understanding in my heart that I still know, you are very special. And so not a single day of your life has gone by that I have missed out on. I have kissed you a bazillion times, held you tight, slept close to you, smiled at you and with you, soaked you up as much as possible and it has all made me and you incredibly happy.

And so this day, we celebrate YOU. Everything that is you and everything you have brought to this world for the past year. I love you darling incredible baby girl. I LOVE YOU!

Happy Birthday my love.

I love...

waking up next to you.

Just this morning I was filled with just happiness, such joy, as I watched you.

My arm was against your head and it made it all sweaty, your hair was wet and it was fun and cute to rub it and it stood straight up.

You really really love nursing, mostly you just like sucking on me, not so much for the milk. I wish you liked a pacifier, it would make weaning easier, but for now I just enjoy indulging you cause I know our time is QUICKLY coming to a halt.

When you open you eyes and see me you get this HUGE smile on your face.

I cover your head and neck and tummy in kisses and you smile even bigger.

You're happy.

You're loved.

You still seem like such a baby to me, but when I hold you and look in the mirror I am shocked how big you are.

You got 2 new teeth yesterday, now you have 4.

You started really crawling yesterday, now I can't leave you anywhere.

Your little knees are pink from all the crawling.

I love you so much my baby. I am more grateful than I can fully stand for you and this gift of your life that I have shared in everyday for the past 11 months. You are God's love and grace in tangible form and it is amazing.

I love you forever and always!!

Breath Taking at 10 months

HI Baby Girl

You are sleeping (IN YOUR CRIB!!!) right now. It was another fun day with you, you're getting soooo close to crawling and today you started taking steps while I hold your hands out in front of me. It has all gone so fast, these past 10 months.

When I think back to you as a newborn, the memories are crystal clear, especially you and I at the hospital. We were brand new to each other, even though we'd been together for 9 months, it was so much better and incredible to be looking at your beautiful face and miraculous little self. Today (and every day truthfully) I still feel that awe and gratitude when I look in your sweet bright eyes.

You are a miracle.

You are a JOY.

I want to keep you a baby forever, but I want to watch you grow too!

I love the little personality that has come forth from you, you are both sweet and sensitive, easy going and calm AND lively, quick, strong-willed, and determined. You are going to AMAZE us your whole life!

I have taken a ba-zillion pictures of you lately.... can you blame me? You are BEAUTIFUL!! The pink shirt pictures were taken on a Sunday afternoon, May 22.

You are absolutely adorable, wonderful, and just plain perfect.

You have started participating in family prayers!! HOW SMART ARE YOU?!? You sometimes clasp your hands, you ALWAYS are silent during them, and when we say Amen, you let out a little shout. PRECIOUS GIRL!!

You also pretend to talk on the phone. Whenever you see me or your sisters on the phone you do this....

You usually let out a little "heh" like you're saying hello.

You've started saying "yeah" to everything too, it cracks us up! You really are soooo smart.

I love holding you and I love nursing you. You still sleep in our bed every night, I love that every single day (or night) of your life you have slept beside me, never missed a day. I know that is more in part due to your love of nursing, but none the less I am happy to have spent this almost year of your life so close to you. I love watching you sleep, you're so peaceful and beautiful I love when you wake up too and give me the biggest smiles. You are soooo happy when you wake up.

You have turned into a wiggle worm. Once you figure out how to get going on your own I fear there will be few times left when I get to just hold you, that is what makes your first year so special, you are for the most part all mine. That is why I don't hand you off or offer you to others, because I KNOW how fast you grow and I wanted the privledge of holding you as much as humanly possible.

You already are a SPEED demon in your walker.

You like to be in the thick of things which means being with Baylor, but he HATES you in your walker cause you'll crash into his feet and it HURTS. So he mostly just yells at you, "no binny, don't get me" and you chase him around the house. Its funny, cute, and sad! I think (HOPE) one day you two will be great buddies. Already there are moments when you're pretty tight...

I love you with my whole heart and am beyond grateful that you are my daughter, my baby, my love.