Our Almost ONE! Year Old

I can't believe Sydney will be one in about a week. To think about what our lives were like this time last year compared to now is crazy! Each and every day over the last year has brought something new into our world. I cherish every bit of it.

I love thinking back to the blessed day she was born. I like to relive each minute of the day, even the parts that at the time I thought I'd never want to think about again. Still to this day when I drive past Fort Sanders where she was born, I get this weird feeling in my tummy -- I can't really describe it but it's pretty awesome. God has taught us so much through Sydney's birth and life. We praise Him for her.

The early days were filled with a whole lot of sitting and staring at her, absolutely in awe of God's goodness and power. I am still amazed at what a miracle she is, and what a gift she is.
Some of the early days were also filled with sleepless nights, frustration, tears, reading and rereading BabyWise, talking to other mamas including Ashley and mom, trying to keep Sydney awake in the day so she'd to sleep at night, dreading bathtime and getting her dressed (we spent many days in our pjs), enjoying feeding her, lots of swaddling, trips to Babies R Us, Mother Goose, and SOOO many more things.

Sydney at a year old!
- Walking, walking, and more walking - she is not happy unless she's walking. It has really made things tricky when I used to could run into a store and hold her, and now all she wants is down so she can explore!!
- She is definitely curious to see how serious we are about the word "NO". For example, she knows without a doubt that outlets are OFF LIMITS for her. She still goes up to them, and before touching them looks at me and grins....
- Some words we understand are dada, mama, dog, duck. It is fun to watch her follow instructions now like go get your blankey, monkey, baby, carrot...
- She blows kisses and waves
- She touches her head whenever we ask her where her head is, but also touches her head if we ask her where her ear, nose, mouth, etc are.
- She sleeps with the blanket my grandma made her
- She loves to dance - she gets this from her daddy
- She sucks her thumb when sleeping, sleepy, or upset.
- She LOVES the dogs (even though I have days like today where I was ready to give them away...anyone interested???)
- She is still eating baby food, but sure loves healthy foods like pizza, quesidillas, cheese, cheese, and more cheese:) She enjoys fruit, yogurt, applesauce, waffles...
- She is sleeping (most nights) from about 8 to 7 or so...
- She has 2.5 teeth
- She's afraid of the vacuum cleaner but knows it's okay since her daddy is afraid of it too:)
- She loves bath time
- She is totally potty trained .... HAHA this is a joke for those of you still reading
- She still has seperation anxiety...nursery, babysitters, new faces..these have all been a challenge. I think she's doing better though:)

Thanks for reading. I will post pics next time of her bday party!