One Year Old

How do you measure a year?
Betcha have that song in your head now, don't you?!

Every time I think of the year mark of anything, I always think of that song. And I break it down to minutes, hours, just like the song. And I've been doing that over the past week--breaking down the last 12 months into little tiny segments.

Little snippets of time. Wren sleeping on Josh's chest. Bathtime. Holidays. Storytimes. Wren with her doggies. Wren with her cousins, her auntie, her uncles, her grandparents. Wren crying, Wren nursing, Wren growing and changing before our eyes. First smiles, first teeth, first time painting her toenails. Her tube surgery, lots of colds, a bump or bruise here and there. Cute shoes, lots of clothes, all our trips to Target.

I look back at the last year and I literally lose my breath, both from the pure amazement that is this little miracle and also from the shock at the speed of life. I want to stop it, to bottle it up, to take in every single precious moment. I want to remember everything about her and this magical age.

Brand new, snuggling with Mom:

At her 1st Birthday Party, smothering Mommy with wet, slobbery kisses:

Our little beauty:

She is sweet and sassy and oh-so opinionated! She is smart and she is clever. She has a funny little sense of humor and she can be the moodiest girl I've ever known. She is shy with those she doesn't know, and she doesn't hand out smiles freely. (This can be a little embarrassing when she gives judgy blank stares to strangers, but I actually quite like that she's got a mind of her own and she's not afraid to use it!) She is a girl who knows what she wants and she pretty much knows how to get it. She much prefers folding (or unfolding, rather) laundry and crinkling paper to any toy. We think she might be a lefty. Though she can do it on her own pretty well, she still likes to be pampered by Mom and she enjoys having me hold her bottle, but Daddy has her figured out. She loves our nighttime routine, but hates having to change clothes and get her diaper changed. Daddy has a magic spell that can put her to sleep before she knows what hit her. She's a Daddy's girl through and through, but that's just fine by me.

One year has passed in what seems like 5 minutes.

Life is sweeter with her in it, that's for sure.

Looking forward to what the next 12 months bring!

Happy Birthday, beautiful Wren!