adalaide's first birthday

it's an interesting thing being pregnant and extra emotional when your baby turns one. i teared up during brian's prayer for her at her party. i teared up looking back at the photos from her birth. and i could probably tear up right now just trying to put words to how much we love our little adalaide.

from the day i met her i've had this urge to just eat her, or squeeze her or kiss her to death. do you know what i mean, or does that sound creepy? some babies just do that to me, and she's one of them {probably has a lot to do with her adorable chubby thighs}. she joined our family with such ease and made the transition to two kids incredibly easy and enjoyable. even through all her illness this winter, she's been one of the least demanding babies i know.

she is a dynamic little thing. she's  mostly loud, silly, and on the go all the time. but she can be very shy and reserved in certain settings. she wants her family right by her side at all times. she's always been this way, so i'd venture to say it's a part of her personality and not just stranger anxiety. she always warms up to new people and new settings-she just wants to do it on her terms and in her timing.

she is loving. so extremely loving, and affectionate.  please lord, let her always have such a loving spirit. she loves to snuggle and give hugs.  throughout the day she crawls over to me and gives me big, slobbery kisses-all on her own without me asking. when brian comes home from work she needs to spend a couple of minutes loving on him. if this time doesn't happen, she'll follow him around making it known that she needs something.

she loves her big sister. before having our second child i never would have imagined how fast a bond develops between siblings. even though the age gap is quite obvious at this stage, they really are buddies. she needs to be in the same room as finley at all times, eating the same food, and playing with the same toys. the cute thing is, for the most part finley loves it and reciprocates it. i love listening to them giggle and play together. seriously, there's no better sound.

things that she loves: her blankie, baths, playing in finley's bed, strawberries, sneaking into the bathroom to unroll the toilet paper, reading books, going to the park, and dancing.

this weekend we had some family over to celebrate her special day. it was the kind of party i think she'd ask for if she could-simple.

i made her a special pink cake, but wondered to myself if she'd actually eat it. she hasn't had sugar before, and doesn't particularly enjoy getting messy. 

sure enough, she hated it. she barely touched it and grimaced every time she had a taste of it.

on her actual birthday i made her something i knew she'd love. strawberries! covered in whip cream, of course, so i could get the classic 'messy face' picture.

we love our little adalaide may so much. this year with her has been such a joy, and she's been such a blessing to our family. even though i'd love for her to stay our adorable chubby baby forever, we can't wait to watch her grow into a little lady.

happy first birthday, adalaide!

and just for fun...