Hadassah Grace, my precious daughter, turned 1 this month. I just honestly can't even believe how quickly time goes by with these children. Watching her transform from a helpless adorable infant to a beautiful, adorable, passionate girl who can walk and talk has been such a privilege, even if it feels like it happened way too fast!
These are some of the lessons I have learned in this second first year of motherhood:
Cherish the moments. Even the hard ones. They go by so quickly!
On that same note, you don't remember details the way you think you will...so savoring in the present is really your best option (vs thinking you can reflect on things later).
You cannot hold your child too much!
There are very few things that bring joy to your heart the same way that your child's smile or laugh or those first few precious words will.
Siblings are amazing. Seriously, the best thing we ever did for either of these little ones was have 2 of them. Watching them interact and love on each other (and yes, there are a few little spats as well) is so amazing and I feel my heart melt into a puddle on a pretty regular basis!
Okay, enough about me. On to my beautiful daughter!
She is definitely talking now. Words we have identified are daddy, no, yeah, where'd she go?, there she is!, Buh (Ben/brother), uh oh, bath, this. But I am pretty sure there are others. Her little voice is so sweet-and so high compared to Ben's!
She's a walking champ....and many times prefers it to being carried. Which I know is part of the process, but definitely a bittersweet one for me!
She loves the swings at the playground...a little less sure about the slides.
She is coming out of her stranger anxiety bubble more and more each week, but is still very leery of letting people who aren't mommy and daddy hold her. I'm sure this will change and be a thing of the past pretty soon.
She is starting to sleep on her own at night for at least a few hours at the beginning of her night. I kind of miss the snuggles, but I know it's important for her to do that, and it is nice to have a brief interval where it is just Josh and myself.
Words I would use to describe her: beautiful, joyful, happy, passionate, determined, sweet, busy, adventurous, lovely, loving. She is, as Josh put it, "such an amazing 1 year old!"
She has started to pitch some fits sometimes and now she and Ben have more squabbles over things (mostly whose a particular item is or at least who gets to play with it!) so I know that challenges lie ahead. But you know what? Parenthood is not entirely defined by the challenges, and they are so very worth it for the privilege of having these little ones in your life.
I have decided I absolutely love the first year of motherhood. There are definitely physical challenges involved, don't get me wrong! But babies are amazing. Hadassah Grace, I am so incredibly grateful to have been gifted the privilege of being with you for this first year of your life, and I am so excited to continue to grow with you through toddlerhood and beyond!
Beautifull expressed :)
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