We Have Cake!!

In the beginning their was cake with white icing and then pink icing.

Then the baby needed icing (don't worry I cleaned it after this)

Adding a little yellow

More for the baby...

TA-DA!!

Joy's smash cake

Lily's cake (if she wants it)

All done!!! Sorry for the head turn.

One Year!

Wow! Has it been a year already? I don't know if I fully believe the calendar, but I do believe my baby is no longer the baby I see in the pictures from her original birthday! This year has had it's highs and it's lows. The high points are waking up each day to the realization I'm a Mommy, anytime Ma or Daddy comes out of her mouth, best of all is those moments when ONLY Mommy will do. The lows include not being able to breastfeed exclusively as long as I wanted and then not at all, the resulting weight issues and general crying without understanding.

Joy has learned so much this year and has so much more to learn! She learned first how to control her body, her head, her hands and her feet. Then to make them do something other than fly around about her. The real trick was then coordinating them all to learn to crawl. Next came pulling up, and then cruising. After months of crawling she decided being upright is best. Now she is determined to walk upright as much as possible. She even stood up in the middle of the hallway on Friday at Church and started up walking again. She was not going to crawl!

Her voice has also grown all year. First from the wailing cry she started at birth (and lasted for quite awhile). Then a few coos and other small sweet noises. Then she started experimenting with sounds. First came Da, then Buh, and finally Ma. We would play with these sounds for awhile, then find new ones. Now she knows Daddy, even says Daddy when he comes around a corner or home from work. She will cry Mea, which I am guessing is her version of Mommy. She also talks about Puppies allot! She will also say uh-----oh after throwing something on the floor (and sometimes after dropping it accidentally). Her vocabulary grows each day, sometimes I am unsure if what she is saying is a new word or just a mimic of what she has heard. She just this week will start what I can only guess is the ABC's like her Leap Frog does them (so far I have heard up to about E).

I don't know what else to say, but I love her! I love her will all my heart and can't imagine this past year without her. I look forward to seeing what she will do each day, and can't believe she is the same small lump of a baby from a year ago. With that I will give you pictures of her First Birthday Celebration with her Paw Paw (my dad) and Grand (My Stepmother). The Birthday Party is this Saturday and as soon as I recover (sometime mid October maybe) I will fill you in and chronicle it in pictures.

The Cake!

The Family!

You want me to do what?

I got the rose!

Are they really letting me do this?

Can't miss a thing!!

Yeah! I like this!

I love you Paw Paw!

Joy's 1!

Steps!!!

SHE TOOK STEPS!!! My big girl!! She had me almost in tears today as I stood her up and she would walk to me then plop on her bottom and clap for herself! Now technically she took steps last week Daddy was holding her hands and she was going really good and Daddy let go and she took two steps before falling flat. These were momentum steps though, and she only did it once. Today she had no momentum she did it all on her own power!! I stood her up as far from me as I could reach and let go of her (she started the last couple days just standing or slowing sitting down) then I would scoot as far away as I could and see what she would do. About half the time she sat or would just stand there, then finally two steps!! I did it again and she did it again. Finally I decided I have to try and get this on video, so I got the camera out set it out and then pressed record. I stood her back up and she took many steps!!! I tried again to see if she could/would repeat it, but she was getting tired of my new game. I turned the video off put it where she could not get to it. Then tried again I stood her up and called her to me, she turned and walked towards some of her toys! My little girl can walk!!!! Now as soon as I learn how to get the video off the camera and onto the computer I will post it, until then just know she's cute and wobbly!!