APRIL 17...
I. Cannot. Believe. It.
My baby is one today! Which techinically means she's not a baby anymore...but now a toddler.
Be still my heart.
It's hard to believe that in one short little year, she went from this:
to this:
To say I love this little girl is an understatement. She is such a blessing to me and I can't imagine my life without her in it. Hattie is growing up so fast and is really coming into her own. She can sign a few things (all done, more) and gets so excited when I sign "milk" to her. She has started to point to things that she wants and voices her opinion on most things. We (Mommy and Hattie) are usually the first two awake in the morning. Once we get downstairs to the living room, I turn the tv on to catch the first headlines of news for the day. The other day we came down as usual, but I didn't turn the tv on. Hattie started pointing at it and voicing "aaa...aaaa..aa". I looked at her and asked "Do you want mama to turn the tv on?!?" She started laughing and smiling. I wasn't sure if she seriously was communicating with me or if it was just a fluke. I continued to sit there. She again started pointing and voicing her opinion. I asked her again if she wanted mama to turn on the tv to which she started laughing and smiling. So I picked her up and walked right over to the tv. I pointed at it and asked again, she gave me all the confirmation I needed. I turned it on and she looked at me as if to tell me "good job, mama." ...the signs that she's not so little anymore. She's starting to really communicate with me and I can hardly believe it.
Hattie is still crawling...very fast. She can make her way around the house in very little time. Today Cora left the bathroom door open. That room holds so much mystery since Hattie is not allowed to hang out in there for obvious reasons. She looked at the open door, back at me, and then made a beeline for it. I could not believe how fast she could crawl. Needless to say, I didn't make it there before her! She also let me know just how unhappy she was that I was removing her from that amazing room.
Hattie is an affectionate, sweet, cuddly little girl. She loves her quiet time with Mama in her room and she loves morning snuggle time. Being outdoors is a whole new world for her after the cold, cold winter we have had. I can only imagine the tears that will come when it's time to come inside this coming spring. Hattie loves cream cheese, cottage cheese, and bananas. Those things are at the top of her list. Other decent items include: peas, yogurt, cheese, sweet potatoes, pears, apples, peaches, squash, rice, and avocados. We are still working on meats...she will eat them when they are strategically hidden inside something. :)
Walking isn't something she is interested in yet...although she pulls herself up to standing on almost anything...the ottoman, couch, a leg, whatever. She has just started to stand by herself, but is still pretty wobbly. She likes her walking toy, but it plays music, so she is usually too busy dancing to concentrate on figuring out how to walk with it. :)
Hattie doesn't believe in sleep. I'm not kidding. I've dubbed her the "sleepless wonder." The girl takes the tiniest of naps and to be honest, I'm not sure I can even consider them naps. To nap implies a decent amount of rest has been taken. And I'm quite certain 13 minutes doesn't qualify. A normal day consists of two naps...each between 20-30 minutes. And our record is 3 minutes. Sigh. The nights aren't too bad, if you consider waking 2-4 times a night normal. :) She's also decided that if Mama's gonna sleep with her (which I have to admit gives me the warm fuzzies), then it's gotta be right on top of me. Not the left side, not the right side...just plain ol' right on top. I've gotten used to it, but I do look forward to a full night's sleep in my future. There's just something about waking up to a smiling baby looking at you contentedly, signaling all is right in their world because they got to start their day with you.
This child loves books. I mean really loves them. She is routinely found sitting in the living room by the bookshelves paging through them. Hattie also loves to be read to and can sit for quite a while for a child her age listening to a story.
Hattie has some super-duper ticklish spots. If you can manage to get her on back or the sides, she will squeal with delight. The tummy...maybe, under the neck...sure, armpits...you bet. But the sides and back...now that's the stuff pure laughter is made of.
This little girl brings me so many smiles in a day. I simply can not get enough of her. I am so grateful that God has given her to me to parent. I'm in awe that I have been chosen to be her mother. I didn't think that I would go through another pregnancy...and to hold her in my arms is truly a miracle.
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