Happy Birthday to my sweet sweet baby, Ariana!

She turned one last Friday, and so we had her birthday party over the weekend.  The following picture will give you an idea of how all THAT went down…………….

She didn’t touch her cake.
She didn’t care about her presents.
She did eat some pizza.
Didn’t care about who was there.
And who had the bright idea of singing?!

Ariana’s top right tooth is coming in and, apparently, having a birthday party during that phase of teething was a really bad idea.

Well, now that I have exhausted my “Wordless” Wednesday post, go check out some others.

You can find WW at 5 Minutes for Mom, J. Leigh Designz, and Extraordinary Mothers !!

Sometimes I wonder how I have let the last year slip away. 365 days since you were born, but I remember that day. Embedded among my memories are painful contractions, a half faulty epidural, and the worst pain ever. Clear as day are the memories of your heartbeat on the monitor to the moment they placed you on my chest, and the peace that came over both of us as nearly an hour passed with us staring at each other.

All my life, I wanted a baby girl.  One I could dress up in frilly dresses, tights, and hair bows and ties.  For now, you let me.  I imagine that as you get older, you will grow tired of Mommy constantly fussing with your hair, or making you get into those adorable dresses.  When you outgrow it all, it will be okay.  We are making memories, my Little Love.

You adore your big brother so much.  And yes, he adores you as well.  He protects you and plays with you.  He has always been so fascinated with you.  Watching you and him grow together this last year has made my heart swell.  I can only hope the two of you remain close, protective of one another, and get along always.

In the past 365 days, you have:

• smiled
• coo’d
• rolled over
• crawled
• cut two teeth
• been to the ER in an ambulence
• walked (up to 6 steps unassisted now)
• waved hello and good-bye
• said: “mama, dada, baba, hi, bye, no, & uh-oh
• and even are featured on a website! (www.cutiepatutus.com)

There is honestly so much more that you have done that I can’t even name.

Each day you change just a little bit.  Each day I fall a little bit more in love with you.  Would it be bias of me to say I think you are perfect? Even if it is, I will say it anyways.  You are everything I ever imagined my baby girl would be.

I wish the time wouldn’t go by so fast.  With every moment that passes, and each new thing you do or say, I try my hardest to live in the moment.  My attempts to stop time have been unsuccessful.  I promise you this though – pictures last forever.  Each picture is a moment in time captured that can (and will) be relived over and over.

So I take pictures.  Lots of them.  Here are some of my favorites over the last year.

Ariana Lin, I love you soooo much!  Happy Birthday to you!  Here are to many many more years worth of memories and birthdays to come.

Love,
Your Mommy

Ariana’s first tooth (bottom left center) poked through at the end of April, almost 11 months after she was born.  Two days of a cranky, crabby, feverish, sick baby reminded me how lucky I had it with Konnor.  You didn’t know that kid was getting teeth until he bit you with one of his new ones.  They didn’t bother him at all.  Ariana?  Total opposite.  Waiting for that tooth to break through was a nightmare. 

Most of her baby friends already have 3, 4, 5, even SIX teeth!  So Ariana’s ONE wasn’t too much to be excited about.  I mean, it was obviously a sign of her growing up, not being so much a baby anymore, and all things related to such a depressing subject.

Now, her top left tooth has broken through the gums.  This one I knew was coming.  I could see her little gums were swollen as early as a week before our vacation.  Both the top ones were coming in.  I just knew that she was going to be cranky, crabby, sick, while we were on vacation.  So I made sure that the orajel, teething tablets, and chew toys went with us.  Were close by at all times.

Yet, while we were away, she wasn’t fussy.  Nor was she crabby or sick like she was with the first tooth.  So I figured the two top teeth had moved back up and weren’t causing her any issues.

Tonight, I noticed it.  A week after returning from vacation, and there is the top left tooth.  Plain as day.  It broke through, and we didn’t even notice!

So, does that mean that teething is down hill from here?  Sheesh, I sure hope so!!!!