Oh, the shame!

Do you see my head hanging in shame over not blogging for an ungodly amount of time? Trust me, it is. It's not that stuff isn't happening around here, it's just that... well, stuff is happening around here.

We've been enjoying the longer daylight hours and being able to open the windows and doors to get some fresh air. The winter was long, and we're embracing spring wholeheartedly. A few days ago, the sun was shining through the front door in just the perfect way, so I grabbed my camera and snapped a few of the kids.

(you can't really see it too well, but she has a HUGE bruise and scab on the right side of her head from taking a nasty tumble on the neighbor's deck. That's what happens, I guess, when you're outside enjoying so much fresh air.)

And then, of course, because he's becoming a photo geek like his mom, Aaron had to have his turn behind the lens. Most of them looked like this, and were fired off at about 142 frames per second...

But every now and then he captures something really wonderful, and it makes me so proud.

The boy loves his camera, and it's fun to see what the world looks like through his three-year-old eyes. Of course, we had to do a self portrait, too.

And there you have it. A blog post from me! Nothing earth-shattering to report from our little corner of the world (except maybe that my hair is really starting to go gray - do you see it in that last photo? Oy!), but sure glad I popped in to say "hi!"

Hope you have a great weekend!

Happy Birthday, Susannah!

To my Gorgeous Girl, on her first birthday-

I CANNOT believe how quickly this year has gone! It’s been a wonderful adventure, Susannah, and I’m so thankful for the 365 days we’ve had together. You have been such a gift to our family - in more ways than you can imagine.

You are a gift in and of yourself. Your sweet disposition, laid-back attitude, and unique sense of humor have added light and life to our family. Everything is more fun because you are here. You’ve made Aaron a big brother (and continue to teach him some important lessons about sharing and being kind). You’ve given dad a little girl to spoil endlessly (he’s been wrapped around your little finger from those first moments).

You’ve been an extra special gift to me, dear daughter, and one I didn’t expect. As I awaited your arrival last year, and even in the first few months of your being, I felt a lot of apprehension about having a daughter. After all, my experiences in the mother-daughter relationship have been rocky at best. I feared I might be doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past, or that I would be inadequate to be your guide into womanhood, but this year has put my mind at ease. Your birth was the most empowering experience of my life, and it birthed in me a new kind of faith in myself. In becoming your mother, I have become more confident, more assured of myself, more attuned to the still, small voice within me, and more certain that, with God’s help, I can be the mom that you deserve. It has been profoundly healing to be part of such a positive mother-daughter duo.

There has been precious little time that you and I have been apart during this year. “I love it,” said one man at our church, “that wherever you go, that kid is right there with you!” It’s true. You’ve been in my arms or riding in a sling in almost every place imaginable, from singing in the church choir to swimming in the pool and everything in between. We might get some funny looks as I walk the aisles of the grocery store wearing you on my back, but I love every minute of having you close, knowing you’re safe and comfortable.

Here are a few things that are “so Susannah,” and make you our one-of-a-kind girl:

• Your “scrunchie face” - you wrinkle your nose and breathe in and out loudly. This face means your happy or feeling humorous. It always get a laugh!
• Trucks and cars are your favorite toys. You’ll zoom them along the top of the train table and make a little motor sound. Only a girl with a big brother would master this kind of play.
• When you sleep, you need it to be really, really, really dark. You’re so used to sleeping in my closet that you have a hard time in a new setting.
• Your ivory blanket with satin edging is a must when it’s time for bed. I’ll lay it over my shoulder, and you reflexively lay your head down and start sucking your thumb. This is one of my favorite times of the day, when it’s quiet and just the two of us.
• You can sign “more” and “all done” at the dinner table. You certainly aren’t shy at telling us either of those things!
• Though you know how to crawl on all fours, you still prefer your crazy belly scoot to get somewhere really fast.
• You’re a mama’s girl through and through. When you’re fussy and sqirmy, one hug from mama usually settles you down. I love that!

Thank you, Susannah, for all the ways you’ve blessed our family this year. We’re so thankful that God made you a part of our family, and we’re looking forward to all the adventures ahead of us.

Lots of love,
Mama

Here's a look back at Susannah's one wonderful year:

Better Late Than Never!

I finally got my act together last week and snapped a few frames of our girl before the big birthday. I know we're way closer to the 12-month mark than 11, but better late than never, right?

She's now a crawling and cruising machine and, as usual, had no interest in sitting still for my camera.

(made with Be Inspired: Heidi v2 by WM[squared] and All Fall Down and Early Bird by Erica Zane)

What a gift this precious girl is to our family. It's shaping up to be a wonderful week of celebrating Susannah and all the ways she's blessed our lives.

Happy Digital Scrapbooking Day!

Hello, friends! Some of you regular readers know I'm a little bit of a scrapbooking nut. And today there are lots of you visiting here for the first time (you're my fellow scrapbooking nuts!!) as you ride the ScrapMatters blog train. Welcome, all!

The month of November and the Thanksgiving holiday took on a new meaning for me last year. On November 20th, our family welcomed our daughter, Susannah. That meant I ate last year's turkey dinner with a teeny little babe in my lap. Here's a page I created about that day:

I'm so thankful for the gift this girl has been to our family - and totally shocked at how quickly her first year has gone by. In just a few days, we'll be having her first birthday party. Oh, my!!! Here's a look at my big girl and me as we trick-or-treated last weekend. Isn't she the cutest little cow ever?

Why all the talk about Thanksgiving and being thankful? Because of this kit!

The ScrapMatters Design Team whipped this up to celebrate today's holiday, and you can get it free with a $20 purchase in the store. There's a huge party happening today with challenges, chat, games and prizes (not to mention a monster of a sale.) To keep the festivities rockin', I made you a little something...

Sorry, bottle of wine not included. ;-) Download link is no longer valid.

Your next stop on the blog train is Becky (Hoo-Rah). Are you lost? Don't worry, the ScrapMatters blog will help you find your way.

Happy Scrapping!

SHE'S CRAWLING!!!

If there was any shred of doubt that our commitment to family chiropractic care was paying off, this morning's appointment erased all doubt.

I'd been feeling concerned that Susannah wasn't sitting up independently or crawling, so we started seeing Dr. Tony once or twice a week to go after the problem. There had been good progress before today: Zannah was pulling herself into a sitting position and - as our last update told you- pulling up on the furniture. But the crawling wasn't happening yet.

Dr. T put our baby girl on the table, wiggled here her and pushed on her there. "Hmmm, that's interesting," he mumbled under his breath. One more small adjustment. Then he put on on the floor and...

SHE CRAWLED AWAY.

The entire office heard me squeal with delight.

Here's a quick sample of her new mobility:

Did I say she wasn't standing yet?

I had just posted the last entry when I looked over and saw this. I think she's trying to make a liar out of me.

Her smile in that second photo is so undeniably Susannah. More of a smirk, really. You can just tell how pleased she is with herself. I love this girl!

The birthday countdown begins!

It's totally impossible that we're just a month away from the big birthday. I still think of her as a little baby, but she's clearly speeding towards toddlerhood. Check out the new skill she learned today:

She's climbing up on everything now - the couch, the train table, the dishwasher... She doesn't pull up onto her feet yet, but as long as she can reach whatever object she's after, she's a happy camper. Poor Aaron is having to find a new spot for his treasures. He used to be able to put things on the train table a know they were safe from Susannah's reach, but that's no longer the case. I think we're in for some lessons on sharing. :-)

And just for my own memory, we weighed her at Dr. Tony's this morning: 17 pounds, 10 ounces. For being such a chub in her first few months, she's really turning into a skinny-mini! By comparison, Aaron weighed 19lbs on his 1st bithday. Tony commented this morning that he thinks she'll be tall, too. Her legs are getting loooong. We've made quite a few trips to his office in the last two weeks, trying to get her left hip working well. She's still not crawling on hands and knees, and I was beginning to worry. But she's making good progress, and will now sit up to play with a toy as well as bend her left leg more while she scoots across the floor. Won't be long now and she'll take off!

30 days to go! I'd better start planning a party.