Today Sophie turns one. I can't believe it's here! I'm a little different in that I get extremely excited when my child turns 1, instead of feeling sad and wondering where the time went. It is thrilling to me to watch them learn how to walk and talk and interact more with people around them. Is it sad that I've been looking forward to this day for about 11 months now? I love my daughter dearly, but our relationship didn't start out so smoothly.

It all started with the labor. It was loooooong, and paaaaaiiiinnnnnfffuuullllllllllll! But I can't even begin to describe the feeling I had when the doctor said, "It's a girl!" (We didn't find out early.) I thought my heart was going to burst! I had my boy, now I had my girl. I was so happy! I just wanted to stare at the beautiful being lying next to me.

I knew, after already having one child with colic, that week three was when reality set in. Nothing could have prepared me for what followed. She wasn't predictable with her cries, or were they simple. They were L-O-U-D (people would even comment on how loud, thanks!) and would last anywhere from 30 minutes to all day. Every day was different. I thank God that my husband was able to take time off from work to help out. I began to wonder where the sweet baby girl I had given birth to had gone.

We moved to FL when she was 4 months old and that was a welcome, but huge adjustment for our family. Brandon was back at work full time and thankfully she was a pretty good sleeper. She went through phases of waking up at night, just like any other child, but that finally past. She started to become happier and I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Then she hit an attachment phase like I'd never seen. She wanted me all day, all the time. She had to be held and the only other person she'd go to was Brandon. I remember reading on another blog about a mom with a daughter a few months older than Sophie who went through this and how she didn't mind b/c she appreciated being the one her daughter longed for. It gave me a new perspective on our relationship. I loved being the person that could calm my daughter down (ok, so some days I didn't). Yeah, my arms were tired (she weighed over 20 lbs. at this point!) and my back hurt and my wrists would throb at night, but deep down I knew all that pain was going to be worth it.

Then, about a month and a half ago, my daughter changed. She was suddenly this happy and joyful child. She would laugh just to laugh and make funny truck noises while chasing her brother down the hall. She would clap or dance when we turned music on (she's always loved music - the one thing that would calm her down). She would wave to strangers and crawl over to people she recognized. She loves to try to put her big brother's boots on. And play with her little baby doll (Thanks Aunt Caroline!). She giggles when she sees her tutu, especially if her brother is wearing it. She squeezes her blanket to death and falls over on it when she finds it. She will climb on top of anything and everything. She is an absolute thrill to be around. She keeps us laughing, along with her brother, and we couldn't be more in love with her!

My dear Sophie, it's been a long, hard first year, but we've made it! Thank you for being my baby girl. You bring more happiness to our lives than we ever thought another child could bring us. We look forward to spending many, many more years with you and pray that God will guide us along the way.

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY, SWEET SOPHIE! WE LOVE YOU!!!!