One Whole Year

It's hard to believe that my "baby" is not a baby anymore. Yesterday was her first birthday. One whole year has gone by since we brought her into the world. From the beginning she has had her very own personality. She came into the world with her tongue out and hasn't put it away yet. She decided when she was ready to come meet the world and the doctor almost missed it because she came so fast.

I was in awe yesterday watching her attempt to walk. She's not completely on her own yet, but she will toddle around the coffee table and even attempt one or two steps before he plops onto her bum. She is a girl of few (real) words, but the ones she does know are very distinct. The moment Jesus walks in the door from work I hear plain as day "dad", over and over and over again until he scoops her off the floor and gives her loves. She is a daddys girl and has been from the start. She's an adventurous girl, climbing on everything she possibly can. The stairs we never an obstacle for her, they only deterred her for a day or so and now she has them mastered. She loves to laugh and loves to be tickled. She loves to torture her brother and take his toys, just to laugh and crawl away.
I loved being able to breastfeed. Bentley never really took to it, and that was hard for me. Chloe nursed like a pro from the beginning. I loved the time to ourselves when we could actually snuggle. Every once and a while she would reach her hand up and rub my cheek. Even though I knew Bentley was destroying the house while I took this time out for Chloe and I, it was all worth it.
It's amazing what change comes with having kids. Chloe has taught me perseverance (breastfeeding through thrush on both of us), patience (teething for about 8 months straight to finally cut two teeth at 10 months), and most of all unconditional love (big slobbery baby kisses that should gross me out, but somehow don't).
Being a mom has made me a better person. Having someone rely on you for every need in life makes you a lot less selfish. Your own needs are nothing in comparison.

When people found out I was having a girl they would always tell me "having a girl is so much fun, you can dress them up so cute and blah blah blah". But having a girl was exciting for me for other reasons as well. It would about passing on knowledge that only a mother can pass onto her daughter. It was an extension of me. As much as I do love to dress her up and buy her the cute clothes, I look forward to building the bond that a mother and daughter share. The bond I see between my grandma and her five daughters, and the bond I share with my mom and sisters.