ONE

Madeline Jane turned ONE last week. It makes me so sad that she's growing up SO fast. I try to cuddle her at night as much as I can before I lay her down. ( This is the only time she'll cuddle... kind of). I know that with in a blink of an eye, she'll be too big for me to hold her... and that makes me sad. However, each month gets more and more fun as she grows. She is absolutely hilarious & we just love her to pieces. She had a wonderful first birthday! Nick & I just had a small little birthday celebration with her at home with a few birthday banners, presents, and a cake. We are so grateful for all our family & friends who send Madeline gifts, cards, and birthday wishes! Thank you! 

I did a mini birthday photo shoot of her with her little cake. ( Don't look too closely. It didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it to. I'm not a baker... who was I kidding?) Anyway, she was really cute with her cake. She hardly touched it and didn't really get too messy. Towards the end, she decided to dig into it a little more & found out she loved the taste of the icing. 

Madeline looks SO much like Nick's baby pictures here. 

She was really cute when we sang happy birthday to her. I wish you all could get to know her... Madeline's personality is one of a kind. She seems so serious ( which she is a lot of the time, but only because she's such a deep thinker), when in reality, she has so much energy and she can light up a whole room. She's hilarious. 

she was trying to lift the entire cake here. 

See? Serious face. Don't let her kid you. She was having a lot of fun. ( and the cake all over her face proves it.) 

She was very careful opening her gifts... but got bored opening them after 2 seconds. She had fun checking out each gift, though! 

Her books are her most favorite things. 

Madeline at 12 months

We went to the doctor today and she actually weighs 17 lbs, not 19 ( I was guessing when I made the sign. haha) 

She is way more interested in our food than she is her own. We're going to start feeding her more regular food now and not as much baby food. ( tear). 

She had whole milk for the first time today and couldn't drink enough of it. She was loving it! ( definitely Nick's child.) 

She gets bored with her toys very fast. I am always trying to find ways to keep her busy & happy.

She has more energy than a 10 year old boy. 

Her favoriet thing lately is turning each page in her books and carefully looking at each picture. ( It warms my heart when I see her doing this. We read books together often.) 

She is much more interactive now. She learned how to wave HI for the first time a few weeks ago and it's the cutest thing ever. 

She also learned how to stand on her own... it's not her favorite, but we're working on it with her. 

She LOVES people. Absolutely loves them. 

She crawls faster than I can run. 

Her other favorite things are our cell phones and electrical outlets and cords. ( yikes...)

I think she can understand a lot of what Nick and I try to tell her. She is so smart!

She is ALWAYS interested in what you're doing and wants to be apart. Always. 

That also includes anytime we're eating anything. 

She makes us laugh and smile all the time. It's amazing how much love you can have for one human being. I am so blessed to be her mother. and Nick is so so cute with her! We're so lucky to have him in our lives too! 

Happy birthday, sweet Madeline! We love you SO much!