one year

my baby is one year old.

height: 27.83 inches - 13%

weight: 18 lbs 6 oz - 9%

head: 44.2cm - 24%

i can't believe it's been a year, as cliche as it sounds. it's gone way too fast. i've been putting off this post because i don't how to put the last year into words. no matter what i say, it could not adequately describe the happiness, emotions, love and joy of the last year. how do i describe my first year as a mom?

wonderful.

don't get me wrong, it was a big adjustment at first and there have definitely been hard times, but i love it. i wouldn't trade it for the world. it's so funny how i waited and waited, for what seemed like an eternity, to get to know sophie and see what she looks like and now that i do, i can't imagine not knowing. she has been the perfect addition to our family. she is such a funny girl and has the best personality. i can't get enough of her. although she does have some cranky times, she really is a happy, sweet girl.

i remember the day sophie was born like it was yesterday. as her birthday neared, i kept replaying the events of the previous year in my head. what an ambiguous time with so many unknowns and firsts. the first time i saw sophie i was so overwhelmed. i couldn't believe she was actually here and she was mine (or ours). everything was finally real and i was so happy to hold her in my arms. i couldn't be more happy with the little girl heavenly father sent me. she's perfect!

there have been a lot of firsts this year and i have definitely learned a lot. we have all grown and changed in ways we never knew we could. i am so thankful to have sophie in my life and for everything she has taught me. i love spending time with her, watching her grow, learn and discover new things. i can't believe how much she has changed in the last year. she has brought so much love and joy to our family and we're so glad to have her. can't imagine life without her!

some things i love about sophie at one year...

her cute smile

her 2 little bottom teeth (and the front one coming in)

her crazy hair and "sophawk"

her voice and the way she talks

how much she talks

how much she loves puppies and her excitement when she sees one

she will try just about anything we give her to eat

she walks everywhere

she goes up and down the stairs all by herself

she loves to be chased

she loves the bath tub

she loves her daddy, a lot

her hugs and kisses

the way she dances and shakes her head

she smiles and says "hi" when i come home from work

the way she loves to play "boo" when she's going to bed

her animal noises

she is generally very happy and good natured

she can play and entertain herself quite well

she loves other kids

she loves walks

and pretty much everything else about her

sophie has been talking like crazy lately. currently, she says: ma ma, da da, pa pa, hi, bye, puppy, purple, emi, boo, yum yum, uh oh, sockies, ball, and probably a few more i can't think of. she is always trying to mimic what we are saying to her.

i can't wait to see what this next year brings and how she grows and changes! love you my soph!

this year

there are a lot of things i'd like to work on this year. if i ever want to get any of them done, i better make a plan. so here they are...

serving others - our ward had a challenge this summer called the "summer of service". we were to pray and think of at least one thing we could do for someone else each day. we were also challenged to keep it going after the summer was over. let's just say i've been a little lax and haven't been on top of this as much as i should have. i know this will really bring true joy and happiness.

better mom and wife - i know, this sounds pretty generic, but this is something i really need to focus on. this goes along with serving others. i think i can be better at both of these if i'm serving. i need to put others first and focus on what i can do for them. i need to realize my work will still be there tomorrow, and the mess can wait because my baby will only be a baby once. i want to spend more quality time with my family. while my time at home is limited right now, i want to make the most of what i have. i want to be more patient and spend more time down on the floor with sophie. i want to spend quality time with jd and make sure that we make time for us. i want to serve jd and do anything i can to keep him happy because i love my family!

more organized/productive - i love organizing and being organized....in certain areas. some areas of my life are ridiculously organized while others are a complete disaster. i'm constantly forgetting things and running short on time. and it drives me (and i'm sure jd) nuts. i now have a planner in my purse, a calendar at home for all our activities and one on my wall at work. i'm trying to get things ready ahead of time and plan my time better (or more realistically). there are a lot of areas i need to be more productive in. and, hopefully if i'm a little more organized i can be more productive. i need to use my time wisely. i always feel good when i'm productive. so why don't i do it all the time?

training for 1/2 marathon - this may be quite a ways out, but i want to do it. i struggle to find the motivation for this, especially when its 15* outside and smoggy. lucky for me, i just read a great article that a friend of mine wrote about motivation (and she's a great role model). i need to find something that i like and that i can stick to.

healthy eating - i've been trying to work on this lately, little by little. i am cooking quite a bit more, but don't have a lot of ideas/recipes for healthy cooking. any ideas, recipes or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. we have switched over to whole grains, ground turkey breast, no trans fats, really cut down eating out, but i think its the sugar that gets us. we love sugar, ugh!

increased faith - i thought i had learned this lesson well with the whole pregnancy business. i guess not as well as i had thought. we have been struggling as to where our life goes from here. i would like to work less and be home with sophie more and jd needs more of a career kind of job/path. this is a tricky situation, financially. does jd try to find a better paying job so i can be home more or go back to school first and then find a better job? either way it'll be a change to the way we're used to living...on 2 incomes. we're trying to have faith that the Lord has something in store for us...i'm sure better than what we could plan. it's tough to wait it out when nothing seems like it's working out. this one ended up sounding like a downer, but what i'm really trying to say is...i need to have more faith that the Lord is guiding us and will do what is right for our family. i just need to be patient. and that is NOT easy for me.

well, it looks like i have my work cut out for me. wish me luck!

the party

sophie's first birthday party.

saturday, january 8th.

the cupcakes

the decorations

the food

the birthday girl

some friends

everyone wanted to play on this car.

the presents. she was SO spoiled.

she even got a pony!

the cake.

she liked it, but was a little timid.

some of the guests

playing with her new toys

happy birthday little sophie! we love you!

the birthday

on sophie's actual birthday, the 5th, we started the birthday celebration off in true baby style, with a nap. i may or may not have joined her. once she was all rested up, we headed to the pool at the rec center.

here she is getting all ready to go in.

my camera was on the wrong setting, so most of these are blurry.

she wasn't very excited to get in the water at first. she cried. i was a little disappointed at first because she LOVED swimming during the summer and she loves getting in the tub.

it took her a few minutes, but she warmed up.
and loved it.

crawling in the water. she even tried walking in the water.

after we went home and warmed up, we had some visitors and a delicious cupcake.

i think she liked it.

she was a little timid eating it at first, but then she went all out. she was sucking the frosting off. after she had sufficiently made a mess of herself, we took it away.

we had a fun day together and we can't wait to celebrate many more birthdays with you sophie!

happy birthday

happy birthday to my little miss sophie!

i love you!

then...

now...

i've already forgotten how small she was and i can't believe it's been a year!

i'll save all the memories and mushy stuff for another post, but for now...enjoy!

fish face

i love this face.

i can't believe i caught it on camera.

she just started doing this on friday and now she does it all the time.

she is so funny. love her!