Ch-ch-ch-changes

Somehow it didn't occur to me that C turned 13 months two days ago. For one year, we diligently took a photo on her month "birthday," and the first month without a sticker, I completely let it pass me by. Our baby is no longer a baby. She is officially a toddler.

I honestly didn't even realize it until a few mornings ago when it hit me like a ton of bricks. She no longer crawls.

For weeks, she has been sporting a walk/crawl combo, starting with a walk and then dropping to a crawl when she needed the speed. But, the other morning, as I put her down on all fours, she immediately stood up and walked away. She practically runs now, waddling with great speed and exuberance. The girl is driven. The dog can escape her no more.

She LOVES kicking and throwing her soccer ball

She no longer uses a paci. This is something I was planning to work on eliminating in a few months, but after the great bathtub incident of last week, she quit cold turkey. No turning back. I have to say, I have been missing the ease of nap time and bed time with our friend, the paci, as well as the welcomed distraction while waiting in the checkout line of Walmart; but, in the long run, I guess it's a good thing I won't have to come up with some creative way to "break" her paci in a few months. Look how sweet it was though...

She has mastered the sippy cup.

She eats nearly everything that we do (no more purees for this girl), feeds herself, and always remembers to share with others...

She wakes up talking and doesn't stop until she falls asleep...

She fights sleep with a vengeance and gets her way the majority of the time (unless a boat ride is involved).

She is sassy and funny and seriously girly. She loves shoes, and dancing, but also loves to play with her football and soccer ball. 

She's our Catherine. And perfectly so. And even though some days are longer than others and some require more caffeine, I honestly can't believe I get to spend every day with this little person. Thirteen months later, I still can't believe she's really ours.

Catching Up

There is a new sound in our house: the pitter-patter of tiny little feet as they WALK around. We officially have a walker on our hands and now spend the majority of our time catching up to her. Watching her toddle around is one of the cutest things I have ever seen (and she's still slow enough to catch).

(Try to ignore my coaching...)

My mind has been racing lately. It's full of nostalgia for the past year and excitement for the upcoming. This time last year, I was excited about my upcoming baby shower, having no clue what the next week would bring me. Merely three days after the shower, gifts still piled in the basement, nothing washed, nothing put away, the car seat still in the box, we welcomed our baby girl to this world. A little early, but right on time. And our world changed forever.

I look back on this past year and can count on one hand the number of times I have hired a baby sitter. I have yet to sleep a single night away from her. I spend my days and my nights with this tiny person and have gotten to watch her grow and develop every day. For nearly 365 days, I have watched her breathe in and out with the lungs she grew inside of me. I have watched her eyes, my eyes, follow me, look for me, love me. I have watched her mouth, Husband's mouth, grin and laugh and cry and sprout new teeth and new words. I watched her fingers learn to grasp, learn to pass things from one hand to the other, learn to feed herself one tiny piece of food at a time. I watched her go from lying down to sitting up, to rolling, to crawling, to standing, and now walking. 

I have heard her cry and laugh and call for me and Husband and Banks in her own sweet language. I have felt this child with every sense, with every fiber of my being. She is my heart. My whole heart.

As we embark on her second year of life, I am so very grateful for the first. I am humbled by the job of motherhood. Although I've been here all along, I find myself just now catching up, just now realizing the magnitude of this past year. And I am in awe of this child, all she has become and all she will be.