I love celebrating firsts. They are so exciting!
Our sweet baby Audrey has had so many firsts this year - the first time she smiled, her first tooth, her first word, first cold, first belly laugh, sitting, crawling, walking, clapping, waving...the list goes on! It's amazing how much babies learn in their first year of life. Their little brains are like little sponges soaking up every little thing around them.
This first birthday, though, I was not ready for. I planned and prepared for it, but I think somehow I was in denial that my tiny baby was really about to be O-N-E. She should still be like, 3 months old!
It finally hit me about 3 nights before her birthday. I was rocking her to sleep and it all came rushing over me - how quickly time goes by. I got to thinking about when we used to rock Raley to sleep at night. I couldn't even remember the last time I rocked her to sleep. Quite literally, I rocked her to sleep one night not knowing that I would (probably) never do it again. This broke my heart into pieces.
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| I held her extra tight and rocked her extra long this night |
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| Eating taco meat and drinking milk from a sippy. When did you become so big? |
This little girl of ours is so incredibly sweet, cuddly, silly, smart, and genuinely happy. I know it's cliche to say but the amount of joy she brings in our lives is overwhelming. Watching her little personality come out over the past couple months has been so much fun and I know it's just going to get better!
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| Being silly with her cookie - she thinks she's so funny (she's right;) |
Before Audrey was born I was worried about how Raley would feel about being a big sister and having to share our attention. I was so afraid of her feeling neglected or that the baby was more important than her. I had absolutely zero reason to be worried. She has taken on this big sister role like a champ and adores her baby sister. And Audrey adores her right back. I have truly enjoyed watching their relationship and love for each other grow and I'm excited to see what God has in store for these two in the future.
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One of my very favorite pictures. Raley adored her baby sister from the very start and Audrey loves her back
(Audrey is about 3 weeks old in this photo - this feels like yesterday) |
It is so easy to get caught up in the daily rush of things that need to be done that we lose precious time spent with our babies as they're growing up (way too fast) right before our eyes. I wish that I had taken a little more time to just sit in the floor and play over the last few months. Sure, we'd get excited over firsts and say "good job, Audrey, you're so smart!" or "she's getting so big" but I don't feel like I cherished the little moments as much as I did when Raley was little. Maybe we're busier now, or maybe it's just harder when you have a toddler as well, but this time around was definitely different.
So we tried to make her very first birthday extra special (just like we did for Raley's first birthday). The first thing we did in the morning was fill up her crib with balloons, which she loved! Raley wanted to climb in and play with her and they were so sweet throwing the balloons around and rolling around in the crib together.
What do yall think - do you think they look alike?
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| Audrey |
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| Raley |
MMO was closed on her birthday for the possibility of snow (we didn't get any snow...surprise! Have I mentioned how much I hate Alabama weather?) So my mom and my sister ended up coming to the house, bringing donuts, and helping me with getting things ready for the party.
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| Happy Birthday, big one year old girl! |
That evening after Daddy got home we all played, watched a movie, and let her dig into a little piece of cake. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but this girl can eat!
We had a hard time coming up with what to get her for her birthday. We felt that we needed to get something, but she literally has all the clothes and toys that she could possibly want. We decided to get her this adorable Precious Moments animal train. Raley has the Precious Moments Disney Princess train and we wanted to get Audrey something with the same sentiment, but a little bit different. I think these little animals are precious!
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| The start to Audrey's animal train. I'm excited to add new animals each year. |
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| Raley's Princess train that we started on her first birthday |
The following day was her party. We were pretty disappointed that everywhere around us got snow and prevented most of our out of town families from making it in. I was really wishing for a little snow for her Winter ONEderland party. But the Good Lord knows just what He's doing and all worked out as it should have. Had it snowed here we may not have had any guests at all!
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She went face first into her cake! Sweet big sister had just as much fun watching her
(and sticking her fingers in it) as Audrey did eating it. |
She had a blast at her party and I had a blast planning it. We enjoyed spending time with family and friends and are thankful for everyone who celebrated with us (here and from afar). There will be a post coming very soon with party details, so stay tuned!
I also wanted to share Audrey's one year photos by Elles Photography Studios. Danielle is amazing with kids and our pictures always turn out great! Audrey was not excited about sitting for pictures at first (I don't think she likes the flash) but she warmed up when we brought the cake out! If you are in the North Alabama area looking for a family photographer I would highly recommend Elles Photography Studios.
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| "Mom, why are you making me do this?" |
I'd like to hear from you! What special things do you do for your children on their birthdays? Parents of multiples - were things different the second time around?
I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the week! Check out Audrey's Winter ONEderland Party!
And Happy Birthday, sweet baby girl!
Birthday outfit from Tickle Pants on Etsy (she also made Raley's 1st and 2nd birthday outfits. I love her tutus!)
Smash Cake by Otters Cakery
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Labels: birthday, children, Family Photos, holidays, motherhood, Our Little Family
