52 weeks young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

52 weeks young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

364 days of diaper changes, smiles, feeding, playing, growing, sleepless nights, many "firsts" and lots of fun!!! 

Tomorrow this little beauty will be O-N-E!!!

She's grown sooooooooooo much over the past year. Here was her very first weekly photo.

She was such a tiny little peanut!  Those first few weeks are such a blur.... I remember trying to soak up every scent and touch of her.  I knew the time would pass by quickly, but I really didn't think one entire year would just FLY by this fast.  Wow.

This time last year I had just taken a long bath to try to regulate my contractions, which didn't exactly work.  I tried to eat some gnocchi that Shep had cooked, but couldn't stomach it.  After a call to our doula and then my OB, we were getting dressed and packing last minute items to take to the hospital. 365 days ago to this minute I was getting ready to walk out of my front door for the last time as a "soon-to-be mom".  I had no idea what labor, delivery, becoming a parent, and caring for my little one would really be like.  It's been such a wild ride.  There are moments from the past year that I will cherish as beautiful memories for the rest of my life.

Emily's arrival changed me as a person, changed us as a couple, and changed the world as we all know it for the better.  It's been absolutely incredible becoming a mother to such an extraordinary, fun, spunky little person.  I know I say this a lot, but I can't emphasize enough how very blessed we are.

"A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for." ~ Anonymous

And now for Emily's last weekly update!

• Tried beef for the first time!  She chewed on a couple little pieces for a while, but she was pretty unexcited about it.  She also very carefully picked around the little pieces of cheese we put on her tray with the beef.  {Deconstructed cheeseburger, anyone?}
• Tried a tiny little bit of peanut butter for the first time, on the tip of a sliced apple stick.  I can't imagine what a weird consistency peanut butter would be for a baby.... she wasn't a fan.  :)
• Tried yogurt for the second time and liked the vanilla flavor a lot more than the plain yogurt mixed with cut fruit that we gave her the other day.
• Took 1.5 hour long nap TWO days in a row over the weekend!  It was so surprising!
• Soon-to-be passenger of a "big girl" carseat!  Bye bye infant carseat... hello convertible carseat!  We're really hoping that Emily likes riding in her new carseat more than she has liked either of her infant carseats!  Fingers crossed that we picked one she'll be comfortable in!
• Attempts to climb out of her pack-n-play and makes it about a third of the way up the mesh side with her feet, while pulling on the top with her hands. I've said it before but I'll say it again -- this kid is STRONG!