Welcome to "One-derland" Emmalee!

Happy Happy Birthday Sweet EmmaLee!

I can hardly believe that you are really a whole year old! It has sure flown by! Yet, here we are. It truly has been a wonderful year though watching you learn and grow and find your role in our family. If I were to define your role right now, it would be to follow your sisters around and play with their toys and then desperately try to escape when they decide they want to love on you in return. You are the object of everyone's affections. Your sweet cheeks are constantly being kissed and we all do anything we can to make you smile (which isn't very difficult to do)!

You have made several new strides these last few months! You began taking your first steps a couple weeks before your birthday and then decided that would be your main mode of getting around about a month later. "Easy does it" was your motto. You were still content enough to crawl around, but figured you'd try a few steps if you were already standing. Now your walk is getting faster and faster as your confidence grows. I love watching those sweet pudgy legs waddle you around the room.

You went from only having 2 bottom teeth to 5 teeth in a matter of weeks! You're still working on getting one more top tooth out. But then hopefully we'll be done for a little while. You've had a rough month with both strep throat and a UTI along with getting all these new chompers. So I think you deserve a good break :).

Speaking of eating! You could do that almost all day! You switched from breastfeeding to formula at about 10 1/2 months when we discovered that my supply had stopped and you really weren't getting much of anything. We had thought that you were starting to thin out a little, but as soon as we switched you to formula you quickly chunked back up! I hadn't thought I was starving you before then, but I sure felt bad when I realized that you were just being courteous. Since then you have also switched to drinking real milk. No problems there! Food is food and you'll take it! Well, except for the occasionally offered broccoli, green beans and avocado. Those are royally shunned.

You still aren't really talking much. Occasionally you'll hold a phone up to your ear and I think that you may be saying, "Hello". So maybe that could be your first word. But you don't even give any attempts at saying anything else. I'm hoping this isn't a sign of any speech problems. But I'm trying not to read into it too much. Only time will tell :). Your sweet babbles are plenty for now.

You have a few "tricks" that you love sharing with us. You love to blow kisses, wave goodbye, and play peek-a-boo. You were signing "more" and "all done". But you've been slacking on that lately. Guess I better start making you work harder for your food again! You love putting things on your head and wearing necklaces. You also love to brush your hair. I think we already have a pretty princess on our hands :). You also love being goofy! You have discovered blinking your eyes recently and love squinching them up at us over and over again and you grin from ear to ear! Melts me every time!

We just adore you EmmaLee! I love the look of joy on your face when we walk in the room to see you! You have the most beautiful smile! I am so excited to see your personality grow even more this next year as you experience more adventures!

Love,
Momma