Sweet Mely turns ONE!!

I don't know why taking a few minutes of my day to sit down and write about my family seems so daunting at times?! I think I have definitely been caught up in the busy-ness of life and feeling the ever mounting pressure to "get it all done" before I can take some time for myself, thus preventing me the simple pleasure of journaling about life. But my sweet sweet Melody turned 1 yesterday and dang it I'm determined to write about it!! (even if I am frantic that she will wake up early from her nap and distract me from the computer)

So yesterday was Melody's 1st Birthday and I found myself thinking back to the day she was born and how much she has really changed our lives since we first laid eyes on her. We delivered at St. David's North 12/22/10 and were out of the hospital by Christmas Eve. Even though last year was her first Christmas, I was so exhausted from labor and was completely sleep depraved that it was all kind-of a blur! I'm definitely looking forward to being fully present this Christmas! Without trying to sound too sappy, I really cannot believe how God has blessed me and Ryan with such an amazing little girl. During my entire pregnancy I would try to hard to imagine what she might look and be like, but she is more amazing than I could have ever dreamed up! She is such a good-natured baby and always smiling and laughing. Melody's giggling just makes me laugh right along with her, it's infectious! She has developed quite the little personality the past few months and is so animated and silly with her sounds and faces. 

  We had Melody's 1stBirthday party last Sunday and here are a few of her in her cute little birthday outfit! This is the first tutu I ever made so I was very proud that it actually turned out like it was supposed to :) She fussed for a few min when we first put it on her and then she wore it well the rest of the day. Thank you to all of you who made it out to celebrate her big day!!

Melody and I got to spend her actual birthday together...just mama and baby time :) We started off the day getting all dressed up to see Santa (which she was terrified of) and having lunch with our good friends Kristie and Kaleb. After a few errands we spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing (aka her taking a nap and me frantically trying to get our house cleaned before Christmas). That night Ryan, Melody, and I went to see Christmas lights up in Round Rock. This one house was ridiculously decked out...I think Mely really enjoyed it. I might have enjoyed it more but it's okay to still love Christmas lights as an adult right?! Overall it was a great day and a chance to reflect back on the year, trying to really soak it all in.

I love you sweet Melody and can't wait to see what this next year of your life will bring!

Been too long

I promise I did not give up on my blog...it's just been on hold a few months while I watch my daughter grow up before my very eyes! Any time I think about sitting down to write I find myself being distracted by email, facebook, to-do lists, work, tidying up...but mostly by Melody moving around the table towards me wanting my full attention or eagerly pulling herself up on our entertainment center trying to put cords in her mouth. Yes Melody is officially mobile, crawling all over our house and pulling herself up on anything sturdy enough to hold her weight. She is about to turn 9 months old and I'm excited to see her "stats" at our doctors visit this week. It has been 3 months since our last visit and I'm dying to know how much she weighs...my guess is about 21 lbs. She's definitely been packing on the pounds since I stopped nursing at 6 months. Her best features are her thigh rolls; I can't get over how chubby her little legs are! Here are a few pictures from the past couple months of what she's been up to lately:

reading & toys

 standing up in her crib...we lowered it the next day!

 her favorite sleep position, butt up in the air

 her "gerber baby" pose

 having fun with her mirror

 practicing standing with shoes...doesn't keep them on for long

 nice roll shot...almost too many to count!

 pool time in the front yard

 one more backside shot :) I couldn't resist!

 Oh yeah, and Melody loves to make this new face where she's really excited about something! I can't believe I actually caught in on camera because it's so sporadic. Not really sure what to say about this look except it makes me laugh every time! And of course Bentley tried to get in the shot.

 my little munchkin

Lately we have been spending our time adjusting to her new Mother's Day Out program twice a week, which has allowed me to see clients or have a few hours to myself. She is one of the only girls in her class of about 10 other babies. She seems to be enjoying it but has been pretty clingy lately as she's moving into the "separation anxiety" stage. When Melody wants her mama she wants her mama! It's been both frustrating and humorous at times to see her throw a fit from just putting her down and walking into another room. I find myself becoming more hesitant to pass her off to people because I don't want them to feel like they might be upsetting her. But I know this is a natural and healthy progression for her little developing self and secretly enjoy all her attention. There's something very comforting about knowing your child wants/needs you so badly that they are upset by the mere thought of separation from you. I wonder if this is not anything less than a perfect reflection of what our desire should be towards our Father in heaven...wanting to cling to Him to badly that the thought of being separated from him would bring us great distress.