One Year Old!

(I will add pictures soon!)
Amerie Dakota,

You are one year old.

I cant even believe how fast time is going.

You are still a crawler, and can stand for about 5-10 seconds. You have taken a few steps to try to catch yourself, but will not voluntarily walk, and really, I am okay with that =) Take your time sweet baby. You will walk for a little while holding onto only one of our hands. Sometimes when youre standing and holding onto something you get brave and let go for a second and then grab it again.

You can get yourself into a sitting position now, and do it all the time. You NEVER keep still. I was trying to take a picture of you in your first birthday shirt... and it just wasn't happening. You are one busy little girl!

You LOVE being outside. You like feeling the grass now, and pulling it out. You like finding sticks, and passing them along to one of the dogs. You like picking up handfulls of dirt. You LOVE climbing up the stairs to the house, which terrifies me. You really like riding quads with dada, and riding the horses around the house. Basically all things outdoors are your favorite!

We took you to the Zoo with your cousin Ryan, and Auntie Nicole and Uncle Josh! You got a kick out of most of it and liked the penguins the best. You really enjoyed watching them swim around in their tank! I am excited to take you back again soon! I am sure by the end of the summer it will be your favorite!


You dont like when things are out of place, or when there is something on the floor. You will pick it up and either shove it straight in your mouth, try to give it to a dog, or hold it up and say "eh" ad give it to one of us. I have a feeling you are going to be OCD just like your mama =)

The last time we got you weighed(a week and a half ago) you weighed 21lbs 8oz and were still 29 inches long. You are still mostly in 12 month clothes, with some 18 month things thrown in. You are still in size 3 shoes... but slowly moving to size 4. You are still in size 3 diapers.

You are still getting 2-8oz bottles a day, and the rest is real food. You hardly eat pureed foods, unless we are running late to leave the house and I throw a puree in your diaper bag. You love big people food. You are starting to have things you are not crazy about, so I am sure by the time you are two we will be having food wars and I will be hiding nutritious food inside of whatever I can get you to eat! You are also figuring out how to feed yourself with a spoon!


You say mama, dada, ni-ni(night-night) and every now and again da(dog). Every now and again I would swear you say HUH? We will say something to you and you look at us, and say huh? I think it is probably just a coincidence, but Ill take it. When you are really tired, but dont want to go to sleep and mama is the only one home you lay/stand in your crib and yell/whine "dada!" "ni-ni" Its cute, but at the same time sad! I wish mama and dada could be with you all day every day... but someone has to work ;)

You have gotten better at signing this month. You now sign, more(correctly), all done(still with just one hand), and eat. When you wake up in the morning and when I am changing your diaper, you sign eat, and then more. We were at the grocery store a few days before your birthday and there was an older guy who got really close to you and was talking in your face. You looked around him, looked at me, signed all done, and then waved bye-bye. It was so SO funny. Mama got you out of the isle right when you did that, so that you understood that I knew what you were saying to me. We are going to start working on a few more signs now! I am thinking of adding Mommy, Daddy and Please!

You are still very affectionate, and like to give hugs and kisses. This month you have also learned how to rock your "baby". It started with your little baby doll, and has progressed to a few other toys. Only your favorites tho! Sometimes, when you hug us, or a toy, you give pats on the back. You love playing peek-a-boo! Anything you can hide behind and then peek around, you do.

Sweet baby girl, the last year has been the most rewarding year of my whole life.
You have shown me that life, really is beautiful.

I cant wait to see what the next year brings us.

Dont grow up too fast Sweet Pea.

I love you more than you will ever know.

Mama.

(I will put up alllllll of the birthday/cake smash pictures after this next weekend!)

One year old

Happy Birthday, sweet baby bean. 

One year ago today

One year ago today, I was just getting to the doctor where I would learn that I as really sick and had to be induced with Amerie almost 3 weeks early. 

We were excited, and terrified all at the same time 

                                    My liver enzymes were trying to kill off Amerie's placenta.

My blood pressure was going between 134/92 and 147/93(and higher during labor)

Today marks the one year anniversary of the beginning of my 27 hour labor. 

Tomorrow however, is the one year anniversary of the best thing to ever happen to me.