happy 1st b'day susanna!!!

one day old

exactly 1 year old

cannot believe this year is over...as of 9:16am, my baby is a year old. what an amazing 12 months it has been getting to know this precious little girl. she has brought us more joy than i could have ever imagined. i was so worried before she came that i could not love another child as much as i love caroline. it is such an example of God's power in how He gives us the capacity to love each of our children so deeply, but very much equally. from the moment i laid eyes on susanna, it was l-o-v-e!! you are a blessing and a gift to us, sweet girl, and we cannot imagine life without you. here are a few things i always want to remember about you as you turn one today!!

*you have 7 teeth - 4 on top and 3 on bottom
*you can stand up without help and are taking steps while holding our hands, but not walking all on your own yet
*you are understanding so much of what we say now and respond - you give hugs and kisses when we ask (if you feel like it), which i love!!
*you are finally signing some - mostly "all done", "more" and just now understanding "please"
*you still completely worship your big sister and she adores you - i'm praying the Lord makes you the best of friends always
*you love to give hugs and lay your head on your buddy/boyfriend joshua - he's not that into you yet :)
*you have no problem being left with a babysitter or the nursery at church - we haven't ever been called out of a service to come get you
*you have always had such a sweet, laidback personality, but there is definitely a feisty, mischevious side, too - john and i think you may give us a run for our $ in the future
*you are right on track size wise and are wearing 6-12 mos clothes
*you LOVE table food and have been off of baby food for almost 2 months now
*you love sippy cups
*you love taking baths...you take off crawling when you hear the water turn on; you love playing with big sis in the tub most of all
*you are not a big fan of the carseat and you let me know about it - i'm hoping this changes when we switch you out of the infant seat
*you take 2 naps a day - one morning and one afternoon
*you still are taking 4 bottles/day (that will end soon)
*you are such a snuggler and love to lay your head on our shoulder with your arms straight down by your body, the "penguin" position
*you can say "mama" and "dada", but most of the time you say "da" as long and as loud as you can
*you love to squeal - that starts early with girls :)
*you smile and grin all the time to everyone
*you hate being confined and want to be on the go all the time
*you love getting into anything and everything - especially any open fridge, potty or trash can available :(
*you love playing with toys and will sit in the playroom forever playing by yourself - your favs are the kitchen, caroline's dollhouse and all her baby dolls
*you love playing on sissy's bed at naptime and bedtime while we read books
*we call you "the destroyer" b/c you are strong and usually leave a mess behind wherever you go
*you love to drink out of straws or water bottles - you have no idea how messy that can be
*you love the ocean and would crawl right into it and drown if we weren't watching
*you are no fun at the pool b/c you are not a fan of floats and you can't swim yet :)
*you still love your taggie blankie and grin and snuggle into it at naptime and bedtime
*you have the best big sister in the world
*you are loved, treasure and adored by mommy, daddy and caroline

you are an amazing gift from the Lord and we are so thankful for your life. we pray that you will know, love and serve Him passionately all the days of your life. we will always be here for you no matter what! happy first birthday, baby girl!