Happy FIRST Birthday, Miss Naomi Grace!

(WARNING: LOTS of photos follow this letter to Naomi...I could NOT narrow it down for the life of me...so ENJOY!)

Sweet, sweet Naomi...

One year ago, today, you made your entrance into this world! You were a tiny little 7lb, 3oz ball of cuteness. We were amazed at your dark hair and exotic look! :) Everyone at the hospital commented on how unbelievably beautiful you were! And you are still just the most beautiful little thing...with your big, blue eyes, and smile that lights up your entire face! :)

You have endured quite a bit this first year of life, including spending 1/4 of the year in a cast!! But you have endured all things with grace and just amazed us at how adaptable you have been! :) You remain very flexible after getting your cast removed. And it's taking a little while for you to get the hang of this whole walking thing. But I'm sure before we know it, you're going to be running around, chasing your big brother!

And speaking of Isaac, you adore him. You spend most of your days watching him, and you LOVE it when he chases you! You two love making each other laugh...it's pretty awesome to see! :) That said, you both have your not-so-lovely moments as well. He would like to think that everything in our home belongs to him and doesn't want you to touch a single thing...even if it was initially yours! :) You have probably gotten so used to hearing him shout, "NO, May-o-meee!" all day long!

You're a tough little cookie, though. If he (or anyone else, for that matter) tries to take something out of your hands, you give them HECK! You screech at the top of your lungs to vocalize your dissatisfaction with what's going on. You have got an AMAZING set of lungs, little lady...and you enjoy using them often. :) We are looking forward to having you "use your words" like a big girl.

And speaking of words, you don't say many very often. But you can and have said: daddy, mama, baby, hi, Isaac (pronounced i-yahk), nana, no, yeah, and ni-nigh. You will imitate lots of sounds (smacking noises with your lips and tongue, animal sounds, etc). But you just aren't really into talking yet. We are working REALLY hard with you right now to teach you to sign (and say) "more" so you won't SCREAM at us when you're ready for more to eat. :)

I can hardly believe it's already been a year since you were born! This year has just FLOWN by! And even though you are one, you still seem like such a little baby to me! Maybe it's because you're a tiny little thing...or because you are still MY baby...but no matter what it is, you're still so precious!

You are eating much better these days, but still struggle when we introduce new foods. It seems that you always have negative reactions (rashes, gas, vomiting, etc) to everything we try with you! It has made it quite challenging to branch out and try new and different things with you. So you're probably only eating a diet typical for a baby who is maybe 9 months old, rather than 12 months! But that's okay...you'll get there!

And we've made it to our goal of nursing until your first birthday! Woo hoo!! :) You typically nurse three times each day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). And have also recently started sleeping through the night MUCH more frequently (PRAISE GOD!). :) It has been SO nice to get more sleep lately. I'm not sure how or when we'll begin the weaning process, but I admit that I'm a little nervous about that since you seem to be so intolerant of so many types of foods. I'll have a better idea after your doctor's appointment this week. :)

We will be having family over for a little birthday party this weekend. I'm looking forward to celebrating your first year of life! And I look forward to watching your sweet little personality grow and develop! We love you more than words can say, sweet baby girl. Happy Birthday, Naomi Grace. You bring so much joy to our lives, and we look forward to many more years of YOU! :)

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

And here are the photos from her one-year birthday photo session...