My baby is 1!

How can my baby be a year old already? Everyone says it, because it's true: it flies. That little tiny bundle who'd disappear into the sling or drape across a shoulder and sleep most of the day has grown so fast and learned so much in the past 12 months, it's mind-boggling.

At one, Lucy:

-Smiles and laughs and finds great joy in every day.

-Loves passionately. She has favorite people who make her glow when they come into a room.

-Talks and talks and talks. Words: mama, baby, up, uh-oh, oh wow!, yeah, oh, dah do (gentle), hhh! (hot), mmmm, ball, mendow (window). Signs: finished, socks, telephone, hat, potty, bird. And a constant stream of beautiful babble.

-Understands so much of what we say to her. When she put a rock in her mouth and I asked "is it delicious?" she answered "mmmm!" When I say I'm going to go feed the chickens, she points to the window that faces the coop.

-Walks, some on her own, much more holding on to furniture or, preferably, the hand of a favorite person. Crawls when speed is the goal.

-Draws and paints enthusiastically.

-Loves to be read to, finds her favorite books and asks for them again and again, and looks at books on her own.

-Loves to be outside. When it's time to go out, she gets her boots and gives them to me to put on.

Oh, and so much more. It's overwhelming to me to try to sum up my brilliant, joyful, beautiful baby.

It pales in comparison to her, but I did make her a few things for her birthday. The crown, above (thanks to here and here for inspiration), and a bunting (from here, of course), below.



We put a candle in her bread at dinner time. Yes, we're goofy like that.