One Year Musings

 

After attempting a one year photo shoot today at the park... I gave up jumping up and down and trying to make Mikayla smile and just took pictures of who she was at that moment. 

Though Mikayla has a wonderful smile and uses it often these pictures show who a part of her is as a one year old. A little girl who is finding her independence in head nods, pointing and using her language to explain what she wants. A baby emerging into a toddler who throws her food on the ground when she is done, picks the books she wants read by pushing away those she is not interested in, and who clings to her mama like I am going to disappear in a poof of smoke.

She is not a puppet who I can pose with a smile when I want. She is her own person and her personality is emerging every day! Mikayla takes care to sit slowly after standing, she has her "party tricks" of pointing to her belly and nose, clapping, lifting her arms in touch down, she says hi and duck, dog and so many more babels that are harder to make out.

 

Mikayla loves to dance to music, crawl around the house at lightening speed and give belly laughs when her neck is tickled. She loves hugs from mommy and daddy and loves to hold her bunny snuggles. She pretends to go to sleep by randomly laying on the ground and she covers her face with her hands and thinks we can't see her. She loves the tunnel a the mall play area and bee lines to it every time Dhrumil brings her there to play.

 

My baby is growing up each moment of every day and though I miss the days when she was tiny it is so much fun to discover the world through her eyes. To see it in it's simplicity that only a child can see. To appreciate the ducks swimming in the pond, the taste of a cracker and the bathtime that gives such joy to this little person who is my daughter.

 

 I can't wait to hold Mikayla's hand and watch her grow the be the person God has planned for her to be!

A Ducky Birthday

Mikayla's first birthday party was at the tail end of all of her sickness so the picture to the left shows her mood that day. :) We had her party the day after her birthday and the theme was ducks. From the beginning of her being able to smile she would always have a huge smile to give no matter what her mood when she played with her ducks in the tub. Duck was also her second word... so ducks seemed to be the obvious choice.

We were blessed to have both of our parents, Dhrumil's siblings, my uncle and grandpa and few close friends to celebrate with us. And even though Mikayla would not let go of me the whole party, didn't want to eat her cupcake or be messy about it and screamed when opening her last present... we had a wonderful time celebrating the life God gave us one year ago!

"Happy" family! :)

Little girl not happy

Party Guests!

I put the icing on her nose to make her appear messy

Picture for high school graduation

Right of passage for a new mom... the "cake" duck cupcakes!

 

Cute Little Germ Bug

I have been MIA from blogging for a while because of the sickness that took over our house for a while. I got used to lovingly calling Mikayla my germ bug because everything she had I ended up catching in one form or another.

Mikayla has basically been sick since Christmas with only a week break and wow has it been tough! She had a horrible cough which we had to check with an xray. Then she got a stomach bug (which wasn't too bad for her) then I caught it and it was AWFUL! Then she got an ear infection with a temperature spiking close to 104 and staying high for a few days. When we got her an antibiotic she got a rash and so three antibiotics later she was finally getting better. I then caught the bug but on a smaller scale. Now she  has a stuffy nose AGAIN and a cough.

What have I learned through all of this? Patience... letting go of all else but focusing on caring for Mikayla... really enjoy the times we are well and also daycare is germ city!!

Praying with the Spring will come a fresh start for Mikayla to remain healthy.