12 Months!

Jade,
You are 12 months old today! I am going to keep saying "months" because it just makes me feel better. Saying that you are ONE year old makes the tears start to flow.

In honor of you being 12 months old today, and the fact that your mom is super emotional on this occasion, I'm going to share with you 12 things I've learned by being your mom over this past year.

1. I've learned that God may answer mommy's prayers just in the nick of time. We prayed that you would come on your own before my scheduled induction. My water broke just 6 hours before I was supposed to be at the hospital.

2. I learned that spinal taps and 3 day old babies are not meant to go together. Mommy watching spinal tap on 3 day old baby? Ditto.

3. I've realized that lots of tests, IV antibiotics and a brief stay at the children's hospital...over a hunch that the doctor had that turned out to be wrong...can be the source of mommy guilt for a long time.

4. I figured out that between mastitis, low milk supply, your huge appetite and my impatience...nursing/pumping didn't last as long as I had hoped for you. And that's okay.

5. I've learned that chubby babies may not be very mobile babies, but they sure are more popular at the grocery store.

6. I've learned that it is possible to love two children...even equally. I wasn't sure about that July, 5th of 2007 when I walked out of big sister's room at bedtime, eyes full of tears, and a heavy heart about how different her life would look the very next day.

7. I'm still learning that it is impossible to do everything for you that I did for Lily. It was pointed out to me that I was trying to raise each of you as only children. Pouring out all of me to each of you nearly drove me insane. I'm getting better at figuring out how to be a good mommy to both of you simultaneously.

8. I've figured out that when you wake a little too early in the morning, and I'm a little disgruntled in my morning stupor, that it only takes one look into those baby blues for me to get my priorities straight.

9. I've realized that even though your baby book is bare and all of your milestones are at this point recorded on random sticky notes (if at all), it doesn't mean I love you one bit less than Lily. Never mind that I pretty much recorded every breath she took for the first year.

10. I've learned that for some babies...ahem, you...that the answer to "are you hungry?"...is always YES.

11. I've realized that God might have granted you nearly 25lbs of chub for a good reason. You've got a 33 lb older sister to stand up to on a regular basis.

12. I'm mostly thankful that all of your chub somehow got you nicknamed Jader-Tater...and that nickname was all I needed for the theme of your first birthday party.

The first crew of many has already arrived for the big event. Some from E. Texas and others from Georgia are pictured here:


I've got lots of preparations to make, but before I go, someone just popped out of my fridge to say a quick hello:

More from Mrs. Potato Head and the gang coming soon.