She is ONE.

My ladybug, Hannah Sophia, is ONE YEAR OLD today! Can you believe it? So much has happened over the past year. It was the best, hardest year ever. Talk about trials. Talk about joy. But no matter what challenges I faced, I was always in a better place when I would look at Hannah's precious, perfectly-crafted-by-God face.

She has grown into a giggly, goofy little fun lover who can put away food like a lumberjack. She says mama, dada, uh-oh, dog (preceded by woof woof), duck (followed by quack quack quack), eat, this, that, and she even said balloon yesterday. Sometimes she will just repeat whatever you say.

She loves baths - blows air into the water to make bubbles, splashes and rubs her eyes when the water hits them, tries to stand up even though she knows she isn't supposed to, drinks water as it leaves the spout, and chews on her toys relentlessly.

She loves books - sits as calm as she can in your lap as you read, turns the pages prematurely, points at images with her little toothpick finger, slams your hands in the book, and sometimes giggles at random when she likes what you're reading.

Her laugh is incredible - the perfect little girl giggle. She points and points at things all day, saying this and that as she points. Discovering. It dawned on me the other day when we were on a walk and saw a squirrel that this was the first time she was probably really seeing a squirrel and realizing it was a moving, breathing creature. She's a foreigner uncovering a mystical new land.

She loves to walk, but sometimes frightens herself when she stumbles. She thinks she's pretty funny when she starts crawling swiftly up the stairs and her dad or I sprint to her so we can ensure she doesn't fall. She thinks we're chasing her.

She loves the dog, although he doesn't care much for her except when she's eating. She will try to lay on him, follow him around, pat his face (sometimes a bit rough), and say woof woof at him.

She gets a really proud, beaming look on her face when she wants you to acknowledge what she's doing because she thinks she's pretty neat, like when she is taking a good long series of steps, or when she's riding around in the new wagon her grandparents got her and she thinks she's pretty big stuff. Because she is pretty big stuff.

She sleeps so well and often goes to bed without a struggle. She will let you know when she needs a nap and she really only fusses when she's hungry or constrained and wants to move.

Being her mother is like receiving the most incredible, irreplaceable gift anyone could be given. The thought of her special, smiling face and gorgeous blue eyes makes my spirit full and warm. She is God's child, His perfect creation, and I am humbled to be her mother.

Newborn

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months

10 months

11 months

12 months = ONE YEAR!