The Birthday Party...

Adilyn's first birthday party was so much fun! It was a lot of preparation, but it was so worth it in the end. So many family members and friends came out to celebrate with us, it was amazing! I was a little worried about Adilyn's mental status because she failed to take her morning nap before the party. When we first got there, she went to the park area with Mimi and Pops, and they let her swing for a while, which she loves. We ate lunch, and then got into the cake. I kept watching her thinking that any moment might be the moment that she would explode, but she hung in there. She had a fantastic time playing in her cake. I don't know what she liked more - making a mess or her first taste of sugar! Probably a close tie! I was trying to move things along because it was ridiculously hot, and I felt like Adilyn was a ticking time bomb. I wanted to go out on a high note, so we got to the gifts quick. She got a little fussy, but then a toy caught her attention (thank goodness), and she was successfully distracted for the duration. By the end of all the presents, I looked down at her, and even though she had about 10 brand new toys all around her, she was happily playing with a ribbon...again, it's the "non-toys" that make the best toys! =)

Making a mess is so exciting!!!!

All done!

Ahhh...what a day, what a day!

The Little One is 1!!!

So, today was the first day of summer, but even more momentous and exciting was that it was Adilyn's first birthday. The sweet girl slept in until 9:30 this morning, I love that she's a sleeper! Anyway, I thought it was ironic because that was almost exactly what time she was born. Here is a picture of her with a huge smile on her face to greet me this morning!

To celebrate, we took her to ihop (okay, to be honest, since Adilyn just eats yogurt and cereal for breakfast, it was really for Cory and I to celebrate surviving our first year of parenthood!). We just hung out for the rest of the day, but I felt very reflective. Almost every time I would look at her, I was just flooded with memories from throughout the last year. I remembered all those late nights waking up with her. Trying to comfort her when she was sick. Not knowing what in the heck I was doing while I was giving her a bath, or changing her cloths. Driving around aimlessely because I didn't want her to wake up if the car stopped. The first time she smiled at me. The first time she sat up by herself. The first time she laughed. The first time she crawled...so many things have happened this year, I can hardly even keep it straight in my own head! I have loved being Adilyn's mama, and I don't think that I was whole before she came into my life. Stealing the line from Tom Cruise - she has truly completed me. Although, there have been days when I wondered what in the world I had gotten myself into - more often than not the days have been filled with pride, joy, and love for this little person that I get to hang out with forever! She is amazing, and I feel like I am so incredibly lucky because I get to be a part of her life.

Here are some more pictures from her birthday. Her party will be on Saturday, so of course, there will be even more pictures then!

Her gourmet dinner...chicken, peas, cheese, and pears. Who could ask for anything more?

In her pj's... the day coming to an end...we wanted to get her holding the #1 - how symbolic and how ridiculously impossible! So, I had to hold it...you take what you can get with a crazy one year old!

Some weekends are better than others

Last weekend was a great one! My dad and Kris came down to visit on Friday and Saturday, then my mom came down Saturday night and Sunday. It was so nice to see them all. It's harder than I thought it would be to live away from them now that we have Adilyn. Sometimes I feel guilty that they can't see her as much as they would like to, but then I really believe that everything happens for a reason, so I know that we are in Houston for some reason. I'm sure one day that will become more apparent. For now, when we are together, I just try to enjoy each moment as much as I possibly can.


On Saturday, Adilyn took her first "no-hands" steps. She was walking from Kris to Cory, and she took off - after about 3 steps just fell forward into Cory's arms. We all laughed and clapped, and she looked so proud. The problem was that I think she thought that we were clapping for her falling, so that's what she kept doing. Still, it was exciting to see her trying new things.




Sunday morning came along, and I was going to do a triathlon. It was an hour drive away, and we had to be there by 6am. We got Adilyn up super early and threw her in the carseat in her pj's. Once we got there, Cory and Mom stayed in the car while Adilyn got some extra z's...I finished the triathlon (without dying), hung around there, had some lunch, and we went home. Long story short, Adilyn was super cranky all day. She was whiny and all she wanted was for me to hold her. She went to sleep pretty early, and I had intended on leaving her at home in the morning to let her sleep in a little. I called Cory on Monday morning at 9:30 and she was still asleep! She did not wake up until 10:00 that morning! She almost slept for 14 straight hours, poor sleepy girl.


I guess all that walking, cheering for her mama at the triathlon, and having fun with all the grandparents really wore her out!

My First Mama's Day

My Mother's Day started with Cory going upstairs to get Adilyn when she woke up, so I could sleep in. Of course, when given the opportunity, no matter how hard I try, I cannot sleep in...Reluctantly, I got up, and we decided to go to breakfast at IHop, my favorite. It was crazy busy, but we were ready for it. Adilyn was in a really good mood at breakfast, keeping everyone around us entertained. After breakfast, Adilyn and I decided to go on a bike ride in the neighborhood - she really likes taking rides in her new bike trailer. We stopped at the park and played around there a little bit, she kept wanting to give me the pebbles, sweet girl. After that, we hung out at the house for the rest of the day, which is exactly what I wanted to do. My idea of a perfect Mother's Day this year was to hang out with Adilyn and just relax...it was everything that I wanted it to be.

The Last Hoorah!

Every night after Adilyn's bath we have one last little play time. She should probably go straight to bed because she's tired, but she's so silly I hate to put her down. She crawls around, giggles, and buries her head in the pillows or blankets that are around. She'll "help" with cleaning up, which really means that she just throws all her toys out of the box when I put them in there. If the dogs are around, she plays with them. She'll crawl over to Willow, reach her hand out to touch her, and then squeal and run away when Willow turns and licks her. I love that time because sometimes she will start giggling uncontrollably, and that makes me laugh, too. It's great to end your day with that much joy. =)

A New Friend

It was the sweetest thing tonight...Adilyn and I were over in our neighbor's backyard. They just got a new greyhound. Adilyn loves him because he doesn't lick her to death like our dogs do. Well, she was crawling on the grass when the sweet greyhound came over and stood right over her. At first I thought he was going to pee on her, but he didn't...I moved Adilyn to another spot in the yard, and he walked right over and did it again. We think that he was protecting her or guarding her...how sweet...Maybe she'll be the next Dog Whisperer! =)

Troublemaker

When I went to pick Adilyn up from day care the other day, she was in a playpen and Mayra (the babysitter) said, "She got in a fight." I was shocked, and proceeded to ask her what had happened. She told me that Adilyn and her little friend, Alexandra, were playing when all of a sudden Adilyn reached over and stole Alexandra's pacifier right out of her mouth. FYI: Adilyn does not and has never used a pacifier. Anyway, Alexandra got mad and lunged for Adilyn to try to retrieve her precious binky. When she did she pushed Addy and they both started crying. Mayra had consequently separated them in two different playpens. What a little troublemaker...I have a feeling it's only just begun...