Dear Natalie Girl,
Today is your first birthday, and I can hardly believe it’s been a year since you were born. Easily the fastest and best year of my life! I could write paragraph upon paragraph about how much your dad and I love you, how much joy you bring us, and how proud of you we are. But I will try keep it short and sweet, just like you. I will never understand how we were so blessed to have an amazing daughter like you. I’m ridiculously thankful that you are mine, and every day my love for grows immeasurably. Your smile makes every day better. Your silly antics fill me with pride. And the way you reach for me and say “mama” is enough to make my heart burst. You are my favorite little monkey and your dad’s special muñeca, and you always will be. As I look back on these past 12 months, I can’t help but feel like the luckiest mom in the whole wide world….
November 2013
We brought you home from the hospital and had no idea what we were doing. But you made it easy on us by eating, sleeping, and pooping like a champ. We were totally smitten. And I’ve never been more thankful than that Thanksgiving together.
December 2013
Christmas is my favorite holiday, and having a daughter to share it with made it that much more special. You also went on your very first plane ride, and I shot my first wedding after having you, which was tough on both of us. But we made it through! And you melted us when you started giving us little smiles…
January 2014
You continued to grow and smile, and your curious nature was evident from the beginning. You loved to be in your swing and you loved to see lots of action and meet new people!
February 2014Your personality really started shining at 4 months, it was so evident that you were (and still are) a sweet and happy girl! You loved when daddy rough housed with you and even though you hated tummy time, you got strong in no time and started to work on rolling with lots of vigor.
March 2014
We took another plane ride to look for our house in TX and everyone we met there was captivated by your sweet smile and blue eyes. You were such a trooper on long days of house hunting loved being outside! Your love of the outdoors was growing with the warmer weather. You also started to work on your crawl, although it would take you another month to master it!
April 2014
You tried your first solid food and absolutely loved sweet potatoes. You always aced your doctor’s check ups, and standing in daddy’s hands was one of your favorite things to do, as you told us with your smug smile when he held you up.
May 2014
Having figured out how to crawl, you began working on your standing abilities. You also loved being a ham for the camera, which absolutely made my day. Your hair was really starting to come in too!
June 2014
You flew to three different states in June, and I’m still thankful you were a such good traveler! I’ll admit you had your moments on the plane, but overall you did so great. That was a crazy full month of weddings, but you were an excellent wedding guest. You started to become more vocal, along with your first two teeth coming in, too!
July 2014
I feel like this was a big month of change. You started to lose some of your baby rolls, which I viewed with a love/hate outlook, because your rolls were so darn cute. But the little person you are becoming was even more evident. Your adventurous side was shining through, and you were never content to sit still. Always had to be on the move and create your excitement.
August 2014
We went on our family cruise, and you had four teeth coming in, which made for some rough nights for me and dad on that trip… But we still had so much fun and everyone loved you! Our waiter even brought special blended sweet potato for you every night at dinner. We also moved out of our house and moved in with your Abuelito and Abuelita’s for the month. You loved saying “Hi” to them every morning when we came up the stairs!
September 2014
This month we switched over to your Grandma and Grandpa’s house. You loved to show everyone that you’re “soooo big” and you learned what a dog says, although it sounds more like a monkey when you make the noise. You also figured out how to say “wow,” which I find hilarious. You started to take a random step here or there, but when dad left for Texas and you and I had to stay here, you decided to wait for him to come back before you would take your real first steps.
October 2014
You love to show people where your tongue is, you are becoming picky about what you eat, and being outside is your favorite thing to do. You love giving Kiva and Zuka pets, and you don’t mind when they give you kisses. You got really sick and scared me to death in the middle of the night, but we made it through and in the morning you woke up and gave me a smile, snot nosed, husky breathing and all. At the end of your birthday party you took 7 steps right into daddy’s arms. And every day you amaze me with how much you are learning and growing and becoming even more beautiful.
Happy First Birthday Natalie Girl!!! Daddy and I love you SO much! And I can’t wait to see what year 2 brings.
Such sweet pictures, Carissa! She’s a beauty!
Oh Carissa! What a beautiful expression of love to your baby girl! She is so incredibly special. I cannot wait to meet her. Much love to your little family!