Reflection

I'm sitting here looking at my daughter who is turning ONE tomorrow. How is that even possible? I remember a year ago tonight being excited about meeting my daughter but so nervous about the c-section. This first year has been absolutely amazing. The goal was for me to be able to stay home with her for the first year. Check. It wasn't always easy, actually it was pretty difficult at times. There were lots of sacrifices (limited Starbucks, no DVR, only basic cable, no haircuts, and the list goes on), but in the end it was the best decision we ever made. I still struggle with finding my place. I feel like I should be working, but I know if I had a job I would feel like I need to be at home. It's a never ending cycle of mommy guilt ;)

What can Katelyn do now?

• Give you "five"!
• Make "Indian" noises with her hand over her mouth - probably not the most PC thing to call it but what else would you call it?
  
• Takes at least 10 steps (probably more if I actually counted) all by her little self.
• Tries to run after the dog but ends up falling on her face.
• She is completely off of her bottles.
• No more formula either - just whole milk.

Since my last update, Katelyn had her first Thanksgiving and her first Christmas. She also had her first visit to see Santa. She held it together pretty well until she looked at him and realized the beard was a little too long and a little too white for it to belong to her daddy. Oh well. She did really well for her first time. And now she is about to celebrate her very first birthday. I have to admit when someone asks me about her party, I get a little choked up talking about it. Someone better have the box of tissues ready for when we sing "Happy Birthday." Gosh, I hope I can hold it together.

Ah, I miss my "baby", but I am excited for what the next year has in store for us. All the worrying during my pregnancy, all the appointments and tests, the dreaded c-section, and even the hassle of the blood clot - it was all worth it for this beautiful gift I was given.

We hope to expand our family this year. We shall see how that goes. I'm trying not to get my hopes up in case we run into problems this time around. You never know with me lately with all my crazy medical issues that seem to pop up out of nowhere!

I sometimes sit and think about what it would be like to have another child. I wonder does your heart just get bigger? It must. I can't imagine having two little persons to love. Ah, guess I will cross that bridge if we ever get there.

I'll post some birthday pics as soon as I can.

Until next time...