A VERY HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY TO YOU...

what a wonderful year 2008 was with you! i am so thankful to be your mom and for this amazing gift of life. these are just some of the things i've felt about you, my girl, over the past 12 months...


JANUARY 9 (0 months old)
from this day forward our lives will never be the same. you have shown me God's miraculous ways first-hand. you have touched our hearts like nothing before. i am so excited to be a mom to you beautiful, healthy baby girl. from your first moments here on earth you already dazzle us with your round cheeks and raspy voice. you have stretched our hearts beyond measure with love for you.





FEBRUARY 9 (1 month old)
you have started opening your eyes for more than a few seconds. you still sleep like it's your job but there are more awake times too. i love gazing into your bright blue eyes and imagining what is going on in your mind as you take in the world around you. i am so proud to be your momma and have learned the power of trusting God through ups and downs during all your dr. appts and tests this month. through it all i feel His peace that you are fearfully and wonderfully made to be just exactly who you are. i love you queen bee.


MARCH 9 (2 months old)
whoa, who is this fun interactive girl!? you are doing all sorts of tricks now and we can't get over how fast you are growing. i know you are still technically a newborn for a few more weeks but it seems to me you are turning into a baby girl before my eyes. you no longer stay in one spot, you wiggle and squirm around making us watch you even closer. little munchkin, words cannot express how much i love being your mom.




APRIL 9 (3 months old)
i cherish these past 3 months of being with you non-stop day and night. i am missing you like crazy while i am at school but its so nice to know during that time you are being loved on dearly by your grandmas and dad. walking in the door and seeing your smile each afternoon is a feeling like no other. i love strapping you into the front pack and going for our walks each evening. your sweet little baby noises and bright eyes checking out the outdoors are absolutely priceless.



MAY 9 (4 months old)
just when i thought your smile couldn't get any bigger you've gone and done it again. you are the definition of happiness. i can't ever squeeze your chubby cheeks or your legs (that look just like cans of biscuits) enough. you make me laugh the way you love that thumb of yours. you are a rocking machine in your exersaucer and we just watch you for the best entertainment ever. your joy for life is evident and my heart continues to swell with love for you.




JUNE 9 (5 months old)
oh little adelaide, you somehow get even more fun and even cuter everyday! as of this week i am officially your stay-at-home mom and i couldn't be happier about it. i love the way your grin seems to stretch from your head to your toes when you get excited. i love to hear your giggles turn into chuckles. i love the way you crane your neck to find your dad when you hear his voice. and i love the way your munchkin hands take hold of things with purpose now. my favorite is when you grab my cheeks and snuggle in. i'll remember these moments always.



JULY 9 (6 months old)
you continue to grow even more wonderful each day. i completely melt when your bright eyes look right at me and i love the way they are filled with such trust. your gummy smile has expanded to hold 2 tiny teeth now. we can't help but grin right back each time we see you. currently your favorite things to laugh at are my dance moves, your dad's silly voices, and berkeley. you can sit up for minutes at a time and bang and throw your toys now. we thank God for placing you in our arms and our hearts. i'll love you forever.



AUGUST 9 (7 months old)
during the 7th month of your life your dad studied so hard for the bar, and worked hard towards providing for our family. you and i spent the days singing, cooking and baking, learning how to splash in the pool, and visiting favorite austin places and people one more time before we move. i know you won't remember these austin days, but i will never forget each of these first memories with you being here. what a special season this has been for our 3 family.




SEPTEMBER 9 (8 months old)
sweet adelaide, this month we have had so much fun traveling with you. we have gone to abilene, canada, colorado, new mexico, and moved to houston. you got your first cold and stomach bug and grew 2 more teeth. through it all you still managed to be as sweet as can be. i try to get you to share the love with others but i must admit it melts my heart the way you are most content in your momma's arms all day long. i love you more and more each day and i'm in awe of the way God created you.



OCTOBER 9 (9 months old)
you are officially a houstonian now. we thought we would spend this month settling in as a family before you dad started work, but hurricane ike came. we will always be thankful for the surprise week in abilene and warrenton and the safe places to stay away from the storm. now we are all together in houston again and you are loving all the attention that comes with being the only kid in a house with 6 adults (jim, karen, mel, austan, mom, and dad). you are also loving all the animals that entertain you while running past you all day (the dogs- berkeley, bella, and zsa, zsa, and the cats- big chick and little chick). i am loving all the attention i get to give you. you are the sunshine of my life!


NOVEMBER 9 (10 months old)
i can't get enough of your love for books, songs, reaching out and the way you bounce on your bottom to get from point a to point b. i love your screeches and squeals. the way you smile at your precious cousin witt makes me smile right along with you. the words you say so definitely (uh-oh, hi jee, mama, dada, and more) make me daydream of all the conversations we will get to have together. little miss adelaide you make my heart swell!




DECEMBER 9 (11 months old)
i now have a greater understanding as to what mary must have felt as she "treasured these things in her heart!" i treasure each day with you and praise God for making you in His image. it is so fun to see you develop right before our eyes. i could just listen to you babble mamamamama all day long! you are a ray of sunshine, your joyful personality is contagious, and i am so thankful for you my precious one.




JANUARY 9 (1 year old)
here we are, you are now 1 and i am so proud of you! while you are still learning more each day, i am completely amazed at how much you have packed into this 1 fast year. you went from constantly lying in our arms to squirming to get down and explore. you went from sweet little baby cries to being able to turn your tears on or off at a moment's notice. you went from trying to figure out how to nurse to feeding yourself chunks of "big people food." and as i sit here waiting for you wake up on this monumental day i am simultaneously flooded with sweet memories of your first year and also hopeful for special times in the years to come. you are my sunshine, my bobba-doo, my adda-wadda-woo, adelaider kater, miss priss, the one who made me a mamamamama, and i will love you forever.