Happy First Birthday, Miller!

Sweet Millie Girl, it's been almost 2 months since you turned one! I can't believe how quickly the year went by and don't know how the last few weeks have gotten away from me. I can't put into words what a perfect addition to our family you are. You are a loving little girl saying "Dub" and putting your forehead on almost anyone (or anything) that will get close to you. You're friendly and will gladly leap into the arms of anyone willing to take you. You're quite the comedian and keep your mamma, daddy, and little brother laughing (and crack yourself up quite often, too). You're quite content to explore and play in your room or the playroom by yourself for an hour or more at a time. You love to sit in a lap and if one becomes available, you bee-line for it (and if there's a book involved, all the better!). You're going to bed at about 7:00 and wake up around 6:30, but stay in your bed with a cup of juice until around 8:00. You go down for a nap around 2:00 and sleep for 2 or 3 hours. You're starting to pretend a little- you'll get a cup from your tea-set and pretend to sip then offer some to anyone with you. You love playing with your babies, their stroller, books (especially lift the flap, touchy feely, and Karen Katz ones), and cars. You must have your puppy or lion lovey to go to sleep. You're favorite games are pat-a-cake and peek-a-boo. You'll clap your hands, rock a little, and say "pa-tu, pa-tu" to get it started and I've also seen you crawl over to a friend and pull her dress over her head and say "weeeah" (which sounds a lot like the way I say "wheeeere's Miller?" when I cover you up!). You eat very well and like most everything except fruit. You're a HUGE Daddy's girl and can't stand to see him leave in the mornings.

Before you get the big head and think you must have been the perfect baby I must add the following. You are head strong and can throw a mean fit. You hate having anything taken away or being interrupted when your playing (or getting into trouble)- you scream and flail around hitting and kicking at anything with in your reach. You thoroughly enjoy throwing food on the floor (I think just to hear me say no) and I can honestly say that your partner in crime, Jack, has been no help in breaking you of this habit. You're very jealous and can't stand for your brother to get any one on one attention from Mom or Dad. You crawl over and pull on his shirt, hair, or arms to get him out of our laps, screaming toddler obscenities at the top of your lungs. Before you turned one you had mastered climbing to the top of the stairs. You're first stop once you made it up? Your brother's room. Where you have learned how to climb onto his bed and you dig around until you find HIS lion and attempt to abscond with it. When he leaves on school days, you head straight for his beanbag chair and you used to start sucking on his Pluto (a very prized possession), but he now leaves it on the playroom counter- out of your reach. I also watched as you climbed the ladder into our neighbor's fort, but have yet to witness you walk across a room, although you are beginning to take a few unassisted steps. You're the lightest sleeper I've ever come across and I dare not breath in the direction of your room once you're down at night- that's why there's a huge void in baby photos of you peacefully sleeping all snuggled up with lion, but I assure you the few times I've gotten to see you sleeping- it's pretty darn cute! Lastly, I'll add that we've spent more than our fair share of free time at the doctor's office. You had an ear infection pretty much from October to February despite getting tubes mid December. However, I do think we've gotten to the bottom of that (more on that in a later post!)

Despite the laundry list of things that are giving me wrinkles, grey hair, and are keeping the pharmaceutical companies well financed, I WOULD NOT TRADE YOU FOR THE WORLD!! You've truly wrapped us all around your little pinky finger and we can't imagine a day without you smiling at us from your side of the kitchen table (even if you are throwing your dinner on the floor to the dog). We look forward to seeing how your little life unfolds and what the Lord has in store for you. We look forward to Him drawing you to himself and polishing away all of our rough edges in the process. We look forward to year two- and all that it has in store for us!

Below are a some pictures from your first birthday. It was a bittersweet time for our family. As we were celebrating your first year we were also readying ourselves to say goodbye to your great-granddaddy, Papa Miller, who passed away the day after your big day. We are so thankful for the life of servitude to our Lord that he lead, for the legacy he leaves behind, and that we have you to carry on his name and memory.

We celebrated a few days early at our house with our family at a "very pink" party. You had a wonderful time with all of your guests and especially LOVED eating cake! As I was dressing you for the party you were laying on the changing table looking at me and the reality of the fact that we were getting ready for your first birthday party hit me. I looked at you and said "are you REALLY big enough to be having a birthday party?" You raised your hands above your head and gave the universal "soooo big" sign! On your real birthday Mamma and Daddy took you to a very big girl lunch at a new restaurant where you grinned your way into some free Beignet Balls with a candle in them!

Happy, Happy First Birthday to our Sweet Baby Girl!

Decorations:

Wreath on the front door with pictures from each month of your first year

Your cake

Petit Fours for everyone else
Yummy Birthday food (heart shaped pimento cheese canapes, lemon curd and animal crackers, salsa sour cream dip, fresh fruit, and CAKE)Pink lemonade and favors- copies of your portrait
How Big Is Miller?

Eating cake:

Opening presents:Miller "dubs" her new dollMiller's favorite new trick- climbing in and out of the frog chair

Could she be any prouder of herself?!The REAL day:Picking Daddy up for lunchLet's get this party startedMmmm- Beignet Balls!She alternated between bites of beignet and bites of candle

We did a little post party birthday shopping

I think she had a good day :)