Lilia Is 1 Year Old

Well it happened again.  Time flew right before my eyes and I didn't even see it go.  I hate when that happens!  It has been a year (and then some now) since our baby girl was born into this world, and what a year it has been.  We feel so blessed to have her.  She brings such a sweet, tender spirit into our home, and I couldn't love her more. 

We celebrated in McCarter fashion by first starting the day with singing "Happy Birthday" and then having waffles with strawberries and cream.  Lilia only hesitated a second before diving in.  She actually made less of a mess than I thought she would, but there was no doubt she enjoyed it thoroughly. 

Notice her fingers...They are crossed :)

Her birthday was on a Wednesday this year, so we waited to have her birthday on Saturday.  It was a lovely party with close friends and family.  I wanted it to be a huge event because to me it was more than just a celebration of her first year, it was a celebration of her continued health and her strength.  In the end, it ended up being smaller than what I had pictured, but I realized that was exactly what I had wanted all along.  I made her a chocolate cake with bright pink frosting.  Again, she only hesitated a second, but once she got that first taste of frosting she needed no more prompting.  In she went.  Quite literally.  I have to say, she was WAY more into the cake than Aubin was and made a much bigger mess, but that didn't surprise me.  She is a curious little bugger and gets into everything she can!  Lucky for her, today was her day, and she had a little cake all to herself.  The pictures are really all you need.  It was hilarious.

Here are some fun facts about Lilia:

• She constantly crosses her fingers on her right hand.  I don't know why, but she has done this for quite some time now, and it's one of the cutest things I ever did see.
• She can sign "more", "milk, "baby" and "eat."
• She has a sweet tooth. I knew it was there before, but boy have we awakened the beast with her cake!
• She is starting to be more social all the time and her big boisterous brother may just be starting to rub off on her.
• She is sleeping 6 hours at a time most nights now!  Sometimes even more.  I'm likin' it.
• She LOVES dolls and babies!
• She is starting to really ham things up and loves to make what we call "the cheesy" face.  She scrunches up her nose and her eyes and does a big cheesy grin.  Love it!
• She loves to snuggle and especially lay her head/cheek against yours.  It's the sweetest thing and just melts our hearts every time.
• She took her first steps on 10/15/2011.  She's been on the go ever since!

There's loads more I would like to share, but since I'm pretty sure 50 pages is a bit excessive, I'll spare you all ;) 

Lilia, my dear sweet girl, I love you more than words could ever express.  You make our lives full of joy, hope, and peace.  Thank you so much for choosing to be our daughter.