My Baby is 1

It doesn't happen very often. Actually, it rarely happens... I do something I really don't want to do, because someone else wants me to do it! It seems that when it does happen something good always comes from it. Funny how that works! 
I don't want Heidi to forever hear how her Momma didn't want four babies, cause she might think she wasn't wanted! Which is hardly the case. What I do want her hear is how amazing things can happen when we surrender our own desires/wants....like the blessing of Heidi Mae! 

 

She wants to be close to me 24/7, but she adores her Dad.
She kicks her feet in excitement when she sees him, puts her arms out and gives him some snuggles.
Then usually cries for me after a couple minutes!

 She was that newborn that I never thought really existed. Sleeping through the night at 6 weeks, content, easy, always happy, quiet, watchful.  I started thinking that maybe God sent us a "laid back" member of the Family. No one in our household is accommodating, go with the flow, "yes" type of people. Everyone has an opinion, resistance, questions everything, and some are louder about it then others! At 9 months she started to show me that she was not switched at birth, her personality started to fall into line with the rest of the Family! I remember feeding her and she was screaming and swatting the spoon when I put it to her mouth. I switched to a veggie I knew she liked and she ate it perfectly. 

We bought her a house for her 1st Birthday!
I know it might be hard to top this gift.
It might take 6-10 months to build, so I will follow-up with pictures after her Dad finishes building it!

She takes off on a quick crawl when she hears the piano being played!

I'm sure it's typical for a 4th child to have to make sacrifices for the social calendar of everyone else in the family. With the jam packed events of the weekend, our Heidi got to celebrate her Birthday the night before the day she was born! Our little bumblebee felt the way many 1 year olds feel on their Birthday...confused, overwhelmed, annoyed, and tired!

I'm officially one of those women who takes pictures of her party decor
and then blogs about it! Hey, maybe I will get "pinned!"
*I don't have any freebie printouts

Why is my highchair outside? And what are these big things tied to it? 

Heidi is learning all sorts of things from Austin. Eating habits is one of them. Why eat something if you can holler about it, or throw it off the tray, and they give you something else!?! She wings everything she doesn't want, so be careful if you're too close!

Intrigued by all the faces staring at her as we sing Happy Birthday!

Confusion over this glowing thing in front of her.
Brother to the rescue!

She stuck her finger in it. Got this look on her face and flung it...you can see a small
glimpse of a flying cupcake on the left side of picture!

"I don't want it!! Why are you giving it back to me?!!?!!"
Notice the pile of frosting on the floor!

"Now this I recognize.... Cleaning up with paper towels!"

Leave it to Kim to introduce her to the frosting!

By this point she is very unhappy with us!
"why are they forcing me to eat this thing? I don't want it!"

Present Time!
She surprised us by ripping paper off a few of the presents Austin didn't take over.
Her little head is hidden behind a gift bag!

Feeding her baby!

Feeding her self!

We share similar taste!
Her favorite gift was also my favorite gift!
A Pram from Mommy's best friends!

Our little bumblebee

 A few more party pics....

Aunt Chryssi

They had to wait until party festivities were over before they could swim!!!

 We are going to love having Birthday parties for our late Spring baby, swimming pool! The birthday girl doesn't like the water yet. Actually she cried that scared cry when she observed Don and the kids in the water! She went to bed and the party continued with the bigger kids swimming!

They look cold, cause the water IS cold!

Austin insisting that Koco get back in the water!

I'm pretty emotional about my baby turning one. I was selfishly wanting her all to myself at the party. Just soak her up as she opened presents and threw the cupcake. Not that I didn't want others around me to help celebrate this milestone, but I didn't want to be a mother to anyone else but Heidi! She will never know what it is like to have her mother all to herself. But, I know what I'm missing when I'm trying to get Austin to share Heidi's new toys with Heidi or dealing with my older children screaming that I turn on the pool slide. I'm missing all the "little" moments with my last born. I'm not fully in the moment of all the "last." I wish I could be a Michelle Duggar and just float to a cloud of peaceful aura. Remind myself that I did and do enjoy so many little moments and I am savoring all the "last." 
Heidi is one special baby in a special family that I am especially blessed to call my own! As for all the special moments this year has held with Heidi...well, that I save for her 1 year photo book, full of all my emotional memories of the first year with Heidi Mae!
Happy 1st Birthday sweet baby!