Happy Birthday Girl!

Can it be true? Can my little-bitty-snuggly- bundle of baby joy really be turning one? What a difference a year makes. This time last year I had a one week old and this year I have an official toddler. I can't believe that a year ago I had just met Claire. I knew her movements well from nine months of toting her around but as I look back and think about the first moment I saw her face - the little face that I have kissed and nuzzled countless times since - it still remains the sweetest moment of my life. We fell in love with Claire those first minutes of her life in the delivery room but the past year that love has exploded into a love that in almost to great to comprehend. We are amazed by her everyday. The way she says "Da Doo" for thank you and sings "la la la" almost constantly, how she loves to be chased around a chair until she laughs so hard she falls down, how she hates to put her pajamas on after her bath, how she loves to bark at dogs (and anything with 4 legs), how she loves to empty the cabinet and play with all the dishes - stirring and stacking and pretending, how she loves cheese and refuses to drink milk, how she loves to throw balls and how she says "hello" when the phone rings. So many things to be amazed by and the list grows every day.
We celebrated her birthday on January 7th by having a Polka Dot Party. She wore a pink polka dot dress that I made her and had a polka dot cake. She had lots of friends and family here to celebrate with her and we had lots of fun. She loved her cake but did not like her party hat! She and her cousin Mac had fun together (pictured above). He is getting old enough to interact with her and they actually play together (or at least next to each other) now. It is fun to think about the fun to come with the two of them. When we try to get pictures of them together they generally just poke and pat each other which is turning into jabbing and pushing as they get older and want to check each other out. All of the pictures of them together pretty much look like that one except occassionally Claire has her finger in Mac's ear!

Merry First Christmas!

There has been a lot going on at the Shirley House since our last post. We had a wonderful holiday season with lots of celebrations with family and friends. In December we made a trip to Dalton from Claire's Great Grandmother's (better known as Gamma) 90th Birthday Party! It's amazing to think about celebrating Gamma's 90th as we prepare for Claire's 1st! A lot has changed in ninety years! We were also excited to spend our first Christmas as a family of three in our home in Birmingham! It was very different from Christmas of 2005 when I was waiting to have "the baby" at any moment! Claire decided to hang out for a few more days and just missed her first Christmas last year. It was a wonderful celebration this year and she was able to participate and really have fun which was neat. My mom and dad came for a few days at Christmas and then we headed to Dalton a few days later to spend time with Rhett's family. Claire now has more toys than she knows what to do with and has fun playing with them everyday!