Our baby is one!

Yesterday was Claire's first birthday! I can't believe it's been a year. Remembering back to her delivery a year ago, I know how scary that day was for all of us. My Mom called to wish Claire a happy birthday and we both started crying on the phone. I'm just so grateful that we have this sweet, spunky, unique & beautiful little girl in our family and can't imagine where we'd be without her.

          I remember the ache in my heart when I wanted a child so badly and the pain of having a child die in my arms. It is truly a miracle when a baby is born healthy and the delivery goes well! I'm just grateful that I finally recovered from all I went through to get Claire here and I'd do it again in a heartbeat for her. Below is a picture of the first time I got to hold Claire. I was in the ICU and she was 1 day old already. I couldn't believe all that dark hair she had! Although I look like I'd been run over by a truck, that was such a sweet memory to me.

Here's what I adore about my Claire:

*That she always wakes up happy

*The way she holds on to her hair for comfort

*She loves her older sister and brother and gets so excited to see them
*Her little munchkin voice (though her cry is loud!)
*Her smile with 4 teeth
*How she waves at everyone

*When she gives big, wet kisses
*Her sweet disposition

*How she plays "shy" and buries her face in my shoulder
*That she wants to be in the middle of everything
*What a great sleeper she is
*The way she talks into a cup and thinks it's so funny
*When she's sleepy, she has one hand on the back of my neck and one hand in her hair!
*That she completes our family