Your baby blues
So full of wonder
Your curly cues
Your contagious smile
And as I watch
You start to grow up
All I can do is hold you tight

Knowing clouds will rage
And storms will race in
But you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms

Story books full of fairy tales
Of kings and queens and the bluest skies
My heart is torn just in knowing
You'll someday see the truth from lies

Knowing clouds will rage
And storms will race in
But you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms

Castles they might crumble
Dreams may not come true
But you are never all alone
Because I will always
Always love you

Clouds will rage
And storms will race in
But you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms

--Plumb "Blink"

Sunny day, Sweepin' the clouds away

Darrell, Pop-Pop and I took Miss R to the park this past Saturday to enjoy the gorgeous weather. I was a little nervous about how the princess would react because Darrell and I have taken her twice before and she was NOT impressed. I had my fingers crossed that she would like it now that she is older. Did she ever!!!

Every time she saw a baby about her age walking around, she tried to go up and give them a kiss. It was adorable! But, this little girl was afraid of her & started crying. R didn't know what to think.

She saw this blue sliding pole and said "Down!"

And Daddy said "No!"

I need a rest, Pop-Pop.

The Princess made a new friend! This little boy and Miss R played with the best part of the park - the wood chips on the ground. Miss R was very good about sharing with the other baby and his mommy. One set of parents paused to ask us if they were twins because of their hair!
Daddy stayed close by to make sure no phone numbers were exchanged.

Running to share with the little boy's mother!

R was impressed by his sliding skills.

Their shadows - so cute.


I was so proud of Princess R!



P.S. I swear I did not have that accent until I married Darrell.

Saved the Best for Last

My couch and my washing machine.

Two things I never stop to appreciate but which make my life much easier. I had to think about it when I came across a story of a family in Gainesville, just 30 minutes from us, who are selling everything inside their house to provide medical care for their children. My heart aches for them. Giving up all of their furniture and so much more with all of those memories attached must be very hard. I first read about their story here and found the ebay listing here.

Happy Birthday to You!

My baby is ONE. What the heck happened to that year? Oh my gosh, the whole year went by in a week-especially the first three months. Those were just a blur of diaper changes, middle of the night feedings, and crying (mostly mine-the things they don't tell you!) Then the first smile during a 2:00 am diaper change that made it all worth it. And the first laugh . . . that I didn't get to hear. And the second laugh THAT I DIDN'T GET TO HEAR! And the third laugh that was so beautiful. And the first frantic call to the pediatrician about poop, the first projectile spit-up that landed all over the baby and me and the bed and the floor and even on poor Dante, the 100 frantic calls to my mother about ~everything~, the first time she crawled, walked, said "Momma" and "Dada" and finally cut a tooth! Who knew being a parent could make you so emotional, logical, strict, lenient, and crazy at the same time? And only being a parent can make you proudly say, "Yes, my baby has at least one regular bowel movement every day" to the pediatrician like she is the only one who has mastered this impressive skill at this age and the pediatrician, and his nurse, and in fact, the entire staff and the waiting room full of parents should be extremely impressed and in awe of your child. 'Cause, well, they should be.

When I was planning R's birthday party, I knew she had to have a panda cake. Publix makes a 3D bear cake that they decorate all different ways for holidays, baby showers, and baby birthdays, but when I asked for them to turn the solid brown bear into a panda, you would have thought I was speaking a foreign language. And it felt that way, too, when I had to say "just black here and white there, no brown" over and over. But, finally after checking that she had my phone number for the 3rd time "just in case it can't be done," the bakery lady let me go and walked away frowning at her notes. I was not feeling too hopeful at this point and was just wishing I had asked them to draw a panda onto a sheet cake and be done with it. Thankfully, the panda cake was gorgeous and perfect when I went back to pick it up. Then it rode home with me. I am sorry to say that the poor panda suffered the loss of an arm, a leg and possibly a kidney. I had no other option but to call my sister who braved the post-holiday rush at the stores to buy surgical equipment with which to operate on the panda. Being the skilled panda surgeon that she is, AnBa soon had the cake looking as gorgeous as it was before the bad driving accident occurred.
The Princess had a ball at her party. She loved the decorations, eating her smash cake, opening presents and spending time with family.

Here she is with her Great Aunt Helen and Uncle William.

Look, Gampa!

Time for presents!



















That's all for now. I was just trying to get this posted in under a month. Of course, today is exactly one month since her party. Such is my life. To be continued . . .

'Twas the 18th day after Christmas

and Mommy finally updated this blog. For all of you family and friends who helped celebrate R's first Christmas and/or birthday, thank you. You made these 2 special days beautiful for our little family.

The Princess thoroughly enjoyed Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Here are some pictures of my favorite moments.

Notice the absence of R's Winnie-the Pooh stocking. That's because she refused to let it hang from the mantle and insisted on carrying it around the house like a stuffed animal throughout the holiday season. A big thank you to Lanie (whom I have not had the pleasure of meeting but who I like to think of as R's fairy godmother) for the stocking. It created a very sweet memory. I put a small Winnie-the-Pooh inside her WtP stocking on Christmas morning, so she wouldn't miss him too much.


Only a blue-eyed, blond-haired, beautiful toddler like our princess could charm a teenage boy into reading her a baby book about puppies.

Where is this Christmas fudge I keep hearing about?

Three generations of beautiful females.

She loves the giant rocking Panda that Nana got for her. She walks up to him and either loves on him or looks him in the eyes and talks to him. It's adorable.
Our first "baby." He looks thrilled, doesn't he?
AnBa brought R her very first piano! She's been making music ever since. What is really cute is watching her bend over, hit keys and dance by moving her diaper bottom around. All worn out from opening all 217 presents. Thankfully, Pop-Pop had a nice lap to rest in.

Poor R had a cold and was trying to cut her two top front teeth during the holidays, but she was still an absolute angel. She just giggled around the finger she had in her mouth to chew on and wiped her nose on Mommy's shirt and kept on playing. (These were times when she had just flung down her teething ring or Mommy was carrying her to get a tissue for her nose.)

Thank you, my darling daughter, for giving me the best Christmas gift of all.