Tralee's First Birthday!!!

So this is Tralee's birthday cake. It took me a while to make it, and I know to a professional cake decorator it looks like a big mess, but I put so much more love in it than any fancy cake creator could have!

So my baby is not a baby anymore. Tralee is now one year old! I can't believe a year has gone by. Someone e-mailed me and said, "I know it can be hard on a mom when their baby turns one." At first I didn't think much of it, but now that I'm actually thinking of it, while I'm typing this I'm tearing up a bit. I no longer have a little baby, I have a toddler that's learning, growing, and doing new things everyday. It's amazing and exciting to watch as Tralee transforms into a little person, but as each day goes by her dependency for me diminishes just a bit more. Don't get me wrong, she's still pretty clingy to me, but I mean she can play all by herself for several minutes at a time now, she can "read" to herself from a book (it's really cute, she points at the words and babbles to herself), and she's such a good eater! I just can't believe a year has passed. I'm more and more amazed at the progress Tralee has made in one year. Before I know it, I'll be chasing her around as she walks and runs, and be able to talk with her. I can't wait, but at the same time I know this progress means my baby girl is vanishing with each tick of the clock. I love her so much, and I hope and pray that every year I have with her I'll be able to teach her all the things she needs to know to grow up into a smart, kind, and caring woman who is able to make correct choices and follow her heart.

This is a picture of Tralee napping today, and Tralee sleeping in the hospital after she was born.
More pictures to come after the birthday festivities!

I thought I would slide this video in here. The other night Jim and I were trying to teach Tralee the sign for "pain," so we were fake-bonking our heads, then doing the sign for pain. Tralee never copied us signing, but she DID copy us bonking our heads! It was so cute Jim ran and got the camera so we could document how funny our little girl is!