My first birthday party!!!

On Saturday, October 24th, we had Kate's first birthday party at Barfield Crescent Park where Kate and I walk every morning. After a week of warm weather, Saturday was a very cold day with gusting winds and even rain! But friends and family all gathered to celebrate Kate's big day regardless of the weather.



Here are Mema Jean, Robby, Lacey, and Ellie Jean drinking hot chocolate.



Mops and Pops (Daniel's parents)

Mom made a delicious chocolate cake with cream cheese icing, and Dad, who has uncovered a hidden talent for cake artistry, did an excellent job creating a puppy dog for Kate's first cake.



Kate was all smiles all day. I think she realized that this was her special day because she was surrounded by people who love her and her favorite foods especially yummy cake.

Baby Steps

When Kate was first born, I anticipated her first real smile. When she was 3 months old, I couldn't wait until she could sit up by herself. As she has grown, Kate has gone through all the normal baby stages and each has been an amazing phenomenon to watch. People tell me ALL the time, "Just wait until she's crawling! Then, you'll be running everywhere." And when she started scooting and crawling around 5 months, I was fascinated by how she figured it out. For a while, I thought I was going to have to teach her and wasn't sure how to do that, but just as she naturally learned how to smile, sit up, and reach, Kate also knew, as if by instinct, how to move around. And, yes, I have had to run to catch her numerous times but I don't mind.

At 11 months Kate has mastered crawling and moves so rapidly that I can hardly keep up with her at times. Now, just before her first birthday, she has entered into a new phase of development: She is walking! Of course, like most babies, she cruised around the coffee table and from chair to couch to cabinet to table but always with the utmost caution, fearful of falling, as if the distance from bottom to ground was of Mount Everest heights. This weekend, though, my Cowardly Lion has received the Wizard's gift and has been taking steps on her own. Daniel and I have turned off the TV to watch our little one, which is actually much more entertaining because her baby steps ususally end with a belly flop to the floor. Wipeout! Still, she is walking! And I love it! At times I become frustrated and think how I can't wait until Kate does this or that, but really I need to be enjoying the precious few moments I have with my baby because they are so fleeting. Soon Kate will be running and riding a tricycle and then playing ball and who knows what else. She won't want to curl up in Mommy's arms and sleep. Right now I need to cherish this time with my baby girl. And as I say this, Kate is going through all the cards that she has pulled out of my wallet--her favorite quiet pastime and Mommy's least favorite chore to clean up. Gotta run!

Being a Mommy

Yesterday when I was finishing up Kate's birth story and looking at the pictures of her after she was born, tears came to my eyes as I realized how quickly time has passed. In less than three weeks, she will celebrate her first birthday. A lot has changed. I have changed. And in more ways than one.

A year ago I was consumed with school. Reading Chaucer and Twain and writing an "A paper" were my focus. Now these "lofty" concerns have been replaced with weekly dinner menus, grocery shopping, and household chores. My once neat--though rarely clean--house is now littered with puzzle pieces, books, and toys. I am no longer so concerned about what I wear or how I look. What matters more to me is that Kate is clean and well-dressed. If I get a shower and can find a pair of pants that aren't wrinkled, I am happy. I still make to-do lists, but now if I don't get everything done, I am okay with putting things off "until tomorrow."

I also find that as a mom I am less concerned with what other people think about me, and, believe me, I have gotten many stares and heard countless comments about some of the "strange" things I do. For instance, having a baby with no pain medicine, carrying her around for a year in a baby carrier instead of a stroller, breastfeeding past one year, and bedsharing are all vastly unpopular in parenting circles today, especially in the South. But you know what? I could care less because I believe I am doing what is best for my child. What else should a mother do?

But mostly I have learned to find an order in the midst of chaos and how to run our household in a somewhat effective and peaceful way (or at least I hope Daniel would say so). I have become a coupon fiend and revel in finding the best bargains and paying the lowest price possible. Daniel is, of course, very happy about that because we are saving money, something I have never been good at doing on my own. Now it is a personal competition to see how much I can save each week, and call me weird (it's nothing new!), but I relish looking at my receipts, especially when they say that my savings exceeded my spending! There's something about having a child that puts finances into a new perspective: a selfless, more practical means of conservation. Dave Ramsey is my new best friend.

I am also trying to make our house a safe haven from the storms of life: a place where we retreat to from the busyness of the world. Rather than finding solace in activities and outings, I feel such peace at home: on the couch with my husband, playing with our daughter, and making "Mommy sandwiches." Yes, I have changed a lot in the last year but, I hope, for the better.

The house is still never clean and now rarely neat, but I feel content in knowing that our family is healthy, happy, and blessed.