She's ONE!

One year ago today December 10, 2009, at 4:53 pm, sweet Claire entered our lives and has made such an imprint on our hearts that will last forever.

That tiny little 7lb 5oz, 20inch tightly swaddled bundle was the most perfect thing we'd ever seen. And ALL that hair! Which we don't think she lost one bit of, where did it come from? We could have never known how much that little bundle of joy would truly change our lives, for the better. Every single moment of labor and delivery was well worth the wait. I remember thinking while pregnant "This nine months is so incredibly long!" And then when she arrived I remember thinking "God managed to do all this in just nine months!!??". A child is such a blessing.

Funny tid-bid of Birth-Day info on Claire - actually the first words she heard were the sounds of Hullabaloo, as my fellow Aggie and OBGYN sang her the Aggie War Hymn as she literally entered this world. So in the stress of the moment I knew everything must have looked OK if he was singing that familiar tune to her. :) Classic, I know.

Where has the time gone, really, where did it go? I can't believe she has been in our lives for an entire year! We were saying the other night how, over the course of this past year with Claire, the hard times seemed to pass so slowly, and then the good, sweet, easy times seemed to pass so quickly. Since about 7 or 8 months old, she has been the happiest baby! I have absolutely LOVED getting to stay home with my sweet baby girl. I think the time with her surrounding her first birthday has been my favorite of the whole year. With each day she gets more beautiful, funny, cute, inquisitive, bright, mobile and perfect in every way.

We have a small family party planned for Saturday and I will post pictures soon, but until then this is her today as she is turning ONE YEAR OLD!

We love you precious Claire!

Birthday Breakfast Party Hat Pictures (I just couldn't wait)