Happy 1st Birthday Anna!!

Today our "Baby Anna" is official not a baby anymore! I know it is so cliche, but I genuinely cannot believe that a whole year has passed. One year ago at this moment I was all cracked out on what ever they give you in the hospital when you have a c-section, most likely nursing Anna while Allie and AJ sat at the foot of the bed watching cartoons with the rest of our family surrounding us. I remember that morning feeling so surreal as we woke up at the crack of dawn, left Allie and AJ sleeping in their beds under the care of Wes and calmly drove to the hospital. It was weird to know exactly when I would be having her and to just walk in to the hospital not feeling any contractions or anything. We arrived there at 5:00 am and Anna was delivered at 7:10 am. I will never forget the surprise I felt when I first saw her. She was so big and in that moment looked nothing like I would have imagined. It really feels like it was just yesterday, not a whole year ago!
Anna has been such a blessing and joy to our whole family. She is so smart and full of life! She is so brave and happy! We love our Baby Anna and wish her the happiest birthday and year! Here is what's new with Anna:
1. She is a walking maniac. She is so fast and practically running already.
2. She loves to be right in the middle of the action. She is not afraid to play with all the neighborhood kids, walk right into the middle of the splash pads or climb on anything. She has the strongest desire to keep up with Allie and AJ.
3. She is becoming a little more selective in her eating. While she still eats quite well, she is beginning to attend to texture and will spit things out if they don't feel right.
4. She is saying so many new things including: Cheese, Good Girl, Okay, Allie, AJ, Kitty, Doggy, Night Night, Stop it, Hi, Bye, goal (ball), Brad, Nana, Papa, Mom and Mommy, Dada, Boo and mine. I am sure there is more, but that's all I can think of right now.
5. She loves to play with balls. Alberto and AJ are always kicking around a soccer ball and saying, "GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL" all loud and long, so when Anna sees a ball she says, "GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL" it is pretty cute.
6. She loves Allie and AJ and will walk all around calling out their names, mostly Allie's though.
7. She is turning into a major copy cat. She not only copies what you say, but also what you do. She especially copies Allie. One day Allie was sucking her thumb so Anna started to suck hers too. Then Allie pulled her thumb out and so Anna pulled hers out. This continued for quite sometime and they both thought it was a funny game. If Anna sees Allie whining she will begin to whine and mimic her movements, such as hang on my legs. It is cute on one hand, but sad that she is already picking up on those types of behaviors.
8. She wants to do everything herself. Yesterday I gave her a snack in a little bowl. I was trying to get her to sit down and then set the bowl in front of her, but she kept reaching for the bowl and throwing this big fit. I finally just put the bowl down and she stands up, grabs the bowl and starts walking around with a big smile on her face. She just wanted to hold the bowl and walk around like a big girl.
9. She is still a great sleeper. She loves her crib and her blanket.
10. She loves to climb on things and to sit in chairs.
11. She is completely weaned as of a few days ago. I am sad because it feels like the official end of her babyhood, but glad that she transitioned well and is enjoying her sippy cup.
12. She is such a snuggle-bug. She gives these great hugs and will just lay her head on your shoulder and hang out for a while. All us grown-ups love that.
13. She really likes her Uncle Brad. If he is around she wants him to hold her and will walk around calling his name too.
14. She loves to give kisses, especially in the morning and before she goes down for a nap and bedtime. She will pucker her lips and say, "MMMM" and then as soon as you get close she opens her mouth and slobbers all over your face. It is delightful.
15. She likes music (especially kids songs) and likes to dance around and clap her hands or point to one hand (the "Mark it with a B" action from Patty Cake)
16. She loves bath time and playing in the water.
17. She is beginning to take a greater interest in books. She hasn't really cared much until recently. I am hoping she will love them as much as the other two do.

I could go on and on...We love this girl! We are having her party on the weekend and her 1 year appointment isn't until the beginning of August so I am sure I will have a few more 1-year posts to come.

(The pictures in this post are some that I took recently and then my great friend Tara touched them up with some Photoshop actions. I think they turned out really well, but truthfully Anna is such a doll that there is no such thing as a bad picture of her.)