This Great Adventure

My hair is thinner
My waist is thicker
My cheeks are paler
My eyes are redder
But my heart is fuller than it was before
Though I've lost some things, I've gained much more!

My baby turns one today! I can hardly believe it! This year has flown by faster than any other. It seems that my youngest is growing up way too fast.

Of course, it doesn't help that she only wants to do whatever she sees her siblings doing. She was sitting by four months, crawling by six months, and walking by eight-and-a-half months. She likes to help unload the forks and spoons from the dishwasher (by taking them out one by one and handing them to a sibling to put in the drawer) and she loves finding the fruit snacks in pantry and putting them on the table, one at every seat. She dances and sings to herself and looks at books and laughs when she gets the joke. And she is so proud of herself when she accomplishes something.

This never gets old. I've had the honor eight times now (eight times!) to witness the growth of an infant. I'm amazed, I'm awed, I'm bedazzled, and I'm overwhelmed by the immense grace given to me to be the caretaker of these incredible unique human beings. It has been a great adventure so far, and I can't wait for more!