ONE YEAR OLD

 Reagan Isabelle, that was the fastest year ever! I can't believe you are already one year old. You are the best baby in the whole world! 

You are a little over 19 pounds and preferring big girl foods over baby foods like mashed potatoes and gravy, Ritz crackers, sweet tea, and mac n cheese but I still make sure you drink some baby food pouches with lots of good nutrients. To be honest, you are starting to show your picky side quite a bit so I hope you eventually come around to like anything and everything (like your mama). 

You are standing by yourself now, but you haven't really taken off with the walking by yourself. At least not without holding on to your beloved zebra walker. You hold on to that walker and walk all over the basement until you run into a wall and look around for someone to help you get turned around so you can walk some more. You are into everything and keep us very busy. 

You have learned to wave hi and bye and it is your most favorite thing to do. You wave at people, you wave at your reflection, I think I've even seen you wave at trees and flowers. You can say hi and bye bye, mama, and dada. 

You have decided that you cannot be without your mama these days. If I try to put you in the pack n play or in the high chair or anywhere besides sitting squarely on my hip for just a few minutes so that I can go throw in a load of laundry or eat a sandwich, you cry for me immediately. I appreciate that you love me so much, but girl, I think we are bordering on obsession. 

You are not a super fantastic sleeper because you haven't figured out how to soothe yourself back to sleep in the middle of the night. Don't blame yourself, it's my fault. I have trained you to believe that the only way you can be soothed is if I pick you up and snuggle you and nurse you back to sleep. Trust me, I've tried to let you cry it out, but that just doesn't seem like the way to go for either of us. You'll learn how to fall asleep on your own one day. But that day does not appear to be anywhere in our near future. So I'm just going to enjoy our middle of the night snuggles and believe that the day will come when we will all sleep through the night again. 

You had a fantastic first birthday party. We had amazing weather which was a perfect day to be outside and play on your and Amelia's new swing set! 

Gigi, John, Beth, Ryder, Nana, John, Tammy, Nana, and Papaw all came to celebrate you. You made everyone laugh with your cuteness while "we" opened your gifts. I thought the new swing set was going to be the big hit of the party, but as it turned out your favorite thing was the birthday card from Nana and John that sang Baby Shark. You just smiled and opened it over and over again to hear the song. 

You didn't make too much of a mess with your smash cake, but that doesn't surprise me. I think you were a little bit confused about all of the attention concentrated on you. You have been a pandemic baby pretty much sheltered in this house with Mommy, Daddy, Amelia and sometimes Nana and Papaw. This was really your first experience being a part of a big group of people. The doctor says that you make excellent eye contact with people (you were very interactive with him at your well check visit) so he predicts that you are going to grow up to be a social butterfly.

I predict you are going to be a rambunctious handful because you get this little mischievous grin and think it is hilarious to do the exact opposite of what I tell you to do. Whether you are a sweet perfect angel or nothin but trouble, I can't wait to see you grow into the beautiful girl that I know you are going to be. I love you SO much. Your daddy and sister love you SO much. You came into this world in a weird time of life when we were all a little scared and uncertain....but you brought us so much joy and happiness for the past year that it made life so much better. Happy 1st birthday, Reagy Beagy.