Vienna Turns ONE!
Today, Vienna is officially ONE year old. I cannot believe it. Where did the time go?
The phrase “don’t blink” feels spot-on right now. This week I’ve had a rush of emotions because I love love that we’re celebrating all the milestones, but also…where did my baby go?
Second by second, that baby has turned into an expressive, joyful, curious, and all-around wonderful budding toddler whose face lights up when she sees her favorite people, whose laugh makes everyone else laugh, whose mind is curious and thoughtful, and whose opinions are made known at any point in the day.
Inch by inch, she’s grown from a newborn to a baby to a toddler who wears 18 months clothes. Her feet and hands aren’t itty bitty anymore, her hair is long and curly, her smile is full of little teeth. Suddenly, she looks like a little child ready for adventure instead of a sleepy, cuddly newborn ready for another contact nap. Day by day, she accomplishes new milestones, new chapters unfold, and new words come out of her mouth. “Mama” is my favorite, but her little voice saying “done done done” comes in close second.
We’ve learned a lot together this year. Sometimes we cried together; most times we laughed together. In the beginning, we fumbled along finding our footing in this dance of mother and baby daughter. We spent long nights together and found our routine, one day at a time. We experienced “firsts” together and navigated unknowns. The things that felt daunting on December 22, 2022, are second nature now. Changing diapers, changing clothes, cleaning spit up, giving baths, wiping away tears, leaving the house. We’ve grown and conquered, little by little, day by day.
And now we’re here. One year old. 365 days down.
“One year” feels so little, yet a lot can happen in a year. I am not the same as I was last year. You are not the same as last year. Day by day, we changed, we grew, we became more confident in our abilities, and now here we are. All by the grace of God, who has been here every minute, every step of the way.
Vienna, my little girl - I hope you always know how much I love you. How much Dada loves you. How much Jesus loves you. You came into our lives and we will never be the same. We love you so much and cannot wait for all the years of birthdays, memories, and milestones to come.
To end this blog post, I wanted to share something I wrote on February 6, 2023. Vienna was not even two months old and I was still on maternity leave. She was napping and inspiration struck to write down exactly how I was feeling at that moment.
Forever My Girl. Happy birthday, Vienna Rose.
MY GIRL
My girl
My beautiful girl
My snuggly girl
My happy girl
My outspoken girl
How long I’ve waited for you
My whole life, really
My girl
I’ve prayed for you
Thought of you
Spoken about you
Dreamt about you
For so long
My whole life, really
My girl
When I found out you were coming
How excited I was
How nervous I was
How anxious I was
I couldn’t believe this was it
The moment I waited for
My whole life, really
My girl
I carried you
And waited for you
Prayed for you
Sung to you
Talked to you
And counted down the days
Until you were in my arms
And not in my belly
My girl
You entered the world
And my heart exploded
I couldn’t believe you were here
The moment I’d been waiting for
My whole life, really
My girl
You’re growing so fast
Yet you are still so tiny
You soak in the world around you
And smile when you see my face
I smile at you, too,
Because I’ve been waiting for this
My whole life, really