The big O-N-E!

This has been an incredible year watching Naomi grow into the intelligent and charismatic little girl that she is. I've debated how to conclude this blog, as the big O-N-E will mark my final post about her as a baby. I thought about reminiscing about the day she was born, or pointing out how much she's grown over this year. I suppose what i'm trying to say is, this is all common knowledge. We all have seen how fast the year has gone by and the incredible milestones with it.
And so, I will conclude with the latest milestone, and perhaps biggest of them all- her birthday! I was fortunate enough to find the time to get some photos of her a couple of days before her birthday, which I will post below. I enlisted the help of my good friend Channa to make her a spectacular cake for her smash cake photos. We invited a small group of friends to our home to gather and watch her open her gifts and smash her first birthday cake.
As guests arrived, She toddled around proudly in a tutu I made her. She was a bit groggy, as we gave her a nap to ensure she would cooperate with 'the plan'. We had Jack Johnson radio playing in the background and let her loose on the set. She immediately tore the bow off of the gift we had for her. She wasn't really aware there was much more to the process... so, with a little help, she eventually got through the wrapping to unveil her teddy bear. After a wardrobe change, it was cake smash time.
This was where the surprise happened for me. Knowing my little food-crazed Noni bug, I expected total chaos. She was actually quite the lady about it, and proceeded to sample the cake slowly. It was just about as big as her, which was very cute. After a solid five minutes of her picking at it, we decided to call it a day.
All-in-all, it has been an incredible year. Watching her grow and learn has been a gift we receive every day. There have been hard times, challenging times, and times where sleep was much deprived. BUT, there have also been some amazing times--- big, little, and everything in between things that just make it all worth it. One day we will look back and read entries of this blog and remember how little she was. Until then, I will stop hoping time goes by slower and remember to enjoy it now.