Sweet Tooth

We bought this giant bag of M&M's for her birthday party, but practically everyone here was dieting so there are still a lot of them. She got them out of our roundabout cabinet. That nightie is cute, right? It's Hanna Andersson, I got it at Costco for like 11 dollars!

Week by Week Video

Over a year

I can't believe I don't have to post her weekly pictures anymore. I've been working on putting together her picture-a-week picture and it's amazing to me a) how BIG she used to look to me and b) how grumpy and horrible she was. She is now super tiny to me, and a sweetheart of a person. She is really getting around, walking and walking and falling and falling. She climbs up those stairs in TWO seconds. I am looking forward to when I can teach her how to go DOWN the stairs. As it is, we have to slap that gate up every time she is around or up she goes.

More Birthday Party

My friend Marita took this and sent it to me. She looks so different here, right?

It's Her Party...

...she'll make faces if she wants to, I guess. Here's Veronica at her party, with her Godfather, Carlos. She had a nice time, I think. We all did, it was a nice little party with just a few people. All of the people in Veronica's life are so sweet and nice to her. She must have the best view of the world, right? People look at her and say "oh, she's so cute!" and "she's so great!". Wouldn't that be nice? :)

Pretty Baby

Veronica is ONE!

Veronica took her first unassisted steps yesterday, she went right across the rug, from me to my Mom. She is the sweetest thing. She is really working with the straw sippy cup well, she is eating better, she has four teeth, she naps like a dream, she is getting better at sleeping. If she wasn't still in the damned closet, she'd be perfect! ;) We are hoping to move her into what will be the Girls Room here in the next few weeks.
She is getting bigger, I think. She's in an outfit of Maria's here, from my Aunt Joan, and it's size 12 months and it fits! I'll take her to the doctor next week and we'll get her height and weight. She sat on my scale the other day and she was 18.5 pounds, so that's pretty good! For her, anyway. Sometimes I go from holding Anthony to holding Maria to holding V and I can barely tell I have anything in my hands!

She couldn't be sweeter and we couldn't love her more. I have never known such a sweet, happy baby and it's a real treat to be her mother. I am grateful every day that we have her.

Dear Baby

Here, for Veronica's 52 week post, I am going to post this note I wrote to her when I first found out I was pregnant. I wrote it in my email on 9/22/08, and I kept it in my drafts folder until now. I meant every word of it, although I might have been a little more panicky than I let on (ha ha!). Anyways, here it is:

Dear Baby,

Your father and I just found out about you yesterday! I immediately looked up on the Internet how big you were and it said you were as big as a sesame seed! A sesame seed! That's really small. We were so surprised that you were here already, since Maria, your older sister, is just 8 months old! But right away I loved you - I love you so much bigger than the size of you. We are already thinking of names, and worrying about you, and planning on where you'll sleep! So I just want to say right now, on September 22, 2008, that I love you already. I love you, whoever you are. And no matter what happens, if you are a boy or a girl, if you are colicky or not, sick or healthy, I love you and I promise I will take care of you.

With love from,
Your Mother

It's all true, too. :)

Pbbbbbtttt!

She is a sweet child. I am actually going to miss nursing her, which is unimaginable to me. She's just so nice and happy and loving. She has also been sleeping better, which always, ALWAYS makes me like them more. :) Almost one!

Mother's Day

Here's Mike and Veronica, on Mother's Day. Veronica woke up at 5:40 this morning, then nursed and went back until 7:30! The other two slept until after 7:00, too, which is a miracle! Happy Mother's Day indeed!

Teeth

LOOK at the size of those top teeth. Good Lord.

51 Weeks

Worried about the state of the floor? Me too.

Optimism

Isn't she optimistic looking? Maybe that's just me? She just always looks like "okay, what are we going to do NOW?" She is a fun girl, and lately, a *whispers* pretty good sleeper. She is down to nursing only twice a day. I have mixed feelings about it - I am glad to be almost done and able to start drinking in earnest (ha!), but I am a little bit sad. She is an excellent nurser and in the middle of the night is the only time we have together when it's just us. I know it, and she seems to know it, too. Oh well, I'll tell her, Maria will be off to preschool in a few months and then we'll have some time together. Until then, sleep! :)