What I Like(d) Most

I felt so privileged to experience being the one to bring this little angel into life. I was overwhelmed at how much I loved her from the very beginning. We had decided before she came that we were going to let her sleep in the nursery while we were in the hospital. The first night they took her out I laid in bed and cried. Jake asked me what was wrong and I said, "I want my baby."

She was just so little and I felt like I was her beacon of light. That, as long as I was around, everything in her world would be just fine. She was still so tiny and holding her meant the world to me.

She has always been such a happy little girl. When she started smiling I thought my heart would melt.

Her facial expressions have always cracked me up. She reminds me so much of her daddy when she pulls faces like this one.

Even from early on she has been curious. She wanted to know what all of that stuff was and wasn't quite sure what to think when we actually gave it to her. We like to help her explore and watch her find the world.

I love dressing this little girl up! She looks cute in just about everything and every day is a new fashion adventure!

Sometimes she gets this faraway look in her eye like she is thinking about things beyond what is around her. It has made me stop before and ponder things in my own life, or what she could possibly be thinking.

She has so much personality that we get to experience more of every day. She is always surprising me with her little quirks that are so endearing.

I LOVE giving that girl muggins! Muggins = hugs, kisses, lovies, etc.

People used to ask me all the time when she was really little if she was a preemie baby. Between 4 to 6 months she just exploded with baby fat. LOL! Her little fat rolls just made the mugging all the more fun.

Ahhhh.... the classic bathtub picture that she will despise us for later. Abrielle developed her motor skills very slowly. It made things a lot easier on us for a long time. I felt like we got to enjoy her being little for longer.

It has never been hard to get that girl to be happy. And in turn, it has never been very hard for her to make me happy.

Can you honestly look at this picture and not want to just SQUEEZE her?

With the addition of a cousin to our family I really felt Abrielle's age. Somewhere along the way my baby was growing up and I have had several moments when I wanted to stop it. But mostly I have focused on loving every stage. She really started to interact a lot more around this age and started her gibbering which still hasn't ended.

My sister and I really came into our own once we both had babies and our relationship grew a ton. We are close in age but very different in personality and I felt like being able to share the experience of being a mom really brought us together.

Abrielle suddenly took off in her interest of the things around her. It took her quite a while (she didn't crawl until she was 11 months old) but once her curiosity grew to the point that sitting still was no longer an option - she was OFF!

Even though her limited mobility was convenient, I loved it when she started to move around. I loved that she would crawl to me and want me to pick her up and that we could do more together.

Abrielle has always loved a wide variety of foods. Around Christmas time she discovered her love for "sauce" meaning anything that you can dip something in. Abrielle rarely snubs food and I hope that she will continue to love foods from all different ethnicities. She especially loves Mexican and Chinese food and I love that she loves it!

This is what really sealed the mobility deal for her - chocolate. Our little sugar-o-holic loves candy so much which her Grandmas are only too willing to indulge. We're not sure where she gets it from because her mom and dad certainly aren't that way, but I do love to see how much her Grandmas love her.

Abrielle has always loved and responded to music. That is something I really wanted to be able to share with my children and am very grateful for every day.

Although sometimes I wish she were still the completely dependent little baby, she has always had an independent streak. She wants to do things herself and mini sized things are perfect for that. It is such fun to watch her try new things.

Abrielle got really sick around her 1st birthday and there was a night that we were up with her late into the night. I was holding her and a bowl while she threw up 8 times. I wanted so badly to take the pain away from her and to make everything all right. But as she settled and snuggled into my chest I knew that she understood that her mommy loved her and would take care of her.

Abrielle has transitioned quickly from baby to little lady. She loves pretty things and will run over every time I open my jewelry box and yell "pretty!" She loves dresses and I LOVE dressing her up!

Abrielle wants to be big. She tries to have entire conversations with us that go mostly like this:

Abrielle: "Mommy?"

Me: "Yes sweetie?"

Abrielle: "Gah be, ga bah gabligabagi."

Me: "Oh, is that right? That is awesome."

Repeat conversation about 20 times a day.

She has always been my little pal and especially my little shadow. She is the very most happy when we are doing things together and discovering things together. Sometimes it can be frustrating when I am trying to do something else, but mostly I try to appreciate the fact that she wants me to be part of her every minute right now because I know it won't always be that way.

My baby is more of a toddler than anything else right now. And I truly have loved every stage. She has taught me so many amazing things about life and myself. And I know that that won't change anytime soon. Mostly she teaches me every day what it means to love someone unconditionally.

Love, Shayla