Goodbye Baby, Hello Toddler!

In some ways, the year has flown, and in others, it has trudged along. There is no more challenging year in the life of a family than welcoming a new member. We survived no sleep, reflux, and more weeks without Daddy than we would wish to count. We enjoyed Leah's first smiles, teeth, words, and crawling everywhere and getting into all sorts of mischief. We can officially no longer call Leah "baby" (although she will always be my baby). She began taking her first assisted steps in October and by December, is off and running. Here is a look back at the momentous occasions of first steps and her very first birthday on planet earth.

Leah and her sis are all smiles, these were the days when you could confine the child to one location without protest.  Sniff.. sniff...

She would happily crawl around on all fours seeking out mischief.  She especially loved her car seat.

All this changed around mid October when Leah discovered the walker.  These were her first official steps. And boy was she proud.  She didn't just take a few, she was all over the house!

How proud of herself!

I especially loved the thumbs up photo.

I know I am biased, but I think she just has the cutest smile in the whole world!

Just a few short weeks later, we had another milestone.  Leah's first birthday!

The house was decked out with doggies.  Leah has become quite fond of our two dogs, Katie and Shelly.  She lights up whenever they are together.  What better way to celebrate than with a room full of dogs!

My friend Brandy was kind enough to help me create my harebrained idea of doggy cupcakes.  This is my first (and possibly my last) time of creating the cake for the celebration.  I thought they turned out great.  Thanks Brandy!

Let's get this party started.

All of our puppy friends "dropped in" to join in the fun.

As you would expect, little Leah just didn't know what all the fuss was about.  Yes this is the same outfit as she wore before with her first steps, but I loved it so much, I decided it would be the perfect birthday attire. 

"Aunt" Brandy and Leah's cousin, Alena, aka her partner in crime, came to enjoy the event.  They are three months apart in age and are so similar.  I am so happy she will have someone so close in her life.  Brandy is Alena's aunt as well, as my brother married her sister.  This makes us sisters (sort of) :).

Papaw McReynolds came all the way from the mountains to celebrate.

Alena's mommy, Aunt Ashley and Alena.

Uncle Jason and our friend/neighbor Daniel.

Brandy came with the cutest smash cake for Leah.  I loved it!

Leah enjoyed opening presents (for a while).  You know the attention span of a 12 year old.  They can't quite make it through the whole event.

Mommy switches off with Daddy to shake things up a bit.  There is Mamaw McReynolds in the background and our friend, Julie in the foreground.

Cake time!  Will she get dirty or won't she?

Not so dirty at al!.  I for one am shocked knowing my girl.  What a fun party!

On October 25, my girl is officially one!

She is getting quite the personality.  She loves to laugh and make others laugh.  She is obsessed with ball, trains, and things that go (do I see a tomboy in the making?).  She loves her Daddy above all others in the world and would move mountains to get to him if necessary.  She now has six teeth (as of December) and eats pretty much everything!  Her favorites are broccoli, beans, bananas, and crackers. 

She will always be my special angel.

Happy Birthday "Le Le bird"