Averly is ONE!

My sweet Averly,

How can it be that you are already a year old? The past year has probably been the quickest, busiest year of my life, but it has definitely been the best. Because I had not only one baby, but two sweet angels to love on every single day. A year ago today my daughter, YOU, came into my life & made me the happiest Mama ever. Before I met you that evening on March 8th, 2010, I already knew you. I already felt you. I already loved you. I am so proud of you & how smart you are. Your Dada & I love watching you play & learn new things. You have brought the needed balance into my life being a precious little angel all wrapped up in cuteness & topped with a bow. Before having you I never knew I needed this balance. I always pictured myself having only boys. It was a mindset from early on & when we found out you were a little lady I didn’t know if I would be able to handle everything that comes with a girl. But God proved me wrong just as He does almost daily when I think I know better. I honestly have no idea what I would do without my baby girl. You make even my bad days seem so great. Just one look at your sweet round face & your precious little dimples smiling back at me makes me melt. You are always so happy to see me & your Dada when we come home from work. You immediately stop what you are doing & run up to us with your mouth wide open wanting a kiss. You love to be held & I would hold you all day if I could! You are so soft & snuggly.



I am blessed beyond belief & am reminded of that every time I look at your sweet face. It literally warms my heart. I am so in love with you, baby girl & am so lucky to be your Mama! I thank the Good Lord every single day for letting me be your Mommy & for giving me a perfectly healthy baby. I could not be less deserving of what He has blessed me with or more thankful for it all.

I love you so, so much. I love your sweet as sugar smell. I think I could smell your little neck all day long. And I love the way I smell after holding you. Sometimes I want to go get you out of bed in the mornings when I work just so I can snuggle with you for a while before I leave & have your scent on me all day.

You have started doing the cutest little happy dance when you get excited or hear music. You stomp your little feet really fast & clap. When we tell you something is hot, you blow spit on it & then say “hhaaa”. You know you are not supposed to get near the oven when Mama is cooking!



When you are nursing & your big, beautiful blue eyes lock with mine, it’s like the whole world stops for a minute. Then you smile back at me with your eyes & I melt. You are very quiet & shy when you first meet people but after you warm up, you are so friendly & loving. One of my favorite things to see you do is love on your baby dolls. You are so motherly already & kiss the babies & pat them on the back. I know you will be a great mother one day & I pray that I will get to see that day long down the road. I pray that you will find a great Christian man one day that will treat you the way you should be treated & love you with all his heart. He better or your Daddy will be coming after him! He has already threatened to sit on the front porch with a baseball bat when boys start knocking at our door!

The look you give us when you know you are doing something you shouldn’t-like climbing in a chair or pulling things out of drawers-is priceless. You point your little head down, cut your eyes up & raise your eyebrows, with a big sneaky grin on your face. You are so funny!



You are very headstrong & determined. This is a blessing & a curse all in one, I do believe! Good because you will not give up until you get what you want & that will definitely be helpful in the long run. I hope you are that way with school, sports, jobs, everything. On the other hand, this really might not be so good when you learn to talk back when you are being told no. I guess we’ll see how that pans out!
 
You are an excellent sleeper & I am thrilled to pieces over that! After having your brother, who still doesn’t sleep well, it is so nice to have a baby that has always slept pretty consistently through the night & who puts herself to sleep. It still amazes me that I can just lay you in your crib, cover you up & give you a kiss while you just look at me so sweetly. I know that’s a simple joy, but a joy that I love about you. Now that’s not to say that I don’t rock or hold you until you are either asleep or almost asleep every night & at nap time, because I do. I wouldn’t give that up for the world. There is nothing like holding your sleeping baby & savoring that precious time. I know it will be over in a flash & you won’t want me to hold you any more so I take full advantage of that!



Seeing you & Riley together makes me happier than ever. You two are my walking heart & I am so thankful that I get to love on you both every single day. I know you have a special bond with each other & you did from the moment you met. That was one of the best feelings ever & I really don’t know how to even put it into words. I am so glad you have each other to lean on & protect as you grow. You already want to do everything Riley does & be right in the middle of what he’s doing at all times. Even though he can’t type, I know he loves you so much too! He tells us all the time that he “lubs his sister” & that you are “a angel”. I have to agree…you are an angel & I am so happy that God chose us to be your family.



Thank you for making this last year so amazing. I love you so much it hurts! Happy First Birthday, my Pumpkin Pie!

Love,
Mama
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Dear Deedlebug,

I can’t believe you are one year old. It seems like just yesterday we were bringing you home from the hospital. My, how much you have grown. You are running around and climbing up on everything. My little Deedlebug just runs around laughing and growling with an occasional word here and there.

You have such a funny little personality. You love to eat and brush your teeth, but hate having your diaper changed. You have brought so much joy to our lives. (Even your brother, if he won’t admit it later in life.) I love watching you run around and smile so big. You are such a cute little thing! As much as Riley looks like me, you look like your mother. That is a good thing. I did give you those pretty blue eyes though. I can’t wait to continue to watch you and your brother grow and mature. I've got a feeling I’ll have to run a whole lotta little boys off in the future.



Me and your mother love you so much. We will do anything we can for you. Not matter how big you get, you will always be my little Deedlebug! Happy Birthday!

Love Always,
Dada