The best year.

One year ago, after 20 hours of labor, our lives changed forever. Little Raelan Noel was born and Ammon and I became parents. The craziness ensued along with sleep deprivation, unexpected frustration, non-stop crying sessions (baby & mom), and a bit of fear (is this gonna be forever?!). But our hearts grew 3 sizes and somewhere along the line we forgot about life before and became irrevocably attached to our little girl. She makes our days brighter and our hearts happier. Ah, how far we've come. I have had to stretch and grow and learn more than ever this year and I like to think I'm a better person for it. But enough about me...

Raelan at 1 year

Weight: 18 lbs

Raelan is a happy, determined, silly, sweet baby. She knows what she wants and goes for it, even if it's virtually impossible. She craves affection and attention. She loves to snuggle up and be read to. She loves new places and exploring. She likes to make people laugh. It still surprises me how much she understands when we talk to her and I love to listen to her speak gibberish to herself while she plays. She claps her hands lots and more recently to "If you're happy and you know it".
Randoms--Has 7 teeth. Can do animal sounds for cows, elephants, cats, and lions. Favorite food: cheese. Favorite book: "Are there Hippos on the Farm". Favorite toys: stuffed animals (she likes anything soft).

For Raelan's birthday we went to the aquarium and then she played in the playground at the mall. We let her eat more cheese than most days and let her have her way with everything. I think she had a lot of fun at her birthday party. She quite likes attention. She liked her cake and she really enjoyed opening presents. (She's a fan of tearing paper). She also loved getting some new toys and has been extra entertained the last few days because of them. It was fun to spend the day celebrating our favorite girl. She's so stinking cute! See for yourself...