I can't believe how fast your first year has gone by! It seems like I waited an eternity until you arrived, and now we are about to celebrate your first birthday. We are going to have a family barbeque on Sunday at Nana's house.

Pretty soon you'll be walking around on your own. Gone will be the days of you clinging to my skirts. Your hair is finally growing in (you can thank your brother for cutting off your hair the day before Ash Wednesday!), and your smile is so beautiful. At your 9 month visit to the doctors you weighed 22 pounds and was 30 inches tall. At the 11 month visit you weighed 25 1/5 pounds and was almost 32 inches tall. You've been wearing a 2T for quite some time now.

Your first Easter was wonderful! We had perfect weather, and Daddy & I took you to Seasons in Washington Township for lunch with Nana, Pop Pop (my parents), your Aunts and Uncles, Great-grandma, and your brother Awstin. Then we had dinner with your father's parents, Aunt Katie (who was 7 at the time), and father's Grandparents. I bought you a special outfit...a pretty pink fluffy dress with a peter pan collar, little pink flowers, and a victorian style coat (which you didn't need after church) and matching bonnet. I let you wear your little sneakers instead of the white mary janes that I saved for your christening. I also let you wear my good pearl earrings.

Your christening was on April 22nd. We had the party at the church hall, and everyone really enjoyed themselves! The food was fantastic, and you were a little angel. You didn't cry once at the church, but at the party you went zooming right under a table (you were in the walker) and hit your forehead on the metal part. I was so afraid you were going to bleed, but it didn't cut the skin. You stopped crying within 2 minutes. I predict you are going to be a tomboy that wears dresses. You love it when I put frilly things on you (you like to stare at yourself in mirrors!), but I can tell you can't wait to be running around with your brother.

Mommy and Daddy love you so very, very much. It's funny...you won't realize just how much we love you until you hold your first born child. The night you were born I remember holding you, looking at you, and thinking that someday it will be you laying in a hospital bed after you give birth.

Someday you will accomplish a goal. Someday you will fall in love. Someday someone is going to hurt your feelings, break your heart, or make you angry. Doesn't matter how late it is or where I am or what mistakes you make...if you ever need me I will be there for you to share your joy, pain, and sorrows. I love you beyond words, always!

Love, hugs, and prayers for a blessed future,

Momma February 19, 2001

I can't believe how BIG you're getting! You're so amazing to me. Every day you discover something new...the bird that landed on the porch rail, the squirrel looking at you through the glass door, how mushy your cookie gets after you've been sucking on it, and how much fun it is to put that mushy cookie on the tv. You're 9 1/2 months old now, and already 30 inches tall. I'm afraid you'll be towering over me before you're a teenager. I'm in no rush.

I'm enjoying you so much that I secretly don't mind when you want to stay up late. I especially love it when it's just the two of us snuggling under the covers, and you stop drinking your bottle, wrinkle up your nose and give me that big open mouth smile. I laugh back at you, and we put our foreheads together...as though we were sharing some great secret. I never knew it could be so much fun to have a daughter. I especially love it when you fall asleep in the crook in my arm, all warm and sweet. You smell of formula and honeysuckle and baby powder - I can't get enough of the way your hair smells!

Well, time to wake you up. I think I'll make you some of your leftover mac-n-cheese. I can't believe you are starting to eat table food! It was bound to happen sooner or later...your growing up!

February 5, 2001
Kimmy went to the doctor today... Kim now weighs 22 pounds, 4 ounces, is 30 inches long, and her head circumference is 18 inches. She is in the 75th - 95th percentile in weight, and off the chart in her height. Awstin is only 7 1/2 inches taller than she is. She got her hep B shot in her leg, and didn't even scream. Then we all went out to lunch. Kim's mobility is getting better and better...I walked into the kids room tonight to find her standing up holding on to the toy box, trying to get a toy out. She's strong willed, and absolutly adorable! But then again, I am a little biased!

January 28, 2001
Major milestones this weekend! Kimberly ate 2 whole pancakes for breakfast sunday morning...and she fed them to herself! She is also pulling up on everything, and crawling under anything she can! That means that nothing under 36" high is safe. She's pulling up on the coffee table, on the wing chair in the living room, and even trying to climb the living room steps (we have two steps leading down into the living room).

It's time to start taking bets on when Kimberly will take her first steps on her own...she already walks if you hold her hands, and she weighs roughy 22 1/2 pounds. Her next doctor's visit is on Saturday, February 3rd.

January 21, 2001
Kim's been on Amoxil since last Monday for her first respiratory infection. She is also crawling quite strongly, and trying to pull up on furniture. She has walked across the living room holding Mamma's hands.

Her vocabulary now includes "Mamma, Dadda, bah-bah, Nana", and when she's trying to get big brother Awstin's attention she says "Ah! Ah!" Usually, when I put the two down for a nap, Kim will crawl to the corner of the crib, hold onto the rails as if she was in jail, and call for her brother...who's bed bumps up to her crib. The two laugh and play with each other through the rails of the crib until I poke my head through the door and scold the two of them.

Kim's favorite toy of late is an interactive talking truck from Tonka...one of big brother's Christmas presents.

December 30, 2000
Kimberly is officially crawling!!! She also says "dadda, bahbah", and is working on "mahmah". She loves to make loud, screechy noises, is still very ticklish, and is starting to give me a hard time taking bottles. She eats three solid meals a day (mixed cereal and a fruit for breakfast, a veggie and a fruit for lunch, and a mixed meal like meat and veggies for dinner), and sometimes if she's fussy I give her some baby yogurt and bananas or cereal before bedtime. She takes between 3 and 5 bottles of 9 ounces formula a day.

December 24, 2000

Kimberly's first Christmas! Christmas Eve was a dizzying event at Nana's house. Lot's of people, and two car loads of presents for her and her brother. Kimberly stayed up until midnight, and had a great time. But before going to Nana's, Kimmy decided to play daredevil, and wiggled her way off the bed right on her little head. Mom and dad were on hand for the mishap, but Kimberly moves so fast now neither on of us could catch her!

December 13, 2000
Big brother turns 3, Daddy turned 31, and Kimberly had her very first taste of ice cream cake (just a little). She's also now wearing a size 3 diaper, but it's getting REALLY tight!

December 5, 2000:

Kimberly is now trying really hard to sit up alone. Not too good at it, but getting there. She also needs more solids. At her 6 month doctor visit she weighed in at 21 1/2 pounds, 27 1/2 inches long. Her big brother (who will be 3 on the 13th) is only 10 inches taller, and weighed the same at his 1 year visit.

Nov. 30, 2000

Kimberly finally had her first night away from Mom and Dad. She spent the night before Thanksgiving at her grandmother's house, then got to sample a bite of pumpkin pie. On Friday, she had her belated six-month checkup, and weighed in at 21 pounds, 7 ounces. Since May she has gained almost 13 pounds and has grown over 6 inches. Her hair is finally coming in, and she's able to sit up unassisted.

Nov. 15, 2000
Kimberly is now 6 months old and has one very sharp tooth in her mouth! Part of her celebration included a first trip on a train, along with her mommy, daddy and big brother. She is anxious to start crawling and wiggles to get from place to place. Mommy reports that Kimberly is capable of moving four feet in five minutes, all by wiggling. Rolling over is easy for Kimberly.

She loves watching ceiling fans and hearing the sound of her own voice. And the Baby Mozart video is still a favorite. She also recognizes Mom and Dad now, and is sometimes frightened by people she doesn't recognize. Applesauce, pears, rice cereal and oatmeal are part of Kimberly's diet, and she usually drinks four or five bottles of formula a day. Mom estimates that Kimberly weighs nearly 20 pounds.

In addition to her now-replaced earrings, Kimberly also wears a simple gold band on the third finger of her right hand.

Oct. 24, 2000

This week Daddy reports that Kimberly's milestones are coming in leaps and bounds! She's getting bigger and more alert, and her first tooth is pushing through her lower jaw. She can hold her head up perfectly, and even wiggles herself around in her crib, showing off her little pink toes.

Kimmy enjoys playing with her feet, and the baby game peek-a-boo makes her laugh out loud. Speaking of sounds, Kimberly is well-versed in the "da-da chant." Her eyes have a green tint to them, and she's almost able to sit up, all by herself.

Unfortunately, at Kimmy's first real party at a restaurant, she lost one of her earrings ... and she only has one pair.

Oct. 5, 2000
Kimberly now weighs just over 19 pounds, but still has no teeth. She is learning to sit up and seems frustrated that crawling is not yet an option. Kimberly saw town this week from her stroller, marking a milestone.

And another first will occur this weekend, when Kimberly will have a sleepover with Grandma � her first extended time away from Mommy.

Sept. 29, 2000

This week Kimberly discovered her feet and ears. She's getting better at grasping for objects, and is showing a greater interest in her Daddy than she was just a few weeks ago. She constantly has her hands in her mouth, and saturates bibs very quickly, though no teeth have yet appeared in her mouth. Kimberly eats cereal mixed with formula about four times a week.

Sept. 22, 2000

Kimberly weighs in at 18 pounds, 10 ounces, and her hair is a dark reddish blond or light auburn. Her parents report that Kimberly, whom they call "the apple of our eye," loves bananas and the Baby Mozart video.

May 4, 2000

Kimberly is born, weighing 8 pounds, 9 ounces and measuring 22 inches.