Baby's 1st Birthday

My baby turned One.

My BABY

turned ONE.

Bethany got to celebrate her birthday by going to dance class....

and spending the beautiful morning at a soccer game......

and of course, riding in her car seat....

....quite a bit.

After a good nap, she awoke to a party!

A party in her honor.Because, afterall, you only turn one once.

That's pretty special.

She's pretty special.

And to quote my dad, "For the first time in a long time, there is no news of a new baby replacing the old baby." Yep. And for the first time in forever, I am very OK with that.

We were blessed to have family and friends come to celebrate this fine occasion with us.

It was a perfect day.

A perfect day to celebrate the blessings God has bestowed upon us.

The unique (and challenging) child He has entrusted to us.

And the people He has placed in our lives who we are so thankful for who support us along life's wonderous journey.

Bethany seemed to undergo an amazing transformation upon her birthday moment. Her demeanor seemed to change from the moment we sang "Happy Birthday" to her at precisely 2:53pm. It was like she finally realized that she was OK, and didn't have to take life so seriously anymore. For the rest of the party, she was cheerful. Silly. And engaged in the attention given her. Still not quite friendly enough to go to anyone besides Mommy, but at least willing to smile at people. And batt at them with her pretty, blue eyes.

It's been such a tough year.....the toughest I have been through so far. Even tougher than the daily therapies gone through with Melissa, or the daily respiratory crisis overcome with Laura. I feel exhausted, and quite drained. Mentally beaten by this tiny little girl. So it was nice to enjoy this perfect day, celebrating all the positives of Bethany. Because, God DID make her perfectly, you know! And if we have learned anything from parenting over the last 17 years, it is always best to just let God do His thing!

Happy 1st Birthday, Bethany!