Where did the year go?

So I can’t believe it, we celebrated Annie’s first birthday this weekend. It seems like yesterday that I was lying in my hospital bed just staring at our brand new baby girl.

One of my earliest entries on CSP was about how differently I did everything the second time around. My main priority was to try and enjoy every minute, knowing that it would go by so quickly – and it has.

This past weekend as I prepared for her party, I chuckled at how simple I made this celebration. We had a fun birthday party with just family, which was completely different from Zoe’s first birthday. For her, we invited everyone we knew. I think it was our way of showing our friends who didn’t have kids that we were still fun and social. Or maybe it was to prove it to ourselves!

Annie’s birthday was very easy, pizza and cake. One tradition that I chose to carry on was baking her birthday cake. I started this with Zoe’s 1st Birthday four years ago and now have continued it with every birthday. The photo above shows the cupcake Cake. I bought the pan at Sur La Table (they also have them online if you search under Wilton), and it was simple to make. I enjoyed putting a personal touch on her special day.

Another thing that was different about Annie’s first birthday was the mix of emotions. I remember when Zoe turned one. We were just starting to feel like ourselves again. No longer sleep deprived and getting into a grove as a family. With Annie that happened so much sooner, so I was much more reminiscent of her newborn stage.

Brent and I have enjoyed watching Annie learn to crawl, take her first steps and say Mama and Dada. But it is also a bit sad that my baby is now becoming a toddler. It’s time to pack away most of the baby stuff, bottles, swings, exersaucers, Johnny jump-ups and watch her continue to walk more and more everyday.

So now that the celebration is over, I look back on the past year and feel that I did a pretty good job of enjoying the little things, trying not to wish away the hard times and enjoy them for what they are – precious time with my baby. And now, I can barely remember what it was like when it was just Brent, Zoe and I. I look forward to watching her grow into a young girl like her sister….I just can’t believe that she is already one.