The week of One Months

I just posted about a conflicting celebration of one month HERE– rejoicing the making of history and mourning the loss of innocence. Here I am again, with a less discordant post: My baby has been a year for a month.

In that month she has moved mountains in her own way… including physical ones that seemed forever in the making. Addie can sit up. Feel free to clap for her as you read this- every time she finds herself seated squarely on her bum, she claps too. Saturday, the day after THE ACCIDENT, I looked over to see what she was playing with, and there she was. Upright. Shocked, I yelled for Dave in the next room. As she sprawled back out on her belly and made her way to him, she landed in the doorway of our bedroom, looked over her shoulder, pushed herself up onto her feet, through her arms (and their 15% bend) all the way onto her butt. She looked over again to see our mouths hanging open. The day after the accident I felt like I’d aged 100 years and Addie was proving that no one would stop her progression.

In this month she’s also decided that she’s pretty much done with the bottle, but will ask for milk with sign language. She drinks water from her cup like it’s going out of style. Everything that can be held up to her ear is a phone and she must say “hi” into it, including sun glasses. If it can be put on her head, she will try- life is made up of wearing many hats, after all. My father-in-law blew her a kiss one afternoon… she blew one back. We’ve never blown kisses before, so I have no idea where that came from. When we leave the house, she waves at everything. If there is a man with a beard, she must grin at him and turn her head away. She loves to brush her hair. She begs to get down from my arms and walk holding onto my hands (OUCH! on my back and heart). When music is on, you can bet she’s dancing. She loves to pat people on their back when giving hugs. “Uuuummm” means she’s hungry… and you don’t want to mess with a hungry baby.

Since turning 1, Addie has become a toddler. She’s no longer a baby, although she will always be my baby. Every time I come to the computer I scroll through pictures from when she was born, her firsts, the holidays… and I always land on one of my favorite photos ever:

When Michelle Dimery, of Dimery Photography, mentioned cake smash I was jumping up and down. Not only was she Addie’s newborn photographer, she was once a bride of mine and has become a Mommy Mentor for me as I watch her grow as a mother of 2.

At Addie’s smash, Michelle (and her beautiful and talented office manager, Courtney), were building the background to the smash: A Chicka Chicka Boom Boom extravaganza with coconut trees and the banner that Lisa from Heavenly Things for Angels on Earth made us. It was a clean and simple set- perfect for Miss Addie to eat cake on! Michelle’s new studio is a wide open space filled with handcrafted props, and beautifully designed by herself and her husband (a master of carpentry). With Addie outfitted in the diaper cover I made, Michelle took over 50 photos that melted my heart.

After the smash, Michelle helped me wash Addie off and filled a beautiful bucket with soap and water and she took pictures of her bath, like my favorite above. Addie stood up (holding onto the sides) by herself for the first time in that bucket… we were both so shocked neither one of us got a pic! The looks that Michelle captures always amaze me. I know the way a mother looks at a child is not a fleeting moment- they might be “easier” to find… but the way a child looks at a parent- the loving, mischievous, down-right confused looks. Those are fleeting. I was dancing around trying to make Addie laugh and she was just looking at me like I was crazy, her face a beard of bubbles. I will never forget this photo shoot and I am so blessed to have these memories of Addie’s first year coming to a close and beginning a whole new chapter of our lives.

If you’re interested in the best newborn photographer, Dimery Photography, please contact them at: 401-580-0947 or DimeryPhotography@gmail.com