A Year of Nell

No, it can't be...there's no way it has been ONE full year since we welcomed our littlest one, Nell. Through a bitter winter, a sunny spring, a steamy summer, and a fresh-aired fall, we have watched her bloom from a red-faced, screaming infant to a wide-eyed, ebullient cherub of a baby. I could fill pages with how much we adore this little girl, how sweet her disposition is, how easygoing and ridiculously adorable we think she is. How she lights up with a toothy grin and says "Da Da!" whenever she sees her Daddy, how she nuzzles her soft head into my chest when she's sleepy. How she breaks into a little bouncy dance when she hears her favorite songs. How she says "uh oh" when she drops something or how she darts around the house on all fours--still a crawler but soon to be walking. How she sleeps like an angel (for the most part) and how she already eats more than her big sister. How her hair is coming in straight as an arrow and reddish brown, how her big blue eyes just melt me.

But, instead of endlessly babbling about our Nellie, I'll just say that, while I will miss the days of her being a tiny baby, I'm looking forward to continuing to watch her grow, to see whether she'll be a shy, soft-spoken contrast to her big brother and sister's outgoing, in-your-face personalities. To see what she'll be like once she really starts walking--and talking. Because as hard as it is to accept how quickly time passes us by, there's something magical in anticipating the unknown.