Tomorrow is Lyla’s first birthday. I have been wondering to myself where this past year went.
I remember so clearly the early morning drive to Valley Medical Center, parking, walking nervously to the Birth Center under damp, overcast skies, excited and scared all at the same time.
On Nov. 17, I was induced, and I remember the first nurse we met told me it was going to be at least 24 hours before our baby would be born.
Family members were coming and going, phone calls were being made to provide updates, the phrase “No baby yet” was uttered often.
When Lyla arrived it was one of the happiest moments of my life. I even cried.
This first year with her has been amazing.
Before she was even born, I knew she would be stubborn, but I’ve discovered she’s also persistent and determined. She will try and try and try until she works something out, gets where she wants to go or gets what she wants.
Lyla is funny. She likes to make me laugh. She is goofy. She smiles so much. And her laugh is infectious.
My baby girl is adventurous. I have a sneaking suspicion she will like roller coasters and fast cars. It would not surprise me if she wanted to go skydiving someday.
She’s curious about everything. And Lyla enjoys people watching. If she’s in the kitchen, she’s opening the cabinets, pulling out all the items and crawling into a cabinet. When we’re out at a restaurant, she is constantly twisting and turning in the high chair as people walk by, wanting to try whatever I’m eating, drumming her hands on the table or playing with a menu, a utensil, a straw or whatever she can get her hands on. We play a lot of peek-a-boo with restaurant napkins.
She enjoys it when we read to her.
And she loves music. Lyla smiles so big and bops along when she hears music. She particularly likes it when I sing to her which I do often.
Her current goal is to walk on her own and so Lyla will grab your fingers with her tiny death grip so you will walk around the house with her. She needs to practice, of course, and she knows it.
Everywhere we go people fawn over her and think she’s much younger than she is because Lyla is still little. We take her in for her one year well child check tomorrow and I’m curious to see if she’s hit 20 pounds yet. I think she’s finally tall enough to graduate from the infant car seat but if she’s not 20 pounds we’ll have to keep her rear facing for a while longer.
But, she’s so cute people love her. And Lyla is so laid back, she seems well behaved, but she just rolls with the punches.
For example, Jason, Lyla and I went to dinner on Saturday at Mizu in Covington. I love that place. Mmm. Anyway, we had Lyla in this cute little pink wintery knit hat with a puff ball on the top, and she was just charming the heck out of the folks sitting at the table with us. There was a couple, grandparents I think, with three of their older grandchildren at our table. The couple was visiting from California. After we finished our meal, the waitress brought Jason his check card back and said the gentleman who was visiting from out of town had already paid for our dinner. We were floored. That is how cute and awesome Lyla is… nobody would have ever done that if it were just the two of us.
Every day I look at her and I just shake my head at how lucky I am to be her mommy. There are days I can’t believe that beautiful little girl is mine.
She is and I couldn’t be more thankful. I hope to give her all the things I didn’t have growing up, to encourage her to be strong, independent and hard working, to cultivate her curiosity and intellect, to nurture her sense of adventure and her humor so that someday she can make a difference in the world.
On the eve of her first birthday, I look forward to the next year, all the new things I will learn about my daughter and the continued joy she will bring to my life.
Happy birthday baby girl! I love you Lyla!

On the day she was born:

Now: