one

One year ago today at 12:19am, we brought our perfect little 8lb 1oz, 21.5" long Saydee Olivia into this world.

As I sat looking through pictures of Saydee's birth, I was overwhelmed with gratitude. Gratitude for the silly, sweet, precious baby that God gave us. Gratitude for the unimaginable amount of joy that she brings to each and every day we spend with her. Gratitude for the incredible ability that this little person has, to make us want to be the absolute best people and parents we can possibly be.

Eric and I have been extremely blessed in our lives, and have had many amazing years together, but this past year has without a doubt been the best year of our lives. There were great times, and there were struggles, but we could not ask for anything more than to simply be together as a family through it all. 

There are no words to describe the love that we have for her. People ask all the time, "what's the thing that surprised you most about having a baby?". The love. Without a doubt. The undying, unceasing, everlasting, indescribable, eternal love. We love our little girl more than we ever even knew possible, and it continues to grow daily.

Watching her grow and learn is the most beautiful thing. She is such a smart, funny, strong-willed girl and we just know she is destined for so much in this life. She is sweet like her dad, and sassy like her mom. She loves everyone she meets, and brings a smile to everyone who sees her. She loves trying new things, and exploring the world around her.

{Sleeping is one of her favorite pastimes, and she currently has 7 teeth. She says lots of words, including her latest, "ball". It's an important one in this household ;) She loves to swing, especially in her new tire swing, and she thinks her daddy is the funniest guy ever. What a special relationship they have already.}

Saydee has been the biggest blessing in our lives, and we are so excited to see the beautiful woman we know she will be. But for now, we are enjoying every single second of our now one-year-old. We are so blessed to call her ours.

Saydee, thank you for letting us love you. Never forget how special you are, and how much you mean to us. You are our world. "The one and only ever, you."

saydee's first birthday

This past weekend we celebrated our sweet baby Say's first birthday. Although she's not quite one yet (I'm holding onto the one day I have left), I decided to post some pictures from her first birthday before I do an official "one year old" post.

We had such a fun day, and Saydee had the best time celebrating with family and friends. She has no idea how lucky she is to be loved by so many amazing, special people. (Her parents are pretty lucky too.) I had so much fun planning and throwing her party. I love getting to be creative and put my ideas into action.

We decided to go with a "girly" airplane theme for Say's party, since she was such a little traveler throughout her first year of life! She became quite the airport expert, and we had so much fun taking her to all the different cities (and ballparks).

Saydee devoured 3/4 of her smash cake, and loved every bit of it. It was hilarious. The girl loves to eat! Wonder where she gets that from ;) We had so much fun watching her all day, and seeing the joy that she brings to everyone around her. She sure is special.

{Her face the entire time everyone was singing Happy Birthday}