O.N.E.

You guessed it! Baby girl is ONE today! I can't believe it! With Issac it seemed like the first year, maybe even two years didn't go by this fast! Maybe now with two, and more chaos in our lives it just goes by faster and faster.

I'm still amazed every day that I have a sweet little baby girl. I always catch myself saying "I'm so glad I got my baby girl!" I always thought that I'd just have all boys, I never imagined a baby girl in my future, but boy and I glad I got one! Its so fun to 'girl it up' with someone now!

She is the sweetest, cutest, sassiest little thing. She brings so much joy and life to our family and its wonderful not being the only attitude in the house. Sometimes I feel like I'm raising myself! My Mom did say "she sure got her Mother's spunk!" {She decided "spunk" was putting it nicely ;)}. I think I can agree 110%, that she did indeed, get my "spunk". Donavon and Issac are in for the thrill of a lifetime in the years to come! Just wait until puberty starts! Oh boy!

Katie has been my go-getter baby. She's never been a big snuggler, however the last couple of months she has succumbed to the peer pressure and started to snuggle a wee bit. Let me tell you, I cherish those brief seconds and wish they'd never end! From early on she's always wanted to sit up and look out, take in the world and she doesn't miss a beat. I was surprised it took her so long to start crawling to be honest. I knew she could do it, but she was holding out. Then stubborn like her Mother, she just up and started one night, and was all over the place like she'd been doing it for years! She preferred to walk rather than crawl. We thought for awhile she'd walk without crawling.

Just in the last 2 weeks she started taking steps away from everything. Within 1 week she was walking great, and now this week she'll RUN down the hall at church. You can tell when she's getting tired, she'll start to wobble and tumble more. You can see it in her eyes that she is so excited and proud of herself. She's been wanting to follow brother around for the last year and couldn't! At last the time has come! {He's not such a fan either, in case you were wondering}.

Unfortunately with this new skill of walking, my life just got harder. She was a speedy little crawler but she can walk even faster. She has a super sense of when people leave the bathroom doors open, the pantry door {the garbage was moved to the pantry due to her taking on raccoon tendencies} and anything left down that she knows very well she shouldn't have.

Just the other night we had our neighbors Omar & Eleisha over for dinner; Issac left his cup of water down on the kids table and she got it. As we all "ah ah ah!" at her, Omar and I ran to divert a disaster and she realized she was busted. She flipped around real quick like "oh crap! I'm busted!" and took that cup of water and chucked it hard behind her. That cup went flying through the air, as well as the water and she started to run like "It wasn't me! I'm out of here man!". I have to giggle because she does this frequently when she is caught red handed. Sometime not even for something I'd be upset over, like playing in my basket of magazines. I put them there, and I showed her they were there! She'll sneak into the living room and start shredding. The moment I walk in she scurries off as fast as she can!

There are days where all I do is follow her and clean up her path. Those days I call her "The Katie-nator". Her big brother was never big on getting into things. Hence the reason why we never finished baby proofing our house, he never bothered to open cupboards! Katie will unload them in a blink of an eye! Today I had the luck of cleaning up after brother accidentally dropped a large marshmallow on the floor... she got it. Ate it, and got sticky mess all over the floors, the cabinets and just about everything else.

While I was pregnant with Katie I was frequently in pain from her wiggling so much. I'm talking 4 hours of nonstop combative moves. To the point I would be holding back the tears. My sister and I kind of joked that she might be a little more high strung and I'd be in for it. We were right. She's definitely still very wiggly. In the mornings when I get her out of her crib she has the biggest smiles and as I lift her up her legs kick up and down so fast and her body wiggles back and forth and her arms flap and slap.

Katie has been picking up on things a lot faster than her brother ever did, although to his credit, he didn't have an older sibling showing him how to do things. I suppose its the curse of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. They all pick up on naughty behavior {and sometimes good} faster and faster because someone is teaching them. Not that I don't love teaching her, I just don't teach her how to unroll the toilet paper, or pick her nose, or spit. You catch my drift.

Today has been a little emotional for me. I'm not sure why. I don't remember being this way with Issac, maybe I was, or maybe it was too busy to really sit down and think about it. So much has changed in our lives in just 1 year. I remember going in for my Dr appt at 1pm on March 22, he sent me over to get monitored for a bit and by 2pm I was getting put in my room. The nurse said "I could probably pop your water, do you want me to just call the Dr and have him come over and do it real quick?" I was already contracting big time {still not feeling them though, shucks! What a curse to not feel contractions!}. Katie arrived by 7:20pm. Quick and easy. Grandma and Grandpa Strain brought over Issac at about 8:30 or so to meet little sister. Ohhhh was he pissed.

Folks, we've come a long way in a year. They blow kisses to each other, its adorable. I must say, I'm ok with the fact Issac taught her how to blow kisses. It is sweet. He gives her hugs and kisses before she goes to nap or night night and I catch him calling her sweetheart, or princess sometimes. Although he usually calls her "Katie Bugs" or "little sister". I'm not going to lie, they have their evil moments too.

After feeling all emotional and rocking Katie before bed tonight I was thinking back on that night I had her. After she went down I went in to give Issac a kiss and I asked him if he remembered that night. He said he did, and then he said "take her back to Dr". Uhhh.... no can do bud. She's staying. Don't let him fool you, he does love her. He'll flip out if you pretend you are going to leave her somewhere. I just think now that she cal follow him around and tends to beat him with random toys he's not such a fan.

I just cant believe she's one. My baby girl cant grow up this fast.

Here are some things I want to remember about Katie:

She blows the best kisses.

She has two waves, a standard wave and a pageant wave. That's my girl.

She loves her girly toys, her doll house, dolls, purse etc. She also loves brothers toys too though.

Bath time is the best time. She'd stay in the tub all day if you let her. When you start the water she stands there stomping and smacking the tub while screaming to get in.

The girl can pack the chow. Holy smokes. If brother doesn't eat his dinner, don't worry, she will. The other night I gave her a banana the size of her arm, about 20 baby Cheetos, and then she ate a big bowl of spaghetti with Issac and I - and she had a tall bottle about 20 minutes prior.

Katie has a slight temper. She can go from 0 to 60 in 1/2 a second. There is no tip toeing around it and whimpering or fussing. Happy or mad. Take your pick.

She's already starting her little tantrum jig. I told her no and she stomped her feet and screamed, hitting the sofa and wailing. Yikes. We're in for it.

The girl has got tears. Big huge crocodile tears and the drop of a hat. Impressive.

She loves her pink beebs. {beebs is what we call blankies in this house}. I often catch her rubbing her face in it with her big cheese ball grin. Sometimes laying on the ground wiggling her little bum in the air snuggling it. She just loves it and has to have it.

She's a horrible sleeper. I'm not going to lie. The Dr finally wished us luck at her 9 month appointment. He had no other advice. It really depends on the night but average 2 times a night she's up - and she will scream and scream and scream. Some nights she'll sleep until 6am, have a drink and back to sleep until almost 9am. Other nights? Midnight and then every 45 minutes there after. I cant figure it out. She's a bipolar sleeper.

She hates headbands, but tolerates scrunchies. Thank goodness. I love her little pony tail!

She gets SO excited when Daddy gets home! She's a big Daddy's girl!

Terrified of the dog. Even after having him inside for a week she still wasn't having it so poor Diesel went back outside. I couldn't handle having to hold her 24/7 and cling to me for dear life. When Daddy gets home Diesel barks, she scurries over to you so fast whimpering and tears forming, absolutely terrified, and the dog is in the garage... Let him around her and she is in panic mode, constantly checking where he is, wont take her eye off him and if he gets too close she'll scream and cry. Let hope this changes one day...

Her favorite spot in the house is under the kitchen table. Looking for tasty morsels that dropped to the floor.

The girl loves chocolate.

Here are some pictures to enjoy... like 50 of them. Sorry ;) The first chunk is from her birthday party. We did that March 10th when Grandma Joan and Papa Jack where in town. The last half are of today, her real birthday! Stay tuned for her professional pictures and her 12 month baby check up stats! Last time she was the 3rd percentile!

{Pre party bath!}

{Looking pretty in her Tutu, practicing her ballet can you tell?}

{She actually liked the Tutu, I thought she'd throw a fit over it!}

{Cant crawl in it though... stink bug crawl!}

{Cupcakes made by Mommy!}

{Kiddos with Great Grandma Elyse!}

{Grandma & Grandpa Strain with Grandma & Papa Fuller!}

{Starting the party! She is wondering why we are all looking at her ready to sing!}

{Plotting her attack on the cupcake}

{That's my present dirt bag! Put it back or I scream!}

{Brother helping with the last one, he's such a good helper!}

{Her new doll stroller!}

 {"Loving" on Papa Jack}

Taken today, March 22.

{"Take mine picture Mommy!" He really loathes when I try to take his picture, so I went for it. I'm loving his poses and faces...}

{Awwww Love and Kisses for the Birthday Girl!}

{and thats what he gets for the love! A classic Issac and Katie moment for you!}

{The best picture ever. This is them at their best. My time consists of breaking this up frequently! Does this picture not make you belly laugh?!}

{I bribed Issac with 4 marshmellows, I'm sure he was thinking he needed 5 now that his head hurt!}

{So sweet! To bad the camera spazzed and flashed AFTER it took.}

{Have some mellow sister!}

{The infamous fallen marshmellow I had to clean up}

{Issac being silly with Mr. Potato head}

{Soaking up the rays! 70's today!}

{The suprise Daddy brought home from work, a new baby! He's teaching her how to feed her baby!}

 {She'd prefer to just feed it to herself...}

{Baby needs her blanky Daddy!}

{Milk break! She might be sucking on it awhile...}

{On our way to dinner... Issac insisted on wearing his hat our friend Dennie made him.}

And just to see her through the year... no particular order...

{matching jammies!!! obviously Issac is thrilled she's in his chair.}

{The stare down. I love this one!}

{Katie & cousin Marlowe, 6 weeks apart}

 {Happy Father's Day!}

{Donavon with a purple hair bow ;)}

{Awaiting for surgery, poor girl was starving to death! No food!}

{Zonked out after surgery. Poor baby girl!}