Chocolate Pudding & Sunshine: A Year in Recap

It's hard to believe Anastasia will soon be one, the last year has just flown by. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was sitting here pregnant wondering what God had in store for me with my first child. I spent a lot of time my last 2 months of pregnancy just sitting around the house enjoying my rest and anticipating my new arrival. I must have sorted through her baby cloths a dozen times trying to picture her wearing them while in my arms. I knew my world was about to transform.

Anastasia Lea was born on December 26, 2008 at 2:26am. She was 8 pounds and 20 inches. I will never forget the first moments we shared with her, when we became a family.

The first 3 months were joyful as we learned how to live with a new baby in our house. Trying to keep her warm, but not too warm, in the last winter months was both fun and a challenge. She didn't like cloths, (and still isn't too fond of them) but she had to be dressed, especially when we traveled. As the months carried on and the weather became warmer, we took a trip to Yosemite and Oklahoma with my Dad to celebrate Great Grandpa Palmer's 100th birthday and family Reunion. It turned out to be a trip that strengthened not only my family, but also my husband and father's relationship. Anastasia also had the chance to meet my Mother's Father and see where her Daddy lived in Colorado as a child. The memories of that trip are forever embedded in me, and a true testament to the importance of family and the need to spend time with them.

As Anastasia hit 6 months, the house got louder and the glass coffee table left the living room. She would become frustrated when she couldn't move herself so crawling became not only a challenge for her, but more of an escape from her confined blanket. The last thing she wanted to do was sit in one place while playing with the same toy; she wanted to venture outside, down the hall, into the kitchen, and where ever else we didn't allow her to roam alone. She was no longer satisfied with her play area in the living room- she wanted the world. So, we ventured to the beach and she fell in love, just like her Daddy.

Now, getting close to turning one, she is full of love and happiness. She finds excitement in the simple things in life and loves to explore the world around her. We recently updated her baby book with her 'baby prints.' It was long overdue, but she had a great time trying to figure out what I was doing to her and the colors on her hands and feet were just an added bonus.