The Millie May turns one

This thing.



This scrumptious, happy, playful little thing turned one.  Seriously, where has the time gone?

Her birthday happened to be the day after we returned from Utah (my sweet grandma passed away, I'll post more about it soon).  So I felt like there was just so much to be done at home, but I still wanted to make it a fun day with her.  I decided the laundry could wait, but the grocery shopping couldn't.  So the preschoolers and I took a trip to Costco.  And right next to Costco happens to be Camille's favorite thing - the duck pond at Discovery Park!


So we fed the ducks and Camille was as animated as ever, squirming with all her might to try to dive in there with them.  And we all totally gushed over the cutest fluffy ducklings ever.


I see pictures like this and think I must be crazy to take all these kiddies anywhere, but they keep life exciting and entertaining.  Someday when I shop at Costco alone I will be much calmer...but I will also be alone.


Later that night...

I think I was often remarking about Gabe being our snuggliest baby.  Well this little gal is the huggiest baby the world's ever seen.  Frequently throughout the day she'll latch her arms around my neck and squeeze until my eyes bulge out.  Life can't possibly get any better than that.  When she is around other people she hugs me even more, so that's a pretty good reason to go out and about with her.  When she was just a few months old and wasn't quite capable of an all-out hug, she was already trying.  She'd smile at me and then tense up her body, draw up her legs, and nestle her nose into my neck, and I swear that was her early version of a hug (right Mom?  You got some of those...).

Right now she picks up a couple new words a week.  She has taken a step a couple of times and wants to walk so badly, but she isn't quite there yet.  I think she is dying to keep up with her older siblings.  She is content to hang out in the same room as them and I hardly notice her until they move on to something else in a different room and she crawls around to find me because she's gotten lonely.  But about half the time, they've most likely dragged her around with them.  When we get home from school, Brynn and Bryce fight over who gets to take her out of her carseat.  She loves to hang out with everyone outside and she's pretty trustworthy to not, you know, eat grass and what-not.  She and Gabe are still cute together.  I'm dreading the day they learn how to really get on each others' nerves.  Whenever I change their diapers together she'll reach over and tickle his tummy.  About half the time he'll giggle and sweetly say, "Mill!  Not a tummy!"  And then half the time he'll get mad and say, "MILL!  Dop it!  NO, Mill!"  He's quite protective of her and keeps a surprisingly watchful eye on her.  He'll run up to tell me if there is something in her mouth, or if she's trying to go downstairs without me there.  One of my favorite mommy images I've ever seen was just recently when she tried to go down my parents' stairs.  He grabbed her legs to pull her away from them, and she grabbed the railing and her entire body was completely lifted off the ground because neither one of them was going to give up.  All of the kids like to be the first one to her crib whenever she wakes up.  It is so darn convenient to be able to call one of the kids and ask them to take her when I am cooking or something.

Her new favorite thing is to go down the stairs.  She's been going up a long time, but just recently figured out how to turn around and slide down.  And by slide, I mean fly.  It makes me a nervous wreck, but it's her version of a thrill-ride, I suppose.

She is an amazing sleeper, always has been.  Like clockwork, she naps at 9:00 and 1:30, and at night she sleeps from 7 to 6:30ish.

She brings so much joy to our family and I am so grateful for her.  A baby just adds something so, so special to a family.  She is a little ball of energy, personality, chatter, and smiles and now that I know her more, I feel like I can see why she was so intent on getting here to our family as quickly as she did.  Our family needed her just like she needed our family, and I can't imagine the Johnson's without her.  Love you forever, Camille May!!!