My thought has been...if you don't do the 12 months post, then it's like it didn't happen.
But it DID happen. Elliana turned 1 whole year on August 5th. And what a year it was! The night before both of my other babies turned 1, I held them and cried a little bit. Not this time. I did hold her, and I held her for a while. But there nothing but deep gratitude for her first year.
Notice the blurry image. I took probably 10 pictures, and she was entirely still for zero of them. This girl is squirmy and busy and has no chill about laying on the floor to take pictures with Minnie. She's right at 20 pounds, and I don't remember how many inches. But her percentage has come down on height and gone up for weight. She's completely "average" by the statistics, and 100% perfect in our eyes.
My snuggle bug loves to lay her head on soft things. I know I just said she's busy, and she is. But she'll lay her head on soft blankets here and there. Homegirl is still taking 2 naps a day, but I know that will change before I know it. She sleeps close to 12 hours at night, but sometimes she wakes up early to chat and then goes back to sleep. She likes to sleep on her tummy with her arms tucked under her, and her booty slightly in the air. She's the cutest.
Feeding her still stresses me out. I can realize a little before lunch or dinner that I haven't planned out what she'll eat, and it shoots a little bit of anxiety through me. She likes to eat pasta, bananas, blueberries, avocado, broccoli, pancakes, muffins, ground beef, and then a lot of things are hit or miss. One day she love veggie chili, and then the next time I make it she turns her head. Literally. She just looks away. I was feeling like I at least had a firm grasp on her allergies, and then she started reacting to things that were leaving me clueless. She keeps me on my toes.
Elliana LOVES to be outside. She'll grunt and move her body towards the door until you take her there. And then she'll cry if you say she can't go outside. She likes to swing and be on the trampoline with the boys. She enjoys looking at birds and LOVES dogs. I think because the boys are outside so much, she just wants to be where they are and not miss out on any fun.
The boys have not wavered in their affection towards their sister. They continue to adore her and think she's the best baby in the whole wide world. And she loves them, too. She is often blocked from their play space to protect her, but she always is scheming to get where they are. They play sweet and tender, but they also are rough. They drag her by the feet on the trampoline. They head butt her, pretending to be animals. They set up cushions on the floor to push her over. These are the big brothers I want for her. It has filled me beyond measure to watch the boys want to be around her and to see her eyes light up when they walk into a room. When it was Elliana's birthday, and I got Nolan from the bus stop. He hadn't seen in her yet, and he asked excitedly, "Does she look bigger today now that she's one?" It made me smile.
Elliana Joy Tomberlin- God's answer to our pleading. I am profoundly grateful for her life and the ways she wrecked us with her little tiny self.
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