Happy Birthday Harper Noelle!

My sweet, sweet, perfect girl. One year ago, you came into this world and brought a league of angels with you. You are a miracle, and a blessing, and a gift of love, for love. We love you so very much. Happy birthday!!

Ham!

Today you ate your first dinner that included a full serving of meat. This is kind of small and silly to mention, but when you look back on this years down the road, these little tiny moments in your life meant the world to us, and it's fun for you to know.

You are not fond of the jarred baby food meat - I totally agree! Your papa suggested that we try mixing meat in with fruit. So what goes better with apples than ham?! You ate, and I could tell that you could tell that this wasn't just apples, so you made a deal with me. Let you eat a little baked snack (that looks like a mini cheese puff) every four or five bites, and you would eat the whole thing.

You are such a cautious little human being. Perspicacious. You notice details. You laugh easily, but you never ever stop picking up everything going on around you.

I love you so much. What I want to say is like an immense tidal wave of observations of a brilliant creature, and it swells so high that the words are lost in the magnitude of it all. One day, the words will come.

Almost 1.

In 9 days, you will have your first birthday.

You have 6 teeth. And your two front ones are slightly crooked, with a slight gap - just like your adorable Papa.

You are mesmerized by inspirational sounds and music. You do a "dancy-dance" on command and when you're excited.

Papa makes the tuba sound, and you make it back at him.

You and Papa have sweet, sweet conversations going back and forth with "da da da da da". You love it when he talks to you in your language.

Today, when we were leaving our cousin Aimee's house, I was repeating "bye bye" and you looked at her and said "bah bah bah bah". It's a blessing - every one of these tiny little moments of your life.

Girl, you SCREAM like nothing or no one I've ever heard before. DEM LUNGS!

You are going to have Wreck It Ralph imprinted in every cell of your brain, I swear. I don't know why you love that movie so much - I mean, it's a wonderful movie and I'm glad you picked THAT one - but it's calming effect on you is still unmatched by anything else.

You love bananas the most, and all fruit. You are giving me trouble with eggs in every form. You looked at me like I insulted you when I tried to feed you baby-food turkey. And you've got a thing for animal crackers...and ice cream. ;)

We love you to exhaustive levels. You're so completely adored.

Not quite 9 months, cupcake...

My sweet, beautiful, wonderful girl. You are the most precious gem.

I'm going to try to use words to describe some of the most indescribable joy that your papa and I have ever experienced. All babies are wonderful, right? But there is something absolutely spectacular about you.

You glow. Your Aunt Mandy mentioned this week how your eyes just shine with this vivid life. Your soul pours out of them. You search the heart of others by staring quietly and deeply into their eyes. When you are joyful, bursts of brightness bigger than the sun beam from your eyes, and anyone who notices cannot help but smile in the wake of such a pure, joyful glow.

You are the babiest baby that we've ever known. You love to be held, you love to cuddle, you love to smile and be smiled at. You are curious, and you discover each thing about yourself and life in a focused, treasured way. You drink the world around you in, moment by moment - and you show us how to appreciate each and every moment in this wonderful life.

You are passionate! Just like your mama, and true to your Scorpio birthright. You love with all of your being. You desire with all of your being. You explore with all of your being. You are not a passive young lady at all.

You are patient. This is one of your sweetest qualities. You will request something, and then you will wait. You watch carefully to see if you have been heard, and if you don't feel as though it has been, you will ask again. After waiting for a long while (in baby time), you become insistent and your passionate indignation kicks in. But we see you waiting, trusting that we know your needs and will meet them as soon as possible.

You are expressive. Your intuition is keen, and you let your wants and needs be known brilliantly. You are lucky to have a mama who can match you. You and I communicate without words, without ceasing. I notice every flinch of your toes, you notice every movement in the room - and are sharp in intuitively understanding what those movements mean.

You are quite possibly the most adorable baby we've ever known. Your intensity magnifies so much. When you learn a new sound, or a new movement with your lips, you explore it with all the wonder in the world. It helps that you have awfully cute genes on both sides! You come from two beautiful smiles and two magical hearts - and you are the culmination of a transcending, God-given love.

You are compassionate and aware and joyful. Just this morning, I said to your papa that I see a truly beautiful lady in you, from the inside out. Your soul makes a sweeping and marvelous impression on the world around you, and we are so blessed to call you our daughter. We could not love you more, cupcake. We really, truly could not.

First Spring...

And everything that’s new has bravely surfaced 

Teaching us to breathe 

What was frozen through is newly purposed 

Turning all things green 

Sisters

We just listened to a little girl read a book on your favorite show, Yo Gabba Gabba. I'm sure that your sister would love to read to you, and that you would eat it up. You'd sit in her lap, and she would read to you with her sweet disposition and smart animation, while you delighted in every moment. You two would love each other. I swear you have the same giggle - filled with the mischief of a girl. There's a lot of love for you in the world, little one.

Somebunny loves you outfit and blanket from Grandma Husted. 

Four months old!

My Cupcake!

You are four moths old today! Time does fly by, before we know it, you will be so big.

You're no longer a newborn, you're one healthy little dribbling, giggling baby girl. 

Your daddy works hard to make sure that you and I get to stay together for the first year of your life;

 words couldn't capture my gratitude. 

I love spending every minute of my day with you; 

in your little life, you've already smiled at least a thousand times.