My Very Belated 1st Birthday Note to Lucy

My Dear, Delightful, Ridiculously Sweet Lucy,

You're now 15 months old and while I still call you my baby, you are clearly no longer one.  You walk, run, babble (constantly), have VERY strong opinions about what you like/don't like and have grown into an amazing personality that keeps us all laughing... and guessing.



While I have neglected to document a whole lot of your first year on this blog, I have not missed a single second of loving your unique spirit and the joy that you have brought to our lives.  You've had a smile on your face since you were just weeks old and it seems as if that smile very rarely goes away.  You laugh loudly and you have quickly discovered your own sense of humor which you're learning how to use to your advantage.

You are a daddy's girl through and through.  You have him wrapped around your finger (literally, the guy still holds your sippy cup for you when you decide you don't want to hold it yourself) and there are times when no one will make you happy except your Daddy.  Since he's has been a stay-at-home dad for the last year, I understand your attachment to him (plus, he's pretty damn awesome, in general) so I try not to get jealous when you refuse to come to me after I return from work or first thing in the morning, but I'm not always successful!  Let's put it this way, you're recent "joke" is to say "Daddy" every time I ask you to say "Mama" (which you have not yet said!).



You are your brother's best friend.  He has been obsessed with you since you were born and while it rarely ever seems to bother you, we sometimes have to separate the two of you because he has a habit of "over-loving" on you.  You're really that cute.  Seeing the two of you play together is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen and it seems to get better every day.  You simply love being together.

You are the MOST cuddly little love ever!  Your dad and I secretly love it when you get shy because you run to us and bury your face in our necks and hug us tightly.  If you're running around in a room while we're sitting on a couch, in the middle of playing you'll just run over to us and throw your head into our necks and cuddle for a second.  It's HEAVENLY and something that your brother rarely (if ever) did.

Words you love:  "NO" and "Daddy".  Yup, that's pretty much sums it up.  You stress the "DY" in Daddy, so it never really gets old.   That being said, while you love saying the word "No", you don't quite love hearing it.  In fact, a couple of months ago this was a conversation between your Dad and me:
Me:  Matt! You've spoiled Lucy.  She FREAKS out when she hears the word "no"
Matt:  What are you talking about??
Me:  She just is so opinionated and if you tell her "no" she immediately gets pissed off
Matt:  Hmmm... Sounds exactly like you

So, this brings me to my last point... you are kind of exactly like me.  You actually even resemble me (something I've never been able to say about your brother).  You are strongly opinionated, you are always smiling and you like to be in charge and do everything on your own (until you realize you can't do it and then you kind of scream until one of us helps you).

My original fears of raising a little girl are still strong.  I want to do everything possible to raise you to be strong, self confident, independent and respectful of yourself and others.  I don't want you to go through a "I hate my Mom just because she's my Mom" phase, though I'm fairly certain you will (isn't that what almost all girls do??) and I hope and pray that you always trust in your father and I - that we will never judge you and will always support you.

And while I was pretty certain that you would be my last baby, I know for sure that you will be an amazing big sister come September.

Lucy Faye - you are a shining light and I am fully and completely in love with you.  Happy (very) belated 1st birthday.