My Last Baby is ONE!

I laid my baby girl, my third child, my LAST one, to sleep for the last time as an infant.

Today she is a big girl.

She is walking and signing and throwing full-on toddler tantrums as a ONE-YEAR-OLD.

All of the many milestones this year have been so different. When they said girls are so different, they weren’t kidding. But as every milestone has had that excitement behind it (especially with two big brothers cheering her on), they were also plagued with the sadness of the final first time.

The LAST first smile, the LAST first laugh, the LAST first step, the LAST time I will count her age in months.

So I thought to ease my sadness, I would celebrate her birthday with the 5 things I won’t miss about this stage:

1. Diaper Wrestling… Have you ever noticed that the gnarlier their diapers get, the stronger and more wiggly the baby becomes? 
2. Nasal Aspirating… I remember when my oldest finally learned how to blow his nose. Best. Day. Ever. 
3. Sciatic Nerve Aching… Yes, even 12 months postpartum, I still have pain. But it’s mostly from carrying the babe on my hip.
4. Microscopic Dicing… I have spent most of my adult life worried about choking. It will be nice to have this stage behind us.
5. Month Counting… Today, she is a year old, and she will be a year old until she is two. This one might be my favorite!

So for our LAST first birthday, we plan to spend the next 24 hours snuggling as much as we can. Because as we all know, babies don’t keep, but snuggling is one thing I hope will last forever.