Paulina turned 1 (on Grandma Julie's 60th Birthday)

I have recently been ordering and perusing old photos of the kids and I've made the inevitable leap into that group of people who's mantra is "they grow up so fast". I always used to roll my eyes and mutter an inaudible "yeah right" to myself. I secretly wished those people had a hidden camera in my house when all four kids were puking and you-know-whating all over and I was desperately trying to stay sane and get more than an hour of sleep a night. And then this year without warning, without fanfare, without asking me whether I wanted to sign the membership waiver, I became a full fledged, dues paying, card carrying member of the club. I'll spare myself and the 2 people who read this the cliche in the future but I have to state it here and now, once and for all time just to prove that I am in full communion with the belief that "They grow up too fast."




Little Polly is no exception. Sure she didn't want to sleep at night those first few weeks and sure she was/is a loud screamer. I still had to hold back the mommy sad as I looked through her birth pictures tonight. The mommy sad feeling that she is only going to keep getting bigger. Her innocence and baby-ness will continue to vanish each year as I rapidly click through the images and watch her grow before my eyes.




I know about all of the good things that happen as they get older but when I see the pictures from the past there is no stopping the mommy sad. Okay, enough of that. Had Paulina not made it to this milestone 1 year birthday, the world would never know the craziness that is her hairdo.








In addition, I would not have half of the joy that I experience every day. Polly makes me happy. Bella asks me every day, "Mommy, you happy?" and I always say yes, because I usually am. If you woke up to this every day, you would be too.





When Anna was in Alaska all Summer, I would try to explain Polly to her. Anna missed out on watching her grow so in order to explain what the little turkey was like all I could ever come up with was, "She has so much character".


It is still true. I can't think of a better way to describe her. She never lazed around like a good baby should (but she was a good baby). She always had to get up and go or make googly faces or try to walk before she could crawl.








She also responded early to her brothers and sisters and their antics.






































These days, upon waking in the morning, you can usually find her making funny faces at herself in the mirror and giggling. She also loves baby dolls and gives them kisses and loves.





She quite often holds out her hand in a gesture which we call "nice nice" --it is her way of giving you some love. Her big giant lower lip is most often hanging out in such a way that beckons for me to kiss it in 1 minute intervals.











Want to know what I really think of this little girl? I had to have little chips in my teeth smoothed out. The chips were caused by my gritting my teeth when I see her or pick her up. I grit them in a "I can't stand it how much I love you" kind of way. Weird? Okay fine, Anna understands, she does it too.

For the big day we celebrated at Auntie Deb and Uncle Nick's house. Grandma Julie turned SIXTY that day and she told me that all she wanted was a picture of Polly from behind in her Christmas dress. Before mom even asked me for that gift, I had already made this up for her:



The pictures of mom and Polly were taken just a few days after I brought her home from the hospital. Grandma and Polly will always share this special day. I'm starting to think it was no mistake that I chose this day for Polly to be born....she kind of looks like my mom. So now we know it is inevitable she will grow up (sniffle sniffle) to be a beautiful woman.

Pictures from the Birthday Party: