Sutton 12 Months

The first year just flew by. I remember how long last summer seemed (not sleeping mixed with a very fussy baby made for a long summer). However, once you started sleeping through the night right at 3 months, the days seemed brighter and even through your fussiness you showed us smiles and we poured all of our love into helping you grow. You light up the room with your smile and you are just already getting into everything. You are moving around and standing up and we know you will walk any day. You love your fingers and playing with your ear. I know whenever you start doing this that you are ready from a play break and you will let me cuddle you right up. You have been the absolute best sleeper for us. You take two great naps each day and since you turned 3 months old you have only woken up twice in the middle of the night. You play hard and you sleep hard. You have done so wonderfully on a little schedule and we love every moment you are awake exploring the house and chasing after your brother. 

• Weight: 
• Height:
• You wear size 3 diapers ( you drink so much milk and you have started wetting through diapers at night)
• You wear a size 2 shoe. You have tiny little feet.
• You take one nap at 9:45-11ish and then another nap from 2-4 (or sometime in the afternoon for about 2 hours).
• You go to sleep between 7;30 and 8:30 and sleep until 7-8.
• You have been taking a sippy cup just fine and depending on whether we find a sippy cup or bottle lying around that is what you take. I need to buy more sippy cups so we can pack the bottles away.
• You are getting over baby food. You will still gobble up some pouches if you drink them from the pouch but you do not like us feeding you from a spoon. Your favorite food is probably blueberries. We realized that you have a strawberry allergy and break out into welts so we will try them again in a few months. You eat eggs or yogurt for breakfast.
• You often eat turkey, yogurt, applesauce pouches, pieces of cheese, watermelon. You will literally try anything. cut up chicken,spicy cheese dip, green beans are some that come to mind.
• You are in a mommy phase and if I even set you down you will scream. You only do it for me. You can be playing great but if I walk into the room you start fussing or crying until I pick you up. In the mornings before work you want me to hold you all morning and it makes getting ready interesting. 
• I tried bringing you to the gym but you seem to NOT like it. They always come and get me and it wasn't worth the emotional stress for either of us so I am going to join a different gym and go in the mornings before you wake up.
• We always know when you are tired because you will just suck your fingers and rub your ear. 
• We warm your whole milk. We never did this with your brother but you really like it that way so I will continue to do it for my sweet girl.
• You are so easy to put to bed. We just lay you there and you go to sleep. So far you just go down with your jammies on and your fingers in your mouth. I feel bad you don't have a blanky or stuffed animal you are attached to so I will try to start giving you one next month.
• You are obsessed with climbing the stairs. It is exhausting. It's all you ever want to do. I am too nervous to let you climb down them yet since they are all wood. You do great getting up them but we still always follow you up them because it is just too scary with the wood.
• For the last few weeks you have taken 5 steps here or there but you haven't seemed to take off with the walking but I bet any day now you will. You can definitely walk you just haven't started walking on a consistent basis. You love to stand up and hold on to whatever is near by.
• You are great with letting me stick a bow headband on your head. You never mess with it unless in the carseat so we always take it off before car rides. 
• You are just so busy...we can run quick errands but anything long and you are itching to get out of the cart or high chair (if we are eating out). We can't really entertain you with a movie quite yet.
• You looove yogurt melt and those can sometimes hold your attention. 
• You want to be wherever your brother is. He can rough house play with you and you think it's hilarious. 
• You loooove Nana. Of course you love Papa too but when Nana is around you kick your legs in excitement and want her to hold you.
• I know you love nana and papa because when they walk into the house in the morning you go crazy. You kick kick your legs and squeal out of my arms. 
• you can say daaadaaa but don't know that means daddy. that is just the sound you said first. you don't really say any words yet but  I am sure they will start coming shortly

You are soooo precious and we just love you to pieces. We can't wait for a fun summer. --taking you to the pool and beach and watching you walk all over the place. You are so happy just playing and pushing toys all over the house. We can't believe you are already ONE year old. I can't wait to see all the excitement this next year brings. Happy first birthday sweet angel. We love love love you!

Sutton's First Birthday Celebration

I feel like I planned Sutton's birthday celebration for months. There is just nothing sweeter than celebrating your sweet miracle turn 1. They grow and change so much over the first year and your heart just explodes with love along the way. I have always dreamed of having a sweet little girl and Sutton is just the most wonderful answer to that prayer. I can't believe how fast it went from late night feedings to being independent and almost walking--it truly was an amazing blessing to watch her grow over the past year. I am sooo thankful for her good health and that I have a thriving one year old who is just getting into everything. I decided to theme her party with golds/pale pinks. 

I found the perfect gold birthday banner

We framed some pictures of her over the past year

We sent everyone home with bubbles for the kids and our very favorite chocolate shoppe chocolate chipwiches packaged in little paper bags with gold glitter '"one" on them.

I had so much fun going back through all of Sutton's pictures and picking my favorite from each month to display across the fireplace. 

Nana made the cupcakes and Crawford had fun helping decorate them. We then put gold 1's in them.

Nana also baked Sutton a funfetti cake for her smash cake. This has always been my favorite cake and I am just sure Sutton will agree.

I had a one birthday banner made for the cake that added a little flair.

Cathleen found perfect happy birthday napkins at swoozies.

She picked Sutton out a sparkler 1 candle and it was so cute when it was lit.

We had some tassle garland made to drape across the island in her birthday party colors,

We catered in some BBQ, beans, coleslaw, macaroni&cheese, chips, watermelon, sweet tea, and pink lemonade to enjoy lunch with family and friends.

We had a 36 inch balloon blown up to hang behind her high chair. 

And of course a Sutton birthday banner was draped across her high chair.

After all the decorations were in place we waited for the princess to wake up from her morning nap. She woke up just as guests were arriving at 11 am. She was ready to celebrate!

She kept that crown in place all afternoon and was the perfect princess I always dreamed of celebrating.

Craw was equally surprised when he discovered we had Thomas the Train come to take all the kids around the neighborhood. (Since Craw's birthday is in the winter we thought it would be fun to have a special surprise there for him. He loooove Thomas still at age 4 and he was just so excited about this special treat.)

Sutton loved rides on Thomas too!

The neighbors came over and of course Hope and Carter (cousins) were there to celebrate.

The conductor just took loops up and down the street for an hour and the kids all seemed to enjoy it.

Sutton had a ball prancing around in her tutu before we brought the cake and high chair outside.

Birthday cake was in place and we couldn't wait to see how Sutton would react.

Here she is as the center of attention at her first birthday party!

After we sang to her we thought she would tear into the cake ..but she sorta just checked it out.

She took a lick of icing here and there but didn't go crazy yet.

Aunt Cat showed her how to shove her hands right in the middle of the cake.

She enjoyed some handfuls of cake before she was all done!

We took a few more loops on Thomas before he packed up to go home.

Sutton opened her presents next. She got adorable outfits, swimsuits, and of course some girly toys! She just loved her princess car that Joretta and David got her. She pushed it all over the house.

Everyone else enjoyed cupcakes on the front porch.

Sutton has brought so much laughter and joy into our family over this first year. We have loved watching her turn into this curious little toddler. We know each day gets more fun and we just really try to enjoy each stage as we have watched the time fly by with Crawford. We love her more than she will ever even possibly comprehend and we are so so thankful that God gave us this sweet angel.