Yesterday you turned one! I cannot believe how fast this past year has gone. People always said the first year would feel like a blink and it sure has. It has been so fun watching you grow. I still remember when your dad handed you to me to hold for the first time. I felt overwhelmed with love. You were this tiny little person with big blue eyes!
My prayer ever since you were born was that you would embrace you middle name, Hadassah. You are named after Esther in the Bible. She was a very strong woman who loved God and stood up for what she believed in. She was compassionate towards her people and followed God to help them. You, miss Emma, are such a sweet and compassionate little girl. You love to give hugs and kisses to anyone that will let you. You smile and wave at people, cars, mailboxes, trees, pretty much anything you see. You always like to talk with the child who is playing alone or sitting alone. You like for everyone to be included. I am excited to see how you grow in this over the years.
I love that you are already falling in love with Africa. You love to watch safari shows on TV. You are fascinated with the animals. At the zoo you love to see the elephants. You wave and talk to them and then get mad when they walk away from you :)
Your favorite word is 'Yeah.' You say it all the time. Our conversations throughout the day sound something like this:
Me: Emma are you hungry?
You: Yeah!
Me: Emma do you want to play outside?
You: Yeah!
Me: Emma do you want to ride an elephant?
You: Yeah!
Me: Emma did you grumpy (poop)?
You: Yeah!
Me: Emma do you want to take a nap?
You: Yeah!
It's gonna be rough when you replace that word for 'no.'
You have taught me so much over this past year. I have learned that living in the moment is often better than trying to get a picture. It is in those moments that God has really spoken to me. He has used you to to teach me more about His love for us. An example of this is when you want to play with something you cannot have, such as a large sharp stick. I see the result of what could happen if you were to play with the stick before you even get it in your hand and because I love you, I want to protect you from falling on the stick, poking your eye with the stick, or anything else. But since you do not see the big picture you proceed to cry and throw yourself on the floor. This is a lot like life baby girl. God can see the big picture and sometimes He will take away some thing we think we want or need. During these moments we will want to cry and throw ourselves on the floor, but He will be there to lovingly pick us up and direct us towards a safer path.
It is such a joy to be your mama! I love everything about you. I might be biased but I think you are a genius. You bring so much laughter to our family. Our days are definitely brighter with you in them. I am excited to watch you grow over this next year.
We had a big birthday party for you. Some people thought I was crazy to have a big party because you will not remember it, but it might be the only one (for a while) that extended family and friends are able to come to. You enjoyed playing in the water, playing with cousins and friends, and eating the icing on your cake!
I love you baby girl, thank you for making me a mama :)
