so my baby is now a one year old.
i know. it's crazy hard to believe. please don't tell me about how they grow up so quickly.

i'll be honest...this was a little bit hard for me. i'm happy and sad to see my little baby grow up all at the same time! it's very confusing folks! :P

anyways, in order to give her a fun first bday, as well as divert myself from the danger of getting into a sad funk of wondering how the days passed so quickly and where my baby went, we took a family outing to the zoo!


this was jia's first trip to the zoo, and at just 12 months old, i wasn't too sure if she would be that interested honestly. but she's fascinated with dogs, so we hoped she'd get a kick out of other animals as well...and she did! it would be safe to say that she LOVED the zoo!

it was mostly the big animals that fascinated her...particularly the lions and giraffes. i wish the elephants had been closer for her to see, because i'm sure she would have loved those too.





there was also a petting zoo, where she made friends with some goats and horses. she's definitely not afraid of animals! good thing those goats are pretty chilled out!



but perhaps her favorite thing of all was the little water play area that the zoo had for kids. she's been pulling up and walking around with support for several months now, but watching all the big kids running around in the play area inspired her to take her first independent steps!
she's been taking a few more each day since then, so we'll be in trouble soon!



so at the end of the day, we all had a blast. my husband and i just enjoyed watching her have so much fun. it's exciting now that she is enjoying different experiences more. i hate seeing my baby disappear, but each new age brings so much excitement and joy of it's own!

one year old...or 12 months...however you want to say it, i can't believe that it's here!



hopefully i'll crank out a few posts this week about jia's birthday fun, but for now i'm just going to tackle my last monthly baby photo and update. maybe in the future i might do some every 6 months or so, but i probably won't try to replicate the whole laying down on a blanket in a white onesie bit.

do you have any idea how hard it is to get a 12 month old to lay down on their back and be still? the past few months it's gotten increasingly challenging! here's a few out takes from this month...


actually they're kind of all out takes this time...but alas, she was done, so i just picked the one i liked best.

so as you can tell, this month she's been all over the place! she would run around everywhere with her little walker, even though we could tell she would be able to walk if she tried. she also got pretty skilled at running around on her knees, which was kind of cute! but then on her actual birthday she took her first independent steps! since then its been a few more each day.

she's in the 80% for height and weight, so she's trimming down a bit! lol. must be all that exercise!

baby girl LOVES to be outside, but unfortunately she is also a mosquito magnet! must be because she's so sweet!

these days she is learning new things so fast...it's fun watching the little light bulb go off in her head! she is getting better at using a couple signs, and she's learning how to actually play with some of her toys the way they're meant to be played with! haha.

she is full of non-stop chatter these days...once she has command of more words we'll be in trouble!

getting to know her and watch her grow this year has been one of the highlights of my life! 

so it's almost a month later, but i have to mention my first mother's day.

i sort of celebrated last year since i felt pregnant enough to qualify, but this year it definitely all had a whole new meaning.

so far being a mother has been one of the greatest joys of my life. it has far surpassed anything that i had imagined. i feel so blessed and thankful to have jia in my life!

so here are the three generations of ladies in my fam last year...

and then this year...


it's nice to be wearing jia on the outside this year!

we also got to take some pics in the park with a friend that day...which i think needs to be our new annual mother's day tradition!

we have an 11 month old in the house!



every day jia seems less like a baby, and more and more like a toddler! she's yet to take her first independent steps, but she walks around pushing her little cart all day as if it were her job!

she has 6 teeth, and there are definitely some others under the gums trying to cut through, but now she has a cute toothy grin!

one of her favorite new skills is clapping...she wants to clap all the time!

and the girl still hasn't met a food she doesn't like. she loves to eat pretty much anything!

it's starting to get hot in texas, so we got her a little baby splash pool, and she loves it! she's definitely a water baby. we're looking forward to her swim classes next month!

last year around this time i was very pregnant, but this last weekend i got to celebrate my first official mother's day! really being her mother is such a blessing. i had no idea what a joy it would be! pure exhausting joy! :)

i would have to say that this past month has been marked by teething teething teething!

ok, so someone has officially lived in this great big world now as long as they lived inside my belly!

on st. patty's day, jia turned 9 months old!



all the sudden it's starting to feel like i have more of a child than a baby! she's super mobile, crawling around all over the place, climbing up on things, and starting to cruise a little.

and one day before she turned 9 months, she said her first intentional word...and it was "mama"! does this mean that i win? ;) probably her favorite noise to make is to say "dada" over and over again, but her father wants to be called "papa". plus this was different...the other sounds she says for fun, but when she said mama you could tell she meant me. even her papa was there and agreed! She also tries to wave bye bye now!

anyways, it's like she's reached a whole new level suddenly of mimicry, and understanding some cause and effect. if feels like her developments are increasing exponentially now... i'm afraid she'll be passing me up soon! haha.

as she grows i feel both sad to see the baby go away, but also happy as i love seeing her learn new things!

so over the past few weeks, two of my very dear friends have both brought some amazing bundles of joy into the world!

i'm over the moon excited for them. seriously it's hard to contain! haha. the early days with a newborn are just so crazy and incredible. both terrifying, and full of wonder. it's basically like falling head over heels in love and having no idea which way is up.

next to a newborn, at 8.5 months jia looks almost like a toddler now! haha. it's crazy what a difference just a few months makes in the life of a baby. it has gotten me to reminiscing back to when she would just fit into the crook of my arm.


first pic of our family! can you believe i'm just now going through the pics that were on our actual camera?! mom fail! wow...there's no tired like what you feel right after a long labor. boy do i look it! yikes!



holy heartburn! that chunky monkey had a lot of hair!!

i miss the days that have flown by, but i'm so in love with the person i'm getting to know and who she is becoming. this is such a fun time. motherhood has definitely turned me all sentimental. i wish i could just hold her forever. i'm wrapped around my little girl's finger in a way i never had dreamed. it has really taught me to appreciate the amazing treasures from heaven than children are.

so here's to raising these treasures together amongst friends!
have fun getting to know your little ones and falling in love all over again!