A Tribute to Celia

We really can't believe the speeding locomotive that was Celia's first year of life. And just like the Little Engine that Could ("I think I can, I think I can, I think I can"...) our choo choo train made it... made it! through Year One.

You remember year one parents... confused sleep deprived soggy headed patience lacker trial and error expert sitting, rolling, crawling standing diaper blow out nipple sore let's all have a good cry year?

Well, here she is: ONE, eating her cake Mama made:



Despite all of the days and nights that we thought we might hop a plane to some remote place and never come back, it was truly a beautiful year as well: full of laughs and smiles and accomplishments, and blissful loving heart bursting moments, and of course, opportunities to discover the true depths within ourselves. Like life, I suppose.

So to commemorate Celia's first year, here are my TOP 7 things I love about Celia. 7 for the 7th month in which she was born, 7 for the 2007 year she was born, 7 for if you add up her birth month, date, and year, and break it down to a single number, you get 7. So yes, mixed in with photos of her birthday party, here are Celia's TOP 7!

1. I love that Celia is so much like her daddy. It's said Steve could sit in a corner and look at books for hours as a wee one. Well, she does that. She can sit on her blanket while I work in the garden for literally 45 minutes or more, just picking grass, playing with finger puppets or reading to herself. I look around the corner when it's too quite, and there she is flipping through Dr. Suess. Oh, yes, she has a temper, she scowls a lot and she is severely independent (all from me), but her true nature underneath mom's bad traits is gentle and intelligent - Like Steve. She's so lucky she has so much Steve in there (here she is with books from Andy and Amy. She LOVES these things)



and yes, with some me in there too: (playing in the kiddie pool at her party)



2. I love that Celia loves so much. She is always telling us she loves us in sign language, giving hugs or kisses or just crawling over to sit in our laps. She is really so sweet. Here she is helping Nana Char make her birthday watermelon punch.



3. I love that Celia loves to dance. She can't walk yet, but when I hold her and swirl around the room she just closes her eyes and smiles so wide that all her teeth sparkle in the twirling lights. She can boogie to Red Hot Chili Peppers or do a waltz to Mozart's Adagios... she just loves to dance! Here she is dancing to this Obama song I sing:



This is just a picture I love:



4. I love that Celia can see the little details of life. Every morning on our walk she has to pick 3-4 flowers to hold onto the whole time. And when we return she points and grunts at the swing that hangs from our 100 year old Oak Tree and we swing for 5 minutes in the warm summer breezes that feel so good in the shade of a Michigan 85 degree day.



5. I love that Celia will try anything. She'll try any food, any adventure, any new toy. She checks it out and then lets us know whether or not she will continue eating, going or playing with the newness. Most of the time, she just takes what is given and is happy for it. Here she is playing with her new toy from Grandma Carol.



6. I love that Celia gets so happy when daddy comes home. It is a true huge gigantoid blessing that as soon as Steve walks in, she is smiling, her legs are shaking in excitement and she reaches out for him. That gives me, the full time at home mom a very needed break every night. She'll pull out books for him, crawl like a speeding bullet to him and his guitar, or just lay on the floor with him laughing and crawling over him over and over and over. Here they are reading together.



Steve also came home on her birthday with her first bouquet of roses. Awww.. :)



7. Lastly, I love that Celia has shown me who I really am. She is a literal mirror to me and this has been the greatest blessing, for she is and will continue to be my Zen master. Her faces, her reactions, her decisions all have a little bit of me in there, and at times I have been exceedingly proud (ie: she doesn't know yelling, she smiles and says Hi to all, she hugs and kisses her "Baby" over and over) to extremely discouraged and embarrassed (ie: she scowls too much, she grabs something and hits you if you try to help her,). Having a child has taught me more about myself that I think I could have ever know without her. I have seen areas, through watching her, that I wanted to better MYSELF on. It's amazing. She really is amazing.