Happy 1st Birthday Zoe!!!

One year old!!!! My once totally dependent 7 pound baby is now an independent 20 pound weeble wobble toddler. What an amazing first year. As I began weeding through the hundreds and hundreds (not kidding) of pictures on our computer, I shed a few tears at the thought that the baby stage is now a thing of the past. One year ago today (July 17th), I was in the middle of a 20 hour labor...with the eppy of course. I was, with my husband by my side, anxiously but not so patiently awaiting our precious bundle of joy. The moment she was put into my arms was one that will be etched into my memory forever...mainly because I was a little grossed out that they put a baby covered in goo on my chest with no warning. Thought I was going to get sappy there didn't you? :-) The moment after that (following Zoe being cleaned up a bit and swaddled in a blanket) where a tiny body with big brown eyes was handed to me is one that I will cherish. I love that I was given the chance to be her mother...love that I was able to be a full time stay at home mommy to her...love that I was able to spend every day watching her grow into a beautiful girl. I never knew how much you could actually love such a small being...never realized that the love for a child is such a different kind of love, and that you can't possibly experience that until you have a child of your own. If the last year is even just a glimpse of what a joy having a daughter will be, we're in for a good ride!

Below are 13 pictures. One at birth and one representing each month of her life so far.