The Washams: January 2010

On January 16th, Meghan turned 1!!! The year went by way too fast. I remember back to the day of her arrival. I was laying in a room waiting to go in for my c-section. Shane had given me his ipod to listen to music & try to relax, as I was very nervous. I layed there crying for a few reasons...I was sad that it was my last few moments being pregnant. I loved being pregnant & feeling Meghan move inside of me. Another reason for the tears was fear. I was nervous about the giant needle going in my back & was praying that Meghan and I would be okay.

At 2:05pm I heard the most beautiful cry. My daughter was here!

She cried a lot while they cleaned her up. Then they brought her to me so I could see her for a few minutes. As soon as my lips touched her cheek when I gave her her first kiss, she stopped crying. She knew me already :).

Then about an hour later, she was placed in my arms. Tears began again as I held my baby girl. She was beautiful!

I'd always wanted a daughter but really wasn't sure if God would choose to give me one. I had set my heart to being fine with all boys. Then, the ultrasound day arrived & much to my surprise (and extreme happiness), the ultrasound technician said 'It's a Girl'!

And now, that girl celebrated her 1st Birthday!

Her Birthday was a lot of fun. Shane, Josiah & I went into her room when she woke up that morning & sang her 'Happy Birthday'. We gave her the presents we got her & the started getting ready for her party.

We had our families over & a few friends for teh big day. Our home was filled with pink, purple & green balloons, flowers & banners. Josiah loved it!

The guests arrived & we got started with a few games for the kids...pin the cupcake in the little girl's hand, baby bottle bowling & beanbag toss. Trying to get around 10 kids to patiently await their turn was very challenging :).

Then came Meghan's first taste of cake. She gently stuck her fingers in the icing & tasted it. I could tell she liked it. I then put some of the chocolate cake on her hand & let her eat that. She definitely likes cake :). She was pretty dainty about the whole thing; didn't go crazy, although she still managed to get very messy.

A few minutes later, Meghan opened her presents. She had fun opening her toys and began playing with them right away.

It was a very memorable day.

Some things I love about her:

*how she darts for the stairs as soon as she sees the gate is not up

*that she lights up when Daddy comes home

*she wants whatever we're eating

*her smile & cute laugh

*how she stands up whenever I put her in a cart or high-chair

*how she plays so independantly with toys

*that she gives her babies kisses & feeds them a bottle

*her beautiful blue eyes & gorgeous blonde hair

*how she likes to help me push the shopping cart

*she recognizes her big brother & says 'Bubba'

*when I say, 'Can I have a kiss?', she leans in & lets me kiss her

*how she knows how to hold her bottle but would rather me do it for her

*her way of playing is dumping things out & putting them back into a bucket

*she laughs so hard when you chase her

*she can give high-five's (that of course, Daddy taught her)

What a wonderful 1st year we've had with Meghan. We're so grateful for her & the joy she has brought to our lives.

Happy 1st Birthday, Meghan Joy! Shane and Meghan when she was born!Shane and Meghan on her 1st Birthday!Meghan and I when she was born!Meghan and I on her 1st Birthday!Getting ready to eat her first cake ever!She definitely liked it!She was such a cutie!

Josiah enjoying helping Meghan with her presents!

She loves this toy!

Though Meghan is turning one tomorrow!!!...I thought I'd share pictures of her at 11 months. She's had a month full of great times, which included her First Christmas and her first steps (on Christmas Day even)! We celebrated Christmas 3 different times with wonderful family. She did great at all of them & liked opening the gifts. On Christmas Day at Shane's parents house, Meghan took her first steps! It was so exciting watching her do that. Since then she will walk a little if I stand her up, but she gets lazy & sits down after 4 or 5 steps. I think it will be soon that she'll walk more. Josiah's doing great with her. He's a big help. He loves to help put her pajamas in the hamper & her diaper in the trash. He likes making her laugh by singing songs & making funny noises. He likes bath time with her...although I have to work on him not pouring water in her face. We're pretty sure that whole milk is not doing good in her system. It seemed to clog her up. So, for now, she's just getting formula. I'll check with her Dr. at her 1 year appointment to see what I can do. Here are some pictures from this past month... Josiah giving her a bottle.