Maya Ruth is ONE!!!

Dear little Maya Ruth has turned one...as of last week at least!

She talks....is tempting to walk, and LOVES to eat!

At one, Maya:

Says, "Da-Da", "Dank-Do" (thank you), "Chee" (Cheese), "Maya", "Uh-Oh", and she tries so hard to say Lydia, Connor , and Aiden on certain occasions. Mama? Well, that's few and far between.

She gives kisses, and teases kisses too...such a natural little girl! "mmmm-MA" is what you hear when she's got her puckers smashed up to you! She especially loves kissing her sweet cousin Chloe!

She stands from a squat in the middle of the room but will not take a step.

She loves food and will eat almost anything in your hand. If you are eating, you better be sharing because she's also started...

...throwing big tantrums. She will sit in the middle of the floor, toss her whole body back onto the ground, flip it whole, flip it half way, and scream like a two year old. She must have learned from Liddy.

She sleeps through the night 1/4 of the time and wakes once a night around 4am otherwise.

Takes one nap a day.

Has four pearly whites.

Is 19 pounds 1 ounce (25th percentile)

and 28.5 inches long (25th percentile)

with a head that is in the 75th percentile for her age...I'd say she's pretty darn smart!

Maya was the last to wake on her Birthday, so she was greeted by the crowd....

Connor had to get her out of the crib!

She ate toast for breakfast.

Went for a run with Mommy, Liddy, and the boys...

And when I pulled out the camera to take a photo of her, she posed and said, "Chee" for the very first time!

She bounced on the wheelchair with Lydia for quite some time.

And wore a family ring, passed down from my Grandmother, Nonna!

Daddy bought her one single pink rose for her Birthday!

And she got a miniature violet that sings her lullabies at night time. She loves it!

When we started singing Happy Birthday, she threw her head down to her knees and gave a shy little grin. She was fully aware that this was her special day!

Most of our time was spent watching her eat her little heart away!

We love you Maya Ruth....

You are a bright light in such hard times!

Thank you for being...YOU!!!