Dear Lily,

Liliana Mae, my sweet baby girl, you are one year old today!  That means you are no longer a baby (but you will always be MY baby!).  You are getting so big, and yet in so many ways you are still so small and dainty.  You are an absolute joy most of the time.  You are easygoing, happy, and sweet.  But when you are not happy, you let everyone know it!  This is usually when you are tired or hungry, or when your brother keeps bothering you.  I always wanted a baby girl, and God truly blessed our family when he chose us for you.  I am so excited for the years to come, and the adventures we will share.  I have decorated your nursery with images of Paris, and I cannot wait to take you there.  I can't wait to show you the world and teach you that you can be anything you want to be.

You are not in a rush to get big and grow up like your big brother was.  You are taking your sweet time to learn new things.  Your new skill is pointing, and you point to things that you want.  You are mobile, and you do a hybrid scoot/crawl maneuver to get where you want to go.  You have absolutely no interest in standing or walking yet.  You are perfectly happy sitting, rolling, and scooting around.  You do things on your own time, and you find pleasure in the simple joys in life.  I believe you are going to be our free spirit, our dreamer, and I love that about you.  I cannot wait to see what you become when you grow up.

You are the perfect piece to our family puzzle, a true beauty, and a sweet soul.  I am so blessed to be your mom, and I love you all the way to the moon and back.  Happy first birthday baby girl!  Love, Mommy