The Bailey Chronicles

Over the course of this year I have written about the things Bailey has learned from her first giggles, clapping, eating solids, saying Mama, rolling over, waiving, new teeth, crawling, pulling herself up to a stand and most recently standing for brief moments unsupported and climbing up on furniture. If I sit here and think about it long enough I could probably write a list a mile long of Bailey developments, but if you have been following this blog you already know these things. She has come a long way from that tiny little chicken-legged newborn baby I brought home from the hospital those first days of life observing the world through new eyes, taking it all in. But of all the things she has learned, I think she has actually taught me more than I would have ever guessed. No amount of babysitting or daycare jobs can prepare you for the job of taking care of a newborn baby. I never thought that once she arrived that I would feel so afraid of her. I realized fully at that moment that I was in charge of this new life and her well being and that we were experiencing a new world together, something I had never thought about in that perspective. I learned that the fear of losing your baby starts early on and will probably never go away. I learned that nursing a baby can go horribly wrong for a while but with enough patience and determination it really does help keep those hormones in check and bring back those warm fuzzy feelings even at the most trying times. I learned how little sleep one can function off of and it not even matter because God has blessed you and touched you so deeply with the love you feel for your little one that you know if you merely blink the baby days will be over. I learned the ridiculous amount of pride you can feel as parents when your baby does a new trick, like sleeping in her crib for the first time throughout the night. I learned that the amount of love a human heart can hold has no boundaries once you have children. I figured out why people get so emotional with movies, listening to music, or even reading a quote through the eyes and ears of a parent. I learned that as a mom when your baby cries it triggers something inside of you to yearn to fix it, not because the sound annoys you but because your heart is breaking with them. I have realized that even though it is so hard to watch your baby grow that it is also the most amazing thing to watch them develop into a little person. I have learned that everything is a phase even if you don't want it to be. And most of all I learned how important a year is!


Mommy and Daddy love you so much Bailey. This has been the best year of our lives thanks to you sweetheart!