My Baby is 1 :(

I can hardly believe that Natalie is one year old today! It seems like I was just pregnant. Now, I am not pregnant, I don't have an infant, I have the beginning (okay very beginnings) of a runners body (well, at least the flat chest!), and I have a toddler...I can't even believe it! Natalie came into the world at 12:05 AM on March 9th last year (it was a Sunday) and daylight savings time had just gone into effect (making the staff question exactly what time she was born). She was the product of a relatively easy pregnancy and an extremely easy labor and delivery (though not as easy as Melanie...). She has been a delight this first year, though not without it's difficulties. She was not the easiest of sleepers at times (there were many nights I thought I would lose my mind nursing constantly...or driving aimlessly through pouring rain in the middle of the night- it's a wonder we survived!). There were days where she was an infant needing constant care and holding but, oh yeah, there was a 2 year old I was suppose to be caring for...and a job (at the time 2), graduate school, a life, and a husband (poor husband-on the BACK BACK BACK burner!). However, we managed it all and we all survived and though Natalie is into EVERYTHING these days and is in CONSTANT motion things get easier and easier. Melanie is almost self-sufficient and actually quite a big help when she wants to be. Natalie is now drinking out of a straw, eating all table foods and can get to whatever she wants without my assistance. She also, believe it or not, goes to the bathroom on the toilet on a semi-regular basis now (appx. 4 times/day!). So overall, life is amazingly wonderful and I couldn't ask for it to be any different. I nursed Natalie for the last time last night (the 24th month of my life devoted to nursing!) and got teary eyed. It is a hard thought that I will never (well at least not on purpose) nurse again. It was a stressful task. It was EXTREMELY time consuming and required a lot of diligence on my part. I have nursed in almost every conceivable place and if I didn't nurse there I pumped there (driving down the road, in parking lots, on airplanes, in bathrooms, in closets, etc.) I think more people have seen my boobs or the side of my boobs than ever wished to. However, I can take pride in knowing that my minimal amount of sleep at times (well, nursing babies only sleep 1-2 hours at a time at first b/c they are constantly nursing) has really paid off and created brilliant, healthy babies. Natalie's birthday party was super fun. It was a small gathering of close friends and family and we enjoyed company and children. Natalie started to get tired part of the way through and we hurried through presents (at a record speed) and then onto cake. Like predicted Natalie was THRILLED with her cake and dove right in. She ate until I had to take it away. She was too funny. The cake was beautifully decorated from Publix by the same lady that made Melanie's. Natalie then went down for a nap while the rest of the kids played and the parents, ate, drank, and enjoyed everyone's company. It was an amazing day between my race and the party and I am just in a happy place right now. I couldn't ask for anything more and I'm so proud of my family. Well, enough of the gushiest post I possibly have ever done...just a little sentimental at the end of my mom to a tiny baby days. Some of these are just random pics from the past week at our house celebrating Natalie's first year. The cake pics without a hat were taken today, actually on Natalie's bday where she literally ate all the cake we gave her in two bites/fist fulls.