Elizabeth Wynne {Happy 1st Birthday!}

Elizabeth Wynne.

Your name shouts "God is abundant." You are daily proof of His unceasing love and creativity. We can't believe our "wynne-some" little lady is a year old!

A year ago, at this time, I was waiting for contractions to become more consistent. My heart was so ready to meet this little lady who so surprised us with her coming. Through a roller coaster of fear and physical trials, it was not easy to "grow" you. You forced your mother to her knees before she even saw your face. And God taught me the painful lesson over and over, "My God is enough." Your beautiful birth story was a picture of God's love and faithfulness.

Now, our sweet baby is ending her first year. If I thought time went quickly with the first baby, that's nothing compared to the second. By the time my **fictitious** seventh child finishes his/her first year, I'm going to need Dramamine just to keep from getting dizzy!

Character {at age 1}

{Less than 1 month}

"Betsy-Boo-Boo," as she is affectionately known, is a remarkably happy, contented baby. She loves people, and seldom fusses or whines. That being said, when she's convinced that something is wrong, she reacts as though she is dying. Her reaction to early bedtimes is the most vehement, and her sobs would make any theatre connoisseur proud. But her volatile moods are few and far between (and usually reserved for when Daddy is present).  Her general state of contentedness lets her play with one toy for hours and remain calm when there's nothing to entertain herself with. She sits quietly, loves books, and delights in watching the antics of her brother. This contentment also sometimes transfer to indolence, and wee Bets is not always fond of hard work (like rolling over, sitting up, or crawling). Each physical milestone has been a battle because of her proclivity for lying still. (No, don't worry, there's not anything actually wrong. She just loves being still!)

{3 months}

Bets is a quick study when it comes to obedience. She learned what the word "no" meant with less than five repetitions! She's very quick to respond to verbal correction and doesn't require a lot of repetitions to learn what is expected of her. She is very docile and obedient (although more creative in trouble-making than her brother was!), and her parents are incredibly thankful for her tender heart and her desire to make Mommy and Daddy happy.

And she does make us very happy. Laughter is very common when Bets is present. She is already a dynamic "story-teller" with crazy facial expressions and flailing arm movements. She will react to different sounds and sights with over-done drama. She will watch other people's faces and attempt to mimic their facial expressions. Our darling comedian already uses her flexible face and big blue eyes with great effectiveness.

Milestones {at age 1}

{6 months}

As mentioned above, physical prowess is probably not in our daughter's future (although we would be delighted for her to surprise us!). Bets does a "sea-turtle" crawl on her belly and can cover a lot of ground rather quickly. This morning, just in time for her birthday blog, she propped herself up on her knees and rocked back and forth. She's also gotten fairly good at "standing" when supported by Mommy or Daddy. Can't wait for the little sea turtle to turn into an official crawler. Mommy is ready to kid-proof the house again!

While perhaps not fond of physical endeavors, Bets is incredibly verbal. She does different voices, sings, and "talks" all day. She growls, blows bubbles, and makes silly noises with her tongue. Bets said her first word at 10 1/2 months of age (it was "uh-oh!" produced with huge eyes and a big round mouth) and has since added "no," "Dadda," "hi," and "I love you." (Very social words from our very social Chicken Little).

Favorites {at age 1}

{6 1/2 months}

Because of her easy-going nature, Bets doesn't seem to have a large amount of strong opinions. Our easy-going girly is really okay with letting her brother dictate his favorites, and then going along with him.

She loves her new "Cinderella" Little People toy, and gravitates towards all Little People in general. (She loves to carry them around as she turtle-crawls from one room to the next). Bets loves books and enjoys joining her brother in anything that he is playing with.

{11 months}

Food is also an area of general compliance. Baby Girl will eat anything. She loves penne pasta and also enjoys cottage cheese, yogurt and fruit. Leafy-green veggies are still not her favorite, but she will try them without too much protesting. What Bets really loves about eating is feeding herself. From day 1 of "grown-up" food, she has loved stuffing her own mouth full. It's one of the few areas in which she is incredibly stubborn: for Bets everything tastes better if she can do it herself.

Bets is also a cuddler. She initiates cuddle times. She loves hugs. And she's always happiest perched in someone's arms. If she ever crumples down onto your shoulder, that's a "Bets hug" and it means she likes you. Please don't be too excited, though. She likes pretty much everyone...

Beautiful girlie, your Daddy and Mommy pray that you will daily become more aware of your Savior and your need for Him. We delight in seeing your gentle, teachable spirit and pray that this, coupled with your joy and thirst for drama, will lead you to the only God who can give you the dramatic life, filled with joy, that we know our little chicken would love. We love you, darling.

You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
{"Bets' Psalm": Psalm 16}

Happy Birthday, Bets! We love your beautiful sunshine!