Tuesday, April 22, 2008

My Little Girl is One!

Was it really a year ago that I woke up in the morning feeling my first contractions and knowing that I'd be having a baby that day? I remember Jacob speeding to Soldotna and praying that we'd make it to the hospital to have a baby and not to fix broken bones from being in a car accident! Obviously, we did make it safely and just about four hours after arriving, little Ziya was born. I knew from ultrasounds that I was going to have a girl, but I still remember holding her and asking myself, "What on earth am I going to do with a girl?"

Well, one year later, I know exactly what to do with my little girl (most of the time, anyway!). I love her and cuddle with her and let her melt my heart time and time again every single day. I also enjoy making hair accessories that coordinate with her outfits (who, me???), figuring out new ways to style her hair, dressing her in pink (I always thought I'd have a little girl who only wore jeans and t-shirts... she actually only owns one pair of jeans!), crocheting pretty edges on blankets for her and doing other girlie things I never thought I'd do. I love it, and I love her!

I think Ziya knew it was her birthday today. As I rocked her for a few minutes before putting her to sleep last night, I blew in her face to get the hair out of her eyes, like I always do. This time though, she surprised me by blowing right back in my face and then giggling! Earlier in the day, she found a single key, went to the bathroom door, started knocking on it and then stood up and stretched as tall as she could on her tippy toes and tried her hardest to put the key in the doorknob. I was wowed! During the day, she took the package of sponges out from under the sink, took them all out of the packaging and took them one by one and put them on the table. These may not seem like big accomplishments, but because I was thinking about her birthday and her growing up anyway, they seemed really big to me.

I love my little Ziya. Ammon and Abraham love their little sister and can't get enough of her. And Jacob absolutely adores her. What a wonderful blessing she is to our family. I often think of a quote one of my friends passed along to me: "President Brigham Young explained that our families are not yet ours. The Lord has committed them to us to see how we will treat them. Only if we are faithful will they be given to us forever. What we do on earth determines whether or not we will be worthy to become heavenly parents." Ziya (as well as all of my children) makes me want to pass this test.

We had a fun birthday. Gina inspired me to try fondant for her cake. It was quite the experiment (thanks to Kortney for all your help! You're a lifesaver!) and I definitely learned how to make it easier and better for next time, but I think she liked it! We kept encouraging her to get messy with her cake and ice cream, but she was quite dainty about the whole thing. She got a little bath toy, but by the time she finally made it to the bath after such a busy day, she was too tired to even play with it. We'll try again with tomorrow's bath.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZIYA!
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9 comments:

Thomas Family said...

Wow, your cake looks awesome! You really need to email me how you did that. I really love it. And I can't believe she is 1 either. I love my memories of AK and all of you. I remember when you went to the hospital. Makes me laugh because Jacob was so stressed that you were going to have that baby in the apartment hallway! What are your plans this year anyways? Are you staying or going?

The Gray Family said...

first birthdays are so fun...what a cute little girl, and what a beautiful cake!

Anonymous said...

When I count my blessings, my grandchildren tops the list. May I make an educated guess? You're the brightest and the best..!Jacob and Berenice Here's three cheers-Ammon, Abe and Ziya.

Love Mom Gomez

Youngfamily said...

Cute cake! Cute kid too!

Anonymous said...

Bere, I'm telling you.... Alaska seemed like a wild adventure and you didn't know how you were gonna get thru it... but I think it's brought out the best in you.... miss hidden talents.. = ) Ziya is adorable and sooo big! I love the hair. She does have better hair than Lanie, too. Lanie's is just as long, but not even. It's funny and big and wild and I love it, just like Ziya's. You could probably write a book with all you've learned while living there.

Very cute cake..... Go Ammon! your budding superstar dino guy... Jacob.... I know you've secretly been doing pilates for years now... just come clean = )

All the kids are amazingly cute!
Love ya!

arroyo fam said...

Bere, I'm telling you.... Alaska seemed like a wild adventure and you didn't know how you were gonna get thru it... but I think it's brought out the best in you.... miss hidden talents.. = ) Ziya is adorable and sooo big! I love the hair. She does have better hair than Lanie, too. Lanie's is just as long, but not even. It's funny and big and wild and I love it, just like Ziya's. You could probably write a book with all you've learned while living there.

Very cute cake..... Go Ammon! your budding superstar dino guy... Jacob.... I know you've secretly been doing pilates for years now... just come clean = )

All the kids are amazingly cute!
Love ya!

EvaMarieva said...

Tht is a great cake! Happy Birthday you your lil girl. You seem to love Alaska. Thank Jacob for the piilates post-Mike is going to do yoga/pilates with me now!

Travis and Kamala Sloan said...

Oh good grief, I can't believe its been a whole year. Wow time flies when your having fun right?!?!?! Your kids are sooo cute. We miss you guys.

Presley family said...

She is so darn cute!! Did you make her cake?? Wow talk about talent!!! I want you to come and make me one! wink!!! It looks there is always something new and fun going on in your sweet little home! I want to come and play! We miss y'all tons! BIG HUGS!