Robin Hope Turned 1!!

"A One-year-old child is so many things --
A tiny discoverer of butterfly wings,
A hugger of Teddies,
A sweet sleepyhead,
And someone to dream for in bright years ahead..."

-Anonymous 

Our little Robin Hope is officially 1 year old!!

She weighs 18lbs (23%) and is 27.5 inches tall (4%). 

Robin has such a fun personality; a wonderful mix of happy, stubborn, so so sweet, unbelievably smart, incredibly mischievous, wonderfully independent, super friendly and  extremely funny. She is so strong and so lovable. Most times I find myself just watching her and laughing, but really I never know what she's going to do next. She is full of surprises and keeps us all on our toes. 

Shortly after turning 11 months she began walking. Now, she's no longer a crawler that occasionally walk, or even a walker that occasionally crawls. She's a skilled walker that even takes off running. She still has spills and tumbles, but she hardly if ever cries. She picks herself up in stride and keeps going after whatever it was she was chasing. She's a very determined and focused girl. She keeps her eyes on the prize, especially if that prize is an open dishwasher, an open door to the potty, or chasing after her older brother.

Robin is very coordinated. I was laughing as I filled out the 1 year questionnaire for the doctor becasue (not to brag, but) she was so much more advanced than the questions asked. Its kind of funny and strange seeing someone so small be so physically capable. She's a climber. She climbs up the oven door in efforts to play with the gas knobs (errr). She's not content helping with dishwashing unless she's climbed up and into the dishwasher. She loves loves loves going outside in the backyard and running around all over and climbing up and down the deck steps. At church, sitting is not an option. This girl wants to run up and down the aisles, halls, and stairs. I am in primary, so now it's Skyler's problem, uh i mean blessing. :) He's exhausted after wrangling for 2 hours. I have had so many people come and talked to me about how cute Robin is and they love watching her antics during Sunday School.

Robin spends most of her free time, cruising around the house finding things to entertain herself with: the tupperware cabinets, pots and pans, windows and curtains, night-lights and plugs (errr), Charlie's balls and food dish, River's inventions, and occasionally her toys. She does love to sit and look at books. 

Robin does the funniest things. One of which is she loves to climb and lay all over Skyler. When he's done with work he will come up and play with the kiddos. This usually entails him getting down on the ground to play with them and, ends up with him laying down, giving Robin full access. She excitedly runs over with her hands waving excitedly in the air. When she gets their she flips around and throws herself in a backward swan dive on top of Skyler, her cute little body arching playfully over his tummy. And she laughs and wiggles and giggles and is so happy. Of course River gets in on the action, and Skyler is at the mercy of these two smitten kids. Robin usually takes advantage of Skyler being pinned down. She wanders around to his head and sits down on his face and starts bouncing. Its really really funny. I need to video it for the archives.

Robin says Mama and Dada, and we're working on Brother, especially River. It's so sweet how he tries to coax her into saying things. Those two together are so cute. They get each other giggling and laughing. They are almost inseparable. If Robins not in sight, River asks where she is. If River leaves the room, it's not long before Robin is cruising around trying to find him. She waves byebye, pretends to talk on her phone. To express her love she gives leans, where she leans her head in to rest on yours. River loves when she does that. Ok, really we all do.

Robin is cuddly and sweet. She gets very emotional and dramatic. She loves to play and explore. She's confident yet quite. She loves people and smiles and flirts with just about everyone. She can't get enough of her dad, her brother, and her dog. I love her to death. My heart has only grown bigger with my daughter and my joy and hope deepened. I know my hard work and sleepless nights are some doing good. 

It's hard to sum up Robin in a nutshell. She is and does so many things. I love the baby stage, and there are a lot of things i miss. But this is the stage I love because they really are becoming their own person and exploring the world and who they are. It's amazing. And I love Robin more and more everyday!! I want to remember everything, her freshly washed hair, her crazy toenails, how she lays her head down on my shoulder when she's tired, how she calls mama and follows me around the house all day. I love how she eats saltine crackers and sits in my lap when i am sitting indian style. I want to remember the sound of her laugh when she's playing with River, and how she lights up when Skyler comes home. I want to remember wrestling her anytime i have to change her diaper or clothes and she gets bored. There's so much to remember, so much to treasure. Perhaps it all gets woven into the fabric of our souls, and the makeup of our being. Thus becoming eternal and forever ours. I hope so. 

Happy First Birthday Robin Hope!!