Happy 1st Birthday Hadassah!

A very special girl turns 1 today - October 29th!

 In March I got this dress for free. Sized 18 months, I hoped it would fit Hadassah for her birthday pictures. It did. :) With the balloons on the front, I hoped to get balloons to take cute pictures like ones I'd seen on pictures. After many searches though, both online and walking by and in all the local shops, I couldn't find helium balloons for a good price. Some places delivered, but for more money than I was willing to pay.

But, God provides. I asked my neighbor if she knew where to get helium balloons, and she didn't, but said I could borrow these sticks with attachments to use with regular balloons. It wasn't my first choice, but it worked. Just took a LOT of tries to get a picture of Hadassah holding the balloon actually up in the air! ;)

 This little girl brings such light and joy into our lives...

 She's always on the go, walking and crawling everywhere, always ready to explore.

 I tell her she'll be a good mommy someday, as she takes such sweet care of her dollies

 She's learning to identify so many things, and will beep your nose if you ask her to!

 I never realized how much a name could warm my heart. But my little Hadassah girl does just that - her name is a reminder of all she is...

 She's cute and playful, with a different expression each second it seems...

 She loves flowers... every time we go outside she squirms until we smell the flowers, reminding me that it's good to take time for the little things.

 She's also curious about the way things work, and will take a flower apart if you leave her alone with it ;)

 Our little fall baby loves to explore and feel the many different textures in God's creation

 Her face lights up when she sees her daddy. He's the one she wants to find every morning after nursing, and she got so excited when he arrived for the end of our photo shoot!

 She's growing up... venturing out into the world. After a year where she had to have mommy to go anywhere... it's wonderful but also sometimes just a little hard to let her go...

 She's so cute and adorable and happy as a lark... most of the time. ;) Like anyone else, she has her moments too!

I am excited to see what God has for her future. It's so amazing to see the abilities and desires He's already given her, and we pray much for what the path ahead holds.

"If you take one more picture..."

We also know when she's had enough and it's time to be all done. ;)

A fun out-take from the photo shoot... she's still unsteady at times, so Daddy took good care of her, spotting her as she walked the path. We had no falls, thankfully! He then helped me edit the pictures to get such amazing photos for our memories.

Our baby has become a toddler.