Happy Birthday, Sweet Pea!

At exactly this moment last year, Sweet Pea was born and I fell in love all over again.  From the minute MJ told me that she was a girl, I had visions of life with two daughters and a sister for CC to play with, conspire with, and be best friends with for the rest of her life.

Sweet Pea is my secret treasure.  She's not as social or as outgoing as her siblings, but she's fiercely attached to me and will giggle and smile non-stop when we are together.  I get to see sides of her personality that she doesn't really show many other people, so it seems like our shared secret.

She's a tiny little peanut, but she's strong and determined.  Her stubbornness -- particularly when food is involved -- is truly amazing.  (Case in point: she was on a hunger strike for most of July and actually lost weight.  Argh!)

Even her pediatrician has laughed and told me that I have my work cut out for me with Sweet Pea.  Typical methods of motivation and discipline will likely not work for her.  I'll probably be struggling for the next 18 years, trying to keep one step ahead of her!

She doesn't fuss or cry much, which is a welcome relief compared to her siblings.  But when she makes up her mind about something, she is bound and determined to get her way, so watch out!  Her "angry" cry sounds much like an air raid siren, one long, steadily rising cry: "aaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Sweet Pea loves sweet things, like fruit, so I expect she will attack her first dessert -- birthday cake -- at her party.  Her favorite books are Peekaboo Baby and Counting Kisses, both of which cause her to collapse in giggles.

She holds up her arms to me when she wants to be held, which makes my heart melt, so I rarely refuse her.  And she would happily walk around the house all day, as long as she had a willing set of fingers to hold on to.

Her tiny size means that she's still wearing a lot of 6-month clothing, and size 3 diapers are still a little big on her.  But she's far ahead of Little Man physically, already pulling up and much more steady when "walking."

Sweet Pea doesn't need a whole lot of sleep, either.  I've recently had to start separating them for their afternoon naps, because she was keeping Little Man awake too.  I suspect she is ready to transition to just one nap a day, even though she's younger than CC was when she made the switch at 15 months.

I love you, my tiniest angel.  Happy first birthday!  I can't wait to watch you grow and see you become the little girl you're destined to be.