Happy First Birthday Jaclyn!!!

Jaclyn on a 4-wheeler

Jaclyn, one day old

All smiles on Easter Sunday


Look at that hair!!

Jaclyn feeling the breeze from a fan with her tongue

Tuckered out after lots of bouncing!

Today is Jaclyn's 1st Birthday!!! What an exciting day at our house. Jaclyn, of course, is oblivious, but Josh and I took a few minutes to reflect on the past year and share some of our favorite memories made with her this year. I think all of you with children would agree that these kids grow up way too fast. Jaclyn is the greatest blessing to our family. She is so smiley and happy, easy-going and "low maintenance"--all perfect qualities in a second child!! (Especially when she came just 15 months after her older sister, Joanna.) Here are some of our favorite memories of Jaclyn:

1. Jaclyn was born on Dec. 6, 2006, at 11:33 a.m. That whirlwind morning is forever etched in my memory; not because I was the one experiencing the labor pains, but because of our crazy trip to the hospital. My labors progress rapidly. Contractions quickly became extremely intense and so I said to Josh in a slightly psychotic voice, "We need to go NOW!!!!" Josh seized the opportunity to speed a bit recklessly through town. (We had a legitimate reason, right?!) He whipped out of our apartment complex, blew through two stop signs, and drove 40 in a 25; all before being pulled over by a policeman. The cop gladly let us go but gave Josh a warning to watch his speed. I couldn't believe he didn't give us a police escort to the hospital, though.
2. Jaclyn was the easiest newborn!! All she did during the first two months of her life was eat, sleep, and poop. She loved to snuggle and be held. In fact, in the hospital she insisted upon sleeping next to me in my bed. Every time I swaddled her and put her in her bassinet, she'd wake up and fuss.
3. From about 4-8 months of age, she'd feel the breeze from a fan or the wind outside by sticking out her tongue!! It was so funny to watch.
4. Jaclyn's hair stuck straight up for the first 6 months of her life!! No matter what I did to comb it down, it always had a mind of its own and stood straight up again.
5. She loves her bouncy chair. She catches air in that thing. She also loves to bounce on people's laps.
6. At 3 months, she came with me to see the high school theatre department perform "Beauty and the Beast". She slept and ate through the whole show!
7. When she was 6 months, we took a 15-hour trip to North Dakota for my 10-year high school reunion. I couldn't believe how great she and her sister did driving there and back. She also didn't mind it when she got passed around the room where ever we went. What a trooper!!
8. Jaclyn began to army crawl at 7 months. I think because she wanted to keep up with big sister, she'd scoot herself with her arms and drag her body across the floor. She decided to crawl on her hands and knees at 9 months.
9. She loved it when I sang "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly". I don't know why she loved that song, I guess I have a pretty voice?! ;-)
10. We all went to the Woodland Park Zoo this summer and Jaclyn had a great time. I couldn't believe how alert she was and how much she loved to look at all the animals.
11. Jaclyn still isn't walking on her own, but she's getting there. She loves it when we hold her hands and walk with her. She even steers us by pulling our hands in the direction she wants to go!!
12. Jaclyn is a thumb sucker. Heck, even an ultrasound picture shows her sucking her thumb en utero! To this day she'll pop that thumb in her mouth when she soothes herself to sleep or when she gets upset.
13. This summer when we went to Utah to visit Josh's family, we got to ride 4-wheelers. Even Jaclyn got a turn! Josh slowly drove around with her on his lap.
14. Jaclyn dressed up as Yoda for her first Halloween! She looked so cute.
15. Last Friday we celebrated her birthday with some friends who also have a little girl the same age. John and Chantalle's daughter is named Mariska, and she turned one last week. Chantalle made each girl their own mini cake to eat and destroy. Mariska voraciously ate her cake, grabbing double-fisted hand fulls of chocolate cake and gobbling it down. She loved it!! But Jaclyn, on the other hand, barely touched her cake! I couldn't believe it. She poked it and stared at it for a few minutes before daintily eating a few small bites. (She definitely did not get that trait from me!) We took lots of cute pictures of the birthday party, but I'll have to post them another day. The pics are still on our digital camera and our usb cable decided to bite the dust.

We love you Jaclyn!!