Happy Birthday, Amelia.

I'm 1 today.

Amelia Sava Turrell
Born: August 7, 2007
Time: 6:50 am Central
Weight: 8 lbs 10 oz
Height: 20 inches

Wow, what a big day. I can't believe how fast the time has flown. We get to be in Michigan to celebrate her very first birthday! We have moved around a bit since arriving and Amelia has had a few moments of confusion when it comes to sleep...this morning she awoke at 5:00 am and ended up in sleeping in bed with us, (I was not ready to begin the birthday that early). However, as she fell fast asleep, curled up between us all snug and warm, I found myself unable to go back to sleep. As I lay there, listening to the rhythm her little breath and staring at her sweet sleeping face, I replayed the event of her birth over in my head, hoping I would be able to remember it all...a little sad when I realized that some of the details had left me. I can't help but feel a little overwhelmed today; a strange feeling, I realize, on such a happy occasion. My friend Dana sent me an e-mail a few days ago commenting on how emotional she felt on her son's first birthday, for obvious reasons of course, it's a quite a big milestone! Before her e-mail, I had only been thinking about what a big day this is for Amelia, and about how much she has grown but she also reminded me that being a first time mother for a whole year is quite an accomplishment. Thinking about all of the things that I've learned, sorting out all of the new feelings...so many new ones, and settling into this new identity called "mama." And though this day is not about me, I feel so blessed just to be here, to be able to watch her turn one, literally...
I watched the clock while she slept... 6:00 am... 6:30... 7:00... waiting for 7:50 am (6:50 Nashville time) to sing Happy Birthday to her. She woke up around 7:30 ish and we played and talked until 7:50 when I hugged her and told her happy birthday and that one year ago at this exact moment she came out of mommy's tummy and into the world, I proceeded to sing the whole Happy Birthday song to her...she listened, smiled at me and then pointed toward the door...
Onward into year two...