A "Then & Now" post...One Year Ago Today...and a few days prior...

The "Then"...

We had a week of visitors last year at this time...

Rachel's very first visitor was Aunt Dana.

She came all the way from Texas to meet her new, little niece!

Rachel felt very secure in her arms.

Another one of my dreams came true that week...browsing Babies R Us with my baby girl and sister. Aunt Dana soon discovered that it was hard to not buy something for the adorable baby:)...everywhere we went! And...yes, it snowed in Washington last April!

One year ago today, April 18, 2008, was a very special day! One month old Rachel was having lunch at a restaurant on the waterfront with her grandparents, aunt, uncle, mommy & daddy! Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt Dana & Uncle Jim were the very first ones to travel to Seattle to meet our baby girl. It was a special week indeed. They were delighted to meet our precious, new additon to the family. Mommy & Daddy were already receiving comments about Rachel being such a "good baby". We couldn't have agreed more. We were more tired, truly exhausted, than ever before but so happy and proud of this amazing little person.

At one month Rachel was still pretty tiny weighing in at almost 9 lbs. and about 21 1/2 inches long. Her size Newborn sleepers were staring to fit much better! She still had lots of black hair that unfortunately started to rub off by month four or five. It was still too soon to tell what color her eyes would be as they were looking blue one day, brown the next and even green at times. Everything was progressing very well as her eating and sleeping habits were becoming more predictable and routine. She had already taught Mommy & Daddy the importance of a tight swaddle! She was right on track developmentally and doing great! Oh, and by this time last year, Sheena had stopped running to hide every time the baby cried and was starting to come find me to sit and stare as if to say, "It's doing that again...go do your thing...fix it...make it stop!".

Meeting Grandpa & Grandma for the very first time!

Very happy, new (first time!) Grandparents! (Aren't they cute:)) Our waiter was kind enough to take a group shot of us for the scrapbook.
Rachel with Grandma & Mommy...

Rachel with Grandpa & Mommy...

A Mommy & Baby moment...

thanks Grandpa for taking lots of pictures of the two of us that night...

And...

The "Now"...

Goodness, what a difference a year makes! Rachel is weighing in at just a little over 19 lbs. now and is 30 inches long! She is mostly wearing sizes 6-9 months and 9 months clothing. We are having a little trouble with pants. Her size 6 month jeans and corduroys are finally starting to fit her in the waist but are now getting too short! I am finally going to need to buy some size 9 month onesies. This is probably something all mom's experience, but I feel as though I am constantly going through her clothes to see what fits and what doesn't. Unfortunately, I have discovered that there are several winter items we never even got to as they were too big during the season.

Rachel is a busy girl..."singing", "dancing", crawling and "cruising" everywhere! She loves to climb on and over things (Sheena!) and especially loves climbing up the stairs. She is pretty chatty at times...saying "Da-Da", "Ma-Ma", "Ba-Ba", "La-La" and something similar to "Dog-gy". She waves and blows kisses...when she feels like it:). She can show you her ear, nose, tongue and belly button when asked. She loves bath time and is quite a good "splasher"! She is very curious and moves at an incredible speed anytime a door is opened...dishwasher, pantry, refrigerator, cabinet, bathroom, or laundry room. You have to move fast or she is right in there with you! One of her favorite things to do right now is to "unload" things...baskets, drawers, shelves, toyboxes, diaper bags etc...She loves to giggle, for what we see as no apparent reason but she must have her reason as she does it often. She thinks it is especially funny to watch Sheena shake a toy. Frank & I find ourselves laughing in the car as we listen to her singing, talking and giggling in the back seat...all by herself:). There is a mirror back there for her to look in, so maybe that's what all the chatter and giggles are about. She is still sleeping about 10-12 hours a night and taking her two naps a day! She has lots of favorite foods and just added macaroni and cheese to her list today! Wow, was that a big hit! She also had turkey burgers for the first time today and loved them as well. More to come...

Some pictures from the last couple days...

A few "Rachel Rules" if you will...

"The kitchen towel drawer must be unloaded all over the floor...at least twice a day..."

"If you can't reach into the dishwasher...just climb onto the door!"

"If you want a snack...go ahead and help yourself!" (Messing up the floor of the pantry tends to make one very hungry!)

"If Mommy won't stop taking pictures...just ignore her...maybe she'll go away:), but probably not..."

Ready to go to the mall and then meet Daddy for sushi...

Just a sweet profile picture...soft, kissable baby head:)...

Ready for dinner after a long, restful nap this afternoon!!!

Big smiles!!!