Everyone warned me how quickly time would go once I had kids- and they said it would go even faster once I had my second. It feels like just yesterday Jack was tearing into our gender reveal cake, revealing a pink middle:
There is something so bittersweet about celebrating your last baby's first birthday. This is the "last" first birthday. The "last" cake smash. The "last" of such an exciting first year. But, I'm also not going to miss pumping. And I don't miss pregnancy. See? It's bittersweet.
I hate to compare, but I always do: Jessie is similar to Jack in so many ways: she's always been a hardcore sleeper, a good feeder, doesn't mind being covered in sand, grew teeth early, & hit milestones all at the same time. But, it would be unfair to not note the differences between the two: she put on weight effortlessly, eats nearly everything you put in front of her (& A LOT of it...), & gets into cabinets (like most babies do!). Oh, and there was that whole hip dysplasia-wear-a-brace-for-several-months-debacle (which she was ALWAYS a champ about!).
What else differs? Their cake smash sessions. Jack's first birthday cake smash was the first of its kind I did- I figured it was the perfect opportunity to try my hand at a different type of session! This will likely come as no surprise to anyone, but we did Jack's session two weeks before his first birthday. Jessie's? Three days before her actual birthday, after over a week of being sick, I woke up in the middle of the night and realized I had a couple days to throw it together. I was too late to request a cake from my baker, too late to order her a personalized shirt, but instead had to rush order a cake from Publix & dig through the mountain of hand-me-downs she has (fortunately) acquired! This girl was NUTS with her cake. I have never seen a baby interact with a cake like Jessie did. Not only did she dig in, she tried to fling it everywhere. Then she rubbed it in her hair. Then she continued to eat it. It was the BEST. (She made up for Jack, who was a "delicate" cake smasher...see below)
Jessie is sassy. I guess it comes with the territory of having an older brother. I hope she never loses this quality (although I know I will regret this wish in 15 years). She's also sharp and inquisitive- also two qualities I hope are here to stay. Put it this way: just last week, we dubbed her the "honey badger" of the family. Jessie, even though I am yet to even PURCHASE your baby book at a year old, I love you with every fiber of my being and I'm so glad God gave me you.
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