We’re officially counting down the days until Santa arrives, we ring in the New Year and celebrate Camdyn’s first birthday. Honestly, I can’t seem to wrap my head around how fast this year has flown by! It seems like it was just yesterday that we brought a 6lb baby home!

Camdyn is now 11 months old and waiting for Santa. She has no idea she’s waiting on the jolly man, but her mama is excited for her! Note: Be sure to flip through the pictures and see how cute my baby is BEFORE she started slinging my ornaments across the room!

This year has taught me to have a greater appreciation for time and to be grateful for the smallest joys! While we wait for Camdyn’s first Christmas to arrive & next her birthday, I’m looking at my list of joys and celebrating all over again!

Here are some of the BIG and small (to someone) joys we’ve celebrated this year:

1. Bringing home our bundle of joy with no complications in a pandemic!
2. Mastered nursing–and between figuring out positions and the latch–this was by far the BIGGEST Joy to celebrate!
3. Figured out steaming food & a meal prep schedule for Camdyn
4. Crawling right before 7 months
5. Sleeping in her crib through the night! *Full disclosure: Some nights she still co-sleeps, but she’ll have plenty of time to sleep alone!
6. We went from 2 teeth to 8 in a matter of months & Camdyn must have a high threshold for pain because she barely fussed. Now, she loves brushing her teeth or sucking on the toothbrush.(however you choose to look at it lol)
7. Our big girl enjoys feeding herself all of her healthy snacks! Fresh strawberries and bananas are her favorite.
8. A certified walker/runner at 10 months– yanking stuff off the Christmas tree
9. Camdyn loves story time– Goodnight Moon is her bedtime favorite (She cracks up when the cow jumps over the moon)
10. Camdyn is pure joy– we find ways to celebrate her happiness as often as we can. My prayer throughout my entire pregnancy was for a happy, healthy baby. Camdyn is all of that and so much more. Her happiness reminds me to be intentional with my prayers.

As we prepare to head into a new year, I’m challenging you to find time to be grateful for your smallest blessings and appreciate time. As we gear up to celebrate 365 days with Camdyn, I’m writing out my gratitude list. It’s longer than usual, because this year I’m counting my blessings more than once. Every month she grows older– I wish I could make time stand still, but at this point I know it’s impossible. Instead I’ve vowed to enjoy each moment while in the moment. I hope you’ll do the same.