Big One-Year-Old Girlie!

It is all but impossible for us to wrap our brains around the fact that Emily has only been in our lives for one year!  It seems as if she was always meant to be there, and the first year of her life has brought us the joyful fulfillment of a family life that feels complete.  I am utterly devastated  that she has raced through her babyhood so quickly, and I would relive it all again today if their were some magical way. Perhaps this is why I have been so obsessive about documenting every passing phase and stage. Sentimental sap that I am, I want to revisit her first year any time I like through the magic of photography.

A Birthday Tribute to the First Year of Emily.

Waiting and dreaming.

A pink bundle of joy enters our lives and captures our hearts on January 5th, 2011.

Newborn naked perfection.

The new Hulse family portrait.

2-week-old little dragonfly.

Posing for the camera already at 3 weeks!

Heads-up, a big one-month-old!

An expert bunny wrestler by 2 months!

Heart-shaped hairline at 2 months.

Making her debut in baby blue at 3 months.

Here's looking at 3-month-old you, Kid.

Fluttery and pink at 3 months.

Getting feisty by four months!

Very pleased with her four-month self.

An ocean of pink at 5 months.

A giggly, wiggly little 5-month-old.

6 months old, in her baptism dress.

A little classy, a little sassy at 6 months.

This little six-month-old angel still has her wings!

7 months and showing off her shiny teeth!

Tickled to be 7-months-old.

8 months old and crawling everywhere.

And crawling some more.

9 months old and showing off her serious side.

Purple pillow pose at 9 months old.

Helping Daddy rake the yellow leaves.

There's a 10-month-old crawling up my leg!

A reflective little 10-month-old.

11 months with a toothy smile.

Standing on her own power on her birthday!

Birthday girl with a birthday bunny made just for her.

Happy 1st Birthday, Princess!

Looking back, it's been a great first year of Emily!

Resolutions

  Every year, I revisit the same resolution.  Some years, I pretty much nail it, and other years it takes more resolve, but it is basically always some variation of this theme.

Less of this:

And more of this: 

HAPPY 2012, EVERYONE!!!

Good-bye, G-tube port!

Timmy had to undergo a minor surgical procedure the day before New Year's.  Although no parent hears the word "surgery" and thinks "minor," no matter how routine the procedure, this truly was a minor surgery in the grand scheme of Timmy's world.  The feeding tube that had been surgically placed in his tummy between his two open-heart surgeries has been gone for about six months now, but the opening in his belly never healed completely.  A one-hour, out-patient procedure to close the now unnecessary g-tube port was successful. Timmy was a Super Trooper through out the whole process, and he has been recovering phenomenally.  Here are a few pics from our day at Children's Hospital in Seattle.

 

This is how the kiddos spent their time in the waiting room.

Waiting for the doctor to be ready, Timmy snuggled up with Daddy and watched videos.

Elmo got to go back to surgery with Timmy, and looked particularly cute with his own hospital bracelet.

Mommy also got to go back to surgery with Timmy until the anesthesia kicked in, and did not look particularly cute in her one-size-fits-all sterile space suit.

Nana came along to help us, and baby sister Emily slept through the whole event, perhaps tuckered out from all of the earlier waiting room antics?

Christmas 2011 at the Hulse Home

Christmas this year was filled with special blessings, not the least of which was celebrating it together with our wonderful folks.  Emily's first Christmas was made especially memorable for us when, upon receiving her first baby doll as a gift from Gaga, she stood up excitedly and WALKED over to her Daddy to show him her dolly.  First steps on Christmas morning, and all of us gathered around to see and share in the experience!  Timmy also made the occasion extra special by giving the grandparents a photo memory book of his first three years, then talking them through it, narrating it's pages with his own stories to accompany each photo.  The day after Christmas was also fun and relaxing, playing with all of the new toys and enjoying down time with the family.