Marlee is ONE!

I love to plan parties! Every year I look forward to having friends over for a Christmas or New Years party and again for the fourth of July. Because of our year with Marlee, we were not able to have either party. I was disappointed, but that just meant that I could spend lots of time thinking about my girl's big day!  She will not remember her first birthday, but after the year Marlee has had, she needed to be celebrated! Not to mention, it was much more fun to think about her party than the surgery coming two days later. It was the perfect distraction that called for lots of crafting and many trips to Hobby Lobby with my mom and my girl! 

Marlee has affectionately been known as "Marlee Bug" since she was a ladybug last Halloween. So naturally, the theme of her first birthday party was "Cute as a Bug." 

I was so excited to find these cute invitations!

The party was at my parents house, so I spent much of the week decorating at their house. I went over again Saturday morning while Greg made sure Marlee had a good nap! He brought her over at party time!

Here are some pictures of the decorations inside my parent's house. 

It was perfect day to crawl through the"Caterpillar Crawl", jump in with the "Rollie Pollies" or "Say Bees" at the photo booth!

For lunch we had P"bee" & J sandwiches shaped like butterflies, Caterpillar Kabobs (fruit kabobs), Veggies "From the Garden", "Bug Bites" (chick-fil-a nuggets), "Snail Shells" (tortilla roll-ups), Hot ham and cheese sandwiches (they had a cute name but I can't remember it), and we "dug in" to some Captain Rodney's Dip.

Marlee also enjoyed some sweet potatoes :). 

Then it was time for dessert! Cake, cupcakes, cookies, and brownies!

She was very excited to see her cake and really wanted the candle!

We sang "Happy Birthday" and even blew bubbles while we sang!

She loved the cake and ate it like a true lady!

She wanted nothing to do with the birthday hat that took me weeks to make!

One of my favorite memories of the party is Marlee sitting in her rocking chair as we opened presents.  I never dreamed she would stay in one place for so long, but she did!

It was a wonderful day! Marlee had such a great time celebrating with all of her friends and family!

Happy 1st Birthday Marlee Bug! We love you!

And thanks to my Uncle Tim for taking all of these pictures...and many more!! He also made her one year video that I would love to share when I figure out how to put it on the blog :).

Tomorrow is the Big Day!!!

I love this happy baby girl EXACTLY the way she is, but I am thrilled that tomorrow she will be able to hear! I have so many emotions but mainly I am filled with thanksgiving. A year ago yesterday, we learned that Marlee had hearing loss (I still plan to blog about that day!). This year has been a roller coaster of ups and downs. Our hearts have broken over the fact that our precious baby, created perfect in every way, will have such an obstacle to overcome. We have both cried more tears than we ever imagined possible while also rejoicing over the little girl that God gave just to us.

My heart is so full thinking of His faithfulness over the past year. When bad news just kept coming, during every doctor's appointment and every hearing test, through so many scary unknowns, the Lord did not leave us. As tears streamed down my face when I held Marlee during her first hearing test, He gently reminded me that He loves Marlee more than I do. That simple truth has given me courage to trust Him. He loves my girl and has a good plan for her. This is His BEST plan for Marlee. I am just thankful He is allowing me to be a part of that plan. What a privilege to be Marlee's mom.

As I would stand and rock Marlee back and forth and back and forth....and back and forth (as you do with a colicky baby), I would always sing to her. From the first time I rocked her, before I knew anything was wrong, my favorite song to sing was "Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart." After the hardest year of my life, the words to that song are even more meaningful.

"Give thanks with a grateful heart. Give thanks to the Holy one. Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ His Son. And now let the weak say I am strong. Let the poor say I am rich because of what the Lord has done for us. Give thanks."

I am grateful for all the Lord has done for us this year. He surrounded us with family and friends who have loved us and prayed constantly. He has given Marlee wonderful doctors and therapists who we love and who love Marlee. He has provided just what we need when we needed it. He has been to us, who He promises to be.

My prayer is that Marlee will always be thankful for the miracle the Lord has worked in her life. Life does not get easier after tomorrow. Marlee will have to work hard to learn to listen...but she will. One day soon, just as the song says, Marlee will be able to say that she is strong. Not by relying on her own strength, but because of what the Lord has done for her. We will give thanks!

Marlee goes to the Pumpkin Patch!

I could not wait to take Marlee to the pumpkin patch!  Every year I have loved looking at pictures of my friends and their kids at the pumpkin patch. Some dream of their child's first dance recital or first tee-ball game, I dreamed of the first trip to the pumpkin patch. As the day approached, it occurred to me that I may be expecting too much from this day. High expectations (my fairy tale world) can get me in trouble! This day, however, did not disappoint! Well, with the exception of the short sleeves and flip flops. I would have much preferred sweater and boots weather!

One day, I guess, I will accept the fact that I live in the south and will probably never wear a sweater to a pumpkin patch nor will I chop down a Christmas tree in the snow. Not that, in reality, I ever chop down a Christmas tree - only in fairy tale world! But in the real world, I wouldn't mind driving to Lowes in the snow (or at least wearing a heavy coat) to pick out our tree. Ok... Back to the pumpkin patch. Picking out a Christmas tree deserves a post of its own!

The day began with a car ride to Cedar Hill Farm and then a hayride to the pumpkin patch where Marlee chose her very own pumpkin.

She loved pulling up on the big pumpkins and really wanted to see how the stems tasted :(. She loved being outside and enjoyed the fresh air by taking off her shoes and opening her mouth wide making for lots of funny pictures. I'm not sure why she does this, but we think it's pretty cute!

In between all of the picture taking, we did lots of fun things!

We got a sneak peek at the Christmas tree farm :).

She loved watching her daddy feed the goats.

She even went on a train and pony ride!

We chose more pumpkins to bring home with us and then headed to the Memphis Street Cafe for lunch. All in all, I'd say the first pumpkin patch experience was a success! I suspect it will only get more fun each year!

Stay tune! I have a birthday party and cochlear implant surgery to blog about!!!