Twelve Months of Riley- May

Dear Riley,
Three weeks from today our house and hearts will be flooded with love and family and friends who are all here to join us in celebrating you- ornery, stubborn, loud, adorable, amazing, fascinating, don't drink too deeply or you might get drunk on her awesomeness- you. I can't tell you the number of times Daddy and in the last week have said to each other, how can it be a year already? You have packed enough terrorizing and exploring and climbing and eating and smiles into the last 11 months and 1 week to fill up six years.
Last May was an adventure for us. I will never forget Daddy carrying you in the car seat from the hospital to the car where he commented, "I feel like I'm carrying a dripping trash bag." We carted you to the Ronald McDonald House, where we had to collect all of the rest of our belongings that were left when we rushed to the hospital at 330 AM the Thursday before. You never even opened your eyes, little girl. Not once. We started up the hill and soon we were greeted by a blaring "Go shawty, it's your birfday" from the speakers at the house where Scott and Dave were anxiously awaiting your arrival. I laughed so hard I was crying. We moved from our house at Belford into our condo, and everything was in a pile on the floor and you slept in your bouncy seat because we didn't have a crib yet, but not a damn thing mattered because we, our family, was in OUR house and you were with us. I'm not sure Daddy was convinced that I was going to survive after the first week...having a new life around really messes with a momma's hormones. We ate out a lot and stumbled through the first few weeks, but damnit kid those were the happiest few weeks of our lives. All because of you. Who knew that 7 lbs 12 oz of a little girl who didn't know how to do anything except eat and sleep could cause a serious case of permagrin? Everytime I looked at you I felt like I cried. I always sometimes do still.
You have brought us through the most exhausting, exhilarating, adventurous year of our lives kid. Your stubborness I admire (although Daddy would argue that I am as stubborn as you if not more so), your easy going and carefreeness everyone around us covets.
I love you as much as you love Elmo, (and that is A LOT!)
Momma