And here I sit, crying myself silly, because my girl is ONE.

This whole motherhood thing is just the craziest little adventure. I used to laugh at moms who would cry at birthdays. And now, I am that mom. Last night as I rocked Milly to sleep, I prayed over her little life and cried tears of deep gratitude, thanking her and the Lord for the very best year of my life. I have loved the privilege of being Milly’s mama this past year, from the moment she surprised us with the fact that she was a girl, to the first time she laughed (I cried then, too), to the first time she rolled over, sat up, crawled, said “dada” and “mama,” and even the first time she learned how to be silly and laugh at herself. I am officially UNDONE, y’all. I’ve never truly known the love of a mother before – a love that can break me down completely and fill me up completely like this. Sweet Milly, thank you for giving me this gift. I think this is what heaven tastes like.

Happiest birthday, my girl. I love you more than you’ll ever know.

Beautiful images by my dear friend and our family photographer here at NRP, Elizabeth. I love you and am forever grateful for these treasures.

You can read Milly’s full birth story here: Part 1 and Part 2!