Drinking from a Straw

This is Malia's new trick, she can drink from a straw! The liquid is still "honey thick" but it allows her to get more liquid at one time and it's a stepping stone to get her off the bottle.

Swinging at the park

A fun day at the park!
We are finally having some nice weather this week!



Malia loved swinging.
I wish I got a video of her laughing and having fun....... next time!

I'm One! Malia's little b-day party

We had a little party for miss Malia with my sister's family and several good neighbors/friends. My dear friend, also neighbor, also amazing photographer was so generous and so kind to take some pictures of Malia and all the decorations that I had spent weeks making. Her blog is http://sjoymartin.blogspot.com/,check her out, she's great!

Below are just snap shots from my camera.

Malia wasn't too interested in her cupcake. I tried giving her a little bit but she didn't want any. That's ok, it made for easy clean up and no bath. Maybe we'll try again in June when it's suppose to be her birthday.

Making the decorations was a lot of fun. Harley was in Kenya so it gave me something to do after the girls went to bed. I made banners, cupcake toppers, table decorations, party favors, the birthday cake and Malia's birthday onsie. We just had so much fun celebrating this little girls life!

Thanks!!!!

Happy Birthday Malia!!

Wow, what an awesome day! It feels so good to be celebrating Malia's birth today! Considering where we were last year and all the emotions we felt not knowing if Malia was going to survive, today is a great day! She is absolutely perfect and has grown and changed so much this past year. She is just so sweet and we are SO THANKFUL for her life! What a miracle!

Below is her past year in pictures. You don't need to know anything about her story to see what a litte miracle she is!

Malia's life in pictures

Birth

day 10

day 14

day 17

1 month

1 1/2 months

3 months

4 months

4 months

6 months

6 months

8 months

9 months

10 months

11 months

Psalms 139:14
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

One sweet baby girl!

She tried spaghetti for the first time and loved it!
Of course the clean up is never fun so this will only be a
every "once in awhile" meal.

She's getting around pretty good by rolling and then army

crawling. She'll get her eye on something and roll clear across
the living room. Once she gets there, she pulls herself the rest
of the way.

A year ago today

A year ago today marks the date that Malia's blog/birth story began. It's so hard to believe a whole year has flown by. With the many sleepless nights and the never ending exhausted emotional days a whole year has passed right before our eyes! Wow, it's so hard to believe that a year ago Malia was ultimately fighting for her life and my life was being compromised in the midst of her horrible circumstances. Those were some of the toughest decisions Harley and I have ever had to make and I can't even imagine making them without the comfort and wisdom of the Lord. Thank you Jesus for always being close and never leaving our side! Today the girls and I went to Chick-Fil-A because a year ago that's where we went right before my 3D ultrasound.(Harley would have gone but he's currently in Kenya) It was a day where we gave thanks for Malia's life knowing that the circumstances could have been very different if I never would have had that ultrasound. Malia celebrated too with a little cut-up chicken, fries and ice cream. Amazing! I just sat there in awe as she ate her food. Praise God! I am so thankful for her life and the abundant joy she brings into our family. She is truly something special!

11 Months

I am 11 months

I'm really getting good at sitting up and
I can even reach for things that are close by.

I sometimes reach a little too far and end up on my stomach but
that's all good b/c I am learning how to pull with my arms to get
where I want to go. I sometimes push backwards and get caught
under furniture, I'm becoming quite adventurous.

I love my sisters and I light up whenever I see them.
I especially light up though when I see my daddy! I really
love my daddy!

I'm pretty content all the time. I like to hang out on the floor
with toys, in my highchair with some food or in my little
entertainment saucer.

I am trying and eating all sorts of different foods now. I'm not
very picky and I even ate a whole bowl of mashed up avocado and
applesauce last night.I need to make sure I am getting enough
calories so mommy usually tries to find food that has a high
calorie count.For example, I eat a lot of yogurt, cheese,
avocado, cereal and stage 3 baby meals. I also like to munch on
veggie straws, puffs and of course cheetos :) I only need to
use my feeding pump about 2 times a day. I'm able to drink about
2 ounces by mouth and the rest (6 ounces) goes through the pump.
Hopefully soonI won't need to use the pump at all but my throat
needs to heal first.

O' last thing. I am a really good sleeper. I always have been
so not a lot has changed but I usually sleep from 7-7 with 2 naps
during the day. I'm pretty awesome!