Lilly Bug is Turning One!

Lilly Bug is the baby in our family. She’s our second grandchild; the little sister of Jonah Bear. Her first birthday is in two weeks, and I’m in shock. Where did the past year go, and how did it pass so quickly? It seems like she was just born a few months ago, and now she’s one. That can’t be right. The world must be spinning faster now that she’s here. She’s no longer a baby. In the past few months she has blossomed into a sweet, happy little girl. She wakes up every morning with a smile on her face, singing to herself as if the only option in life is to be content. I wish we all shared her enthusiasm. She loves to laugh and will giggle at just about everything her big brother does. She’s just on the verge of standing without any help, and wants so badly to do everything Jonah Bear does. She jabbers non-stop when she has something to say and the fact that very few clear words have yet to form doesn’t slow her down. She can snuggle and give sweet baby kisses like nobody’s business. She is mommy’s baby and daddy’s little girl. She has him wrapped so tightly around her little finger it’s hard to imagine he can breathe. God help him when she gets older. He’s already threatening not to let her date…ever.

Lilly Bug looks a lot like My Baby when she was little. She has the same cute face, the same elvish ears, and the same hair swirly on the back of her head that looks like a hurricane forecast on the Weather Channel. She also has My Baby’s sweet but ornery streak. It appears she will be feisty and strong-willed like her mother. But that’s okay. We like strong feisty women in our family. It’s in the bloodline. She’s named for two dearly departed aunts (Lillie & Lily) who are remembered for their sweet and salty personalities. My Baby was a fiercely independent, adorably funny child. I was also an affectionate, funny joker and all-around good kid. My mother was a loyal, hard-working, sarcastic renaissance woman who could tackle anything and come out a winner. My mother-in-law is nicknamed “Toughie” for a reason. She’s not the type to back down from anything. There’s definitely some good mojo in the gene pool. That’s how we grown them around here. Our ninja is strong, as we like to say. Lilly Bug is no exception. She is well on her way to being a scrappy, loveable little cutie patootie, and that makes us very proud. Happy first birthday, Lilly Bug. Papi and I can’t wait to see what happens next.