Amazing Journey

     Well can I say we have survived our first year as parents. It has been such an amazing journey. I have always dreamed of having a little girl and last year in June my dream came true. Before Allison arrived I had so many people tell me to cherish every moment with her because it goes by so quickly. I remember thinking to myself that it can't go by that fast. Wow! I have to say I now agree with everyone that gave me that great advice. Thank you to all. 

     When I look back at the beginning of my pregnancy, I remember having so many mixed feelings of excitement as well as are we really ready to be parents. As the months passed by, we got more and more excited for our little bundle of joy to arrive. I can remember every minute of decorating her nursery, picking out names, her little kicks in my belly, doctors appointments, etc. The day finally came to meet our little girl. I remember being so excited but scared at the same time. Thank goodness for wonderful family and friends to give me great advice throughout my journey. I did have a long and difficult delivery but, it was so worth it. At the time I didn't think I would ever do it again but, now I would do it in a heartbeat. 

     Tony and I have been very fortunate that Allison hasn't been a difficult baby for our first. She never cried a lot, slept well during the nights, and wasn't fussy for the most part. Look out for the next baby. It will probably be the opposite and be a little monster. 
       I have taken lots of pictures of Allison during her first year. When I look back at her pictures, I still can't believe how much she has grown up. It is amazing to see her walking now and saying words. We thank god every day for blessing us with our wonderful daughter. I don't know what we would do without her. No matter how bad of a day we might have, just to see her smile at you melts your heart. We are excited to make so many more memories and be able to continue our journey as a family.

    

We love you Allison!

Weekend in St. Louis

     This past weekend was so much fun. Tony and I decided it would be fun to take Allison to the St. Louis Zoo and Grants Farm. She is almost a year old and is at such a fun age. We knew how much she would love all the animals. We have also been talking about how we needed to take a small little weekend trip and enjoy some more family time. As you all know it is so easy to get wrapped up in our everyday routines and not always get time away as a family. Before our trip we were so worried because the forecast kept calling for rain but, it turned out that both days were gorgeous. The rain stayed out of the forecast and the temperature was great.
      We left early on Saturday morning and spent the entire afternoon at Grants Farm. Allison was in awe the entire time smiling and in such a good mood looking at all of the animals. Her favorite thing was getting to go in the goat pen and be able to help mommy and daddy give the goats a bottle. The goats kept nibbling at her little toes and making her giggle. It was so adorable. I think I spent most of the weekend taking pictures of all of her facial expressions. After we left Grants Farm, Allison was exhausted and napped the entire way to the hotel.  After checking into the hotel we decided to eat at the Spaghetti Factory which was delicious. Then we headed for a nice stroll down by the arch. By the time we made it back to the hotel, Allison was definitely ready for bed. She had another big day ahead of her on Sunday. 
     We woke up early Sunday morning and made it to the Zoo early. We met up with friends for the 22q awareness day. It was an honor to be able to be there and support 22q.  Allison really seemed to enjoy seeing the elephants, giraffes, and penguins. She kept wanting out of her stroller to walk and get closer to the animals. It was so funny to see her point and smile in amazement. After we left the zoo, we were all pretty worn out from the weekend but, made so many great memories. Since summer is here, we are looking forward to some more weekend getaways. Below are some pictures I thought you might all enjoy that I took throughout the weekend.

                                      Allison getting ready for Grants Farm  

                                                     Looking at all the animals

                                      Mommy and Allison feeding the goats

                                          Spending time down by the Arch

                                Daddy and Allison at the Zoo