Britta's First Birthday!

All children are special,

but Britta has a very tender place in our hearts.

She very much is the baby of the family.

I always knew she was coming.

My heart knew about a daughter that would be named Britta.

Scoff if you will, but it's true.

I knew she was coming just after Mitchell was born.

I just didn't know when.

They say we learn something from every child.

That we aren't really here to teach them, 

but that they come to teach us.

Britta has taught me that success in a home is measured in smiles shared and love felt,

not in the number of tasks I can complete in a day.

I feel such a tender love for her and how she makes me feel.

I use the hashtag #brittatherapy on my Instagram for her pictures,

and anyone who has held her can tell you, 

that she really is a balm to your soul.

She has healed my heart in many ways.

Two very understandable requests. 

Her eyes literally sparkle with joy.

Even though she didn't come right out and say it, 

I know she wanted a Gap sweater for her birthday.

A mother just knows these things.

Can you guess what she had for her birthday dinner!

I'll give you a hint, that's not a macaroni accessory.

I can't tell which burns brighter...

the candle or her sweet brilliant smile.

Colette wanted to make her a star cake...

Luckily I had bought this cake pan at IKEA a while ago for no reason.

Another impulsive purchase justified!

Miss Piggy says, "Never eat more than you can lift."

So, dig in babe!

"Oh I will!"

Although I'm not sure how much of it she actually ate.  

Annual bathtime! 

hahaha, just kidding.

I don't bathe my children nearly that often.

So let me tell you some fun facts about dear Britta.

Her name comes from a Norwegian Great Great Grandmother and means "Exalted One"

(See? It's not just a water filter!)

There also is a cool website called "BrittaDotCom"

that is run by a girl named Britta in Sweden 

and is dedicated to all the Brittas of the world.

Britta has a rare skin disease called Mastocytosis.

She has small, barely noticeable, red dots all over her body, 

about 20 of them. 

They are small clumps of histamines.

If they become even slightly scratched or irritated,

they break out into hives.

That's why she rarely wears a headband, 

because she has many of them on her head, 

and I'm afraid of irritating them. 

 But I get an Epi-pen, so...

In a very professional and unbiased experiment, 

Britta ALWAYS prefers the Aden and Anais blankets

to any other blanket offered to her.

And she drags it around the house between her legs, 

so she won't trip on it. 

Britta has sparkling blue eyes.

I dare you to try to say no to her...

Daddy sure can't.

Britta is the biggest of all my children,

but still she is about the size of a baby elephant's pinky toe...

But look at her tongue! 

Is it just me, or is that abnormally long?

She also wins the prize of all my children for walking the earliest.

She can suck an applesauce pouch dry in about 2.5 seconds. 

Britta is literally a garbage disposal.

I have found the most peculiar, 

and inedible objects being passed in her poopy diapers.

And that being said, she has also been caught twice actually eating her poop.

(at Grandma's house, of all places.)

We really need to work on her diet.

She is a real night owl. 

Good thing I am too. 

She still has no teeth and very little hair at one year old. 

Well, thanks for spending your time celebrating our darling Britta's birthday with us.

To show our appreciation, we've saved you some cake.

Happy Birthday darling girl!

Thank you my angel.

I always knew you would come to us.