The Top 12 of 2012

Dear Baby Waider,

I have MILLIONS of things to do right now, so naturally, I decided to take this fifteen minutes to compose a blog post. It is New Years Eve. Never really one of my FAVORITE holidays. I remember on NYE 1989, the day before it turned to 1990, I was hanging with my Grandpa Halter, your Great Grandpa Halter. I asked him excitedly if he planned to stay up to see 1990, which seemed super exciting to me for some odd reason. I guess it started a new decade, but to this day I'm not sure why I was so fired up about it. I don't really remember much about that NYE except grandpa saying something to the effect of nothing of any value happens after 10:00 at night. If it didn't happy before 10:00 he didn't need to see it. That has always stuck with me, although during my twenties I did not abide by his wisdom.

Back to my twenties. One of the coolest NYEs was when the year turned to 2005. That night was when your dad proposed to me. We were on Main Street in Deadwood when he gave me a diamond ring and asked me to marry him. It was pretty special and very fun! Naturally, I said yes, and the rest as they say is history!

Besides those two New Year's Eve stories I don't really have too much. That being said, 2012 was a pretty fantastic year. I'm always sad to see a good year end and a little nervous to begin a new year. Change is terrifying and years with prime numbers always freak me out a little (for no real good reason). After all, you were born in 2011. A prime year, and that year ruled. Enough of mama's craziness.

TOP 12 of 2012

12. Your first teeth! Getting those buggers in was no easy feat for you, dada, mama, or grandma. Once they were in you slept well and were back to a happy, happy baby!

11. Sitting up. Once you were able to sit up you were so happy. It was as if you felt as though you had arrived into the world. You could see what was happening around you and you liked it!

10. Crawling. Again, the more you could do the happier you became.

9. WALKING. You started walking right around your first birthday and you have only gotten faster and better! You love to run away from us now. While terrifying in public it is pretty fun to watch.

8. Missouri. Okay, so the heat and humidity was horrible. But, getting to road trip and camp was pretty cool. It was great to see cousin Jennifer get married and we stayed at some pretty excellent camp grounds. It was great to see cousin Kammie and the rest of the fam! We got to meet cousin Bill's fiance, and see all the aunts and uncles. Also, we got to see the Titanic museum in Branson, which ruled.

7. The pool at Super Aunt Cathy and Super Uncle Micheal's. I know this sounds like a very specific detail to pull out of the entire year, especially because it is part of the trip to Missouri, but that night was beautiful. The pool was refreshing and cool. The moon was full and gorgeous. You loved swimming with dada, cousin Finn, auntie Katie, uncle Rob, and Grandpa! Visiting with aunt Cathy, uncle Micheal, and grandma was so nice. We had almost left that night, but decided to stay and it was fantastic!

6. Kansas City Zoo. You loved the animals and had a blast with there. Especially cool were the monkeys and the polar bear at feeding time. You loved the bird show. I did not. All in all it was an awesome day!

5. Old MacDonald's Farm. We went to the opening day of the little farm outside of town on the way to Mt. Rushmore. We scored a season pass and we for sure utilized it to its fullest. My favorite time was when we went and the giant draft horse bit your dad's shoulder. I was laughing so hard I couldn't even stand up. It was awesome. Although right now I feel like maybe I should have been more concerned about his safety.

4. Swimming lessons. Dad and I signed you up for swimming lessons and it was rad! We had the best time teaching you to swim. Mostly you learned to splash us and cry whenever you got near a a swimming noodle. You loved the water and we can't wait to get you in swimming lessons again.

3. Sleeping through the night. Thankfully you began to sleep through the night on a regular basis this year. It was perhaps the greatest accomplishment of the year. You truly went to a whole new level of awesomeness once I got a solid eight hours of sleep.

2. Holidays. Starting with Thanksgiving and going until New Years we've had an absolute and total blast. Time with grandpa, grandma, aunts, uncles, and the cousins. Highlights included the St. Nick's Party, getting the tree, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. Holidays are much, much more fun with you around and that's for sure.

1. Your first birthday! This year I said goodbye to my baby and HELLO to my toddler! And a toddler you are. You are hilarious, fun, vibrant, and amazing. We enjoy every second of you. Your birthday was a chance to celebrate you and your amazing first year.

Happy 2013, little baby! Mama and Dada love you.