Welcome to our worship-the-little-princess-page. 
As proud first-time parents, we would like to share with you the pride and love we have for our first born. Little Maya arrived last March, albeit a week past her due date. On March 4, she celebrates her first birthday, and we thought we would share a few highlights of her first year.
During the Christmas holiday, Maya was focused on "pulling up" on just about any object that could support her weight -- tables, chairs, etc. After the New Year, she could confidently stand alone. 
By mid-January, she started stepping sideways steading herself by scaling along the walls, her crib, or any stationary object. By late January, she started stepping forward without holding on to anything, and sort of sitting down when she lost her balance or her confidence. Within two weeks, she was walking short distances. By early February, she started motoring around corners. One day when I came home from work, she started running toward me. According to the famous "baby expert" Dr. Sears, when they start walking they are officially toddlers -- regardless of age. Dr. Sears claims that about 50% of babies walking before they are a year old. Maya does not crawl any more.
I really don't remember the early days of riding in the car with Maya. I think I strapped her into the car seat and she fell asleep within a few minutes. Now, just putting her in the car seat is an ordeal. She feels confined by the seat and proceeds to protest loudly preferring high-pitched cries that may leave the neighbors wondering if she is being dismembered. 
A few key items make transitioning in and out of the seat easier: cookies and toys. I usually have the cookie in my hand when I approach the car--with her in my arms. I put the cookie on the back window ledge. Then, I let her stand in the seat for a while, bouncing up and down. Finally, she slides into the seat and after I strap her in, she gets the cookie. Sometimes the cookie does the trick for the whole ride. Sometimes, she throws the cookie early on--which necessitates having numerous cookies handy. On occassion, I use a toy and forget about the cookie sitting on the back window ledge and the cookie either stays put for a long time, or finds its way into the barrage of cheerios and cookie crumbs on the floor and back seats. I used to wonder how people with kids could stand the state of their messy cars. Now, I think of messiness in terms of degree.
My vision was for us to all eat together as a family. Afterall, good or bad, that's what I did as a kid. So we have a special chair for Maya. She likes to sit in it as it's yellow and blue, and has a nice tray that fits across the front. The chair could be strapped to an adult chair, but we have decided to just put it on the floor, since it's safer. 
We don't have a dining room set, so it makes sense for us. We sit on big pillows and feed her blueberries and cheerios--at her level.
One evening, Maya and I sat down for dinner together. She picked up a blueberry and indicated that it was for me. I accepted it and she smiled. I then picked up a blueberry from a bowl and put it in her mouth. As we kept doing this, she started to laugh every time I ate one. She handles blueberries like some folks handle chocolate truffles. At one point, she picked up a blueberry and started to indicate she wanted to put it in my mouth. I leaned forward to accept it and she laughed, quickly snatching it back and putting it in her mouth.
As I left for work every morning, Maya's Daddy would stay home to look for a new job. After having worked nothing but 12-hour days since her birth, he finally had the time to observe her during day. If she fell, he was there to comfort her. She knew he was in the next room, so she periodically walked up to the door and tried to push it open. She was looking for a quick hug. 
One day before I left for work, I say Maya seated in Daddy's big black leather chair. She looked so small. She was intensely interested in the contents of Daddy's wallet. Patiently, he went through each item with her. When I returned home from work, she was glad to see me, but when she cried, she could only be consoled by him. I saw him holding her once and noticed that they both had the same shaped mouth. I thought that was amazing. He regularly holds her and walks around pointing out objects to her, speaking quietly as she observes.
Every evening, when Maya first drifts off to sleep, I look at her peaceful, trusting face and feel a sense of accomplishment. This follows our usual routine of dinner, a bath, a few stories, and a little horsing around. 
I draw a circle around her beautiful face with my finger tips, like I used to when she was first born. I can tell the shape of her face has changed because the circle feels more defined. I see her little hands move when my finger tips brush along her skin. I know she knows I'm doing this. On occasion she peeks to see if I'm sitll there. I feel my whole heart lift.
In the morning, I kiss her cheeks and chin lightly. She resists getting up. So I tickle her under her chin and her little legs come up and fall down. Then, she opens her eyes and smiles. I walk around holding her and trying to get ready for work. 
It's tricky, but that's all the time I've got. I hate to see her eyes well up with tears when I walk out the door, but I know I'll hurry back. Daddy's got the second shift so her tears don't last long.
Next time...the Birthday Party and the arrival of Aunt Kate.