Jules

So, my sister asks me after my last post, "What about Julieanna?"  A personality sum-up is a little difficult at this stage, because she is still under age one... and I have felt bad that so many of my posts in the last year have been about her!  So, the last post I spent all of my efforts focusing on my other 3 brilliant children.

So, HERE SHE IS!  Almost one year old... How time does fly by!

Here I Come!  Ready or not...

She has six teeth, which popped through two at a time... poor baby!  She crawls at lighting speed and puts EVERYTHING on the ground in her mouth.  She has learned to spit it out as soon as my fingers touch her cheeks, though.  She loves water and has a grand time in the bath tub, toilet or any other puddle she comes across.  She has learned to gesture with her hand palm up and fingers opening and closing, over and over - which communicates, "come here", "More!" or "All Done!"  We are working on the fine tuning of this sign language thing.  If the signing doesn't get her point across, a loud "YEEEEAAAAH!" works.  She has discovered how to GET LOUD.  It was inevitable in this family... She loves to "sing" and dance.  The kids playlist includes: Boom Boom Pow, Party in the USA, Dynomite, and Baby - she rocks out, baby style, to those tunes especially.  She screams in protest whenever her siblings run with abandon outside and leave her behind...

Look Ma!  No hands!

She has had several occasions to stand on her own, 10 to 15 seconds at a time.  She has even gotten herself up to a standing position from sitting on the floor, with no aid of surrounding furniture several times... but the confidence isn't there yet.  She is so close - one or two steps here and there.  NOW she is starting to cruise the furniture in earnest.  I won't be surprised if she is walking like a pro by her 1st birthday (sniff...).

 She also loves to pull things out of my cupboards - what baby doesn't?  Right?!?  She has a blast in the kitchen at my feet while I'm trying to cook dinner - demolishing the organization of the plastic kid-friendly utensils daily... now, to get her to put them back is the hard task before us.

Caught you!

I am so grateful that I get a chance to have these wonderful spirits so close to me!  I thank God everyday for the opportunity to be a mother.  It's a humbling and awe-inspiring experience.  It is one of the best ways to learn how to become someone great.

I have also been learning that I have so far to go - in becoming that great person that I have always wished to be.  I have been serving as the Young Women's President in my ward for about 4 months now and I am embarrassed to say that it has taken me that long to realize that my job is to be a mentor to these girls - not a mother figure, not a woman to dictates the rules to these bright and amazing girls (who are pretty familiar with what is right and wrong), but one who gives them love, acceptance and support - all the while trying her hardest to be an example in sharing the Light of Christ.  Now I know why every woman I have spoken to who has had the opportunity to have had this "job" has said, "That was my FAVORITE calling ever!"  I know it will be one of mine too...