Next week Juliet will be 11 months old. For the past few weeks I have been mentally planning her first birthday. Although it will be just a small family affair, it has preoccupied my time. I have loved gathering ideas and imagining her blowing out her first birthday cake candle.

But today I felt overwhelmed with the thought of our sweet girl turning one year old. I don't know where the time has gone. Is this how parents feel on graduation day or when their children get married? Although these are some of the most joyous occasions in our lives I don't want to ever feel as if it has all gone too quickly.

Perhaps it is too hard for me to imagine her being so independent and grown, but lately watching her mature and change makes me feel as if I need to hold on to every moment.  I don't want to ever forget how intent she is as she combs through a magazine, how she plays with her with stuffed animals now, or her open-mouth-excited look every time we take her out the carseat.

While part of me feels that these are the best moments in our lives, I know that there are many still to come and that this really is just the beginning. And as B would say, she is only a baby.

I love her so.