Dear Lucy...

It's the last day of Thanksgiving weekend. Boy are we pooped! We had a wonderful week, and you loved Thanksgiving so much! You ate all sorts of new foods and had a great week.

I'm so thankful for you. I'm thankful that you're so healthy and vibrant. You have such a happy little smile and you love to sit in the middle of the living room and smile at everyone bustling around. My happiest moments these days are when your Daddy gets home from work and you sit in the living room and play, listening to us swap stories about our days. You adore your Daddy and always turn into a very smiley baby when he walks through the door, no matter what kind of day we had together. When we sit in the living room and talk, your little head goes back and forth, laughing along with us and paying very close attention.

You're SO CLOSE to crawling! You're army crawling now, and you pop up onto your knees and rock back and forth. Tomorrow we're going to put up the Christmas tree- I think that'll give you a reason to try even harder!

I can't wait to celebrate your first Christmas. I can't believe that at this time last year, we still didn't even know you were a girl! On this day one year ago, your Daddy felt you kick for the first time, and boy was he excited. This Wednesday will be one year from the day that we found out we were having a little girl. Your Daddy looked like he was going to pass out from happiness. He called every person he knew to tell them, "We're having a little girl!" You've been his little darling ever since. Did you know that before he leaves for work every morning, he goes into your room to see you catch your last few minutes of peaceful sleep? If you're awake when he leaves, he makes sure you're smiling when he leaves so that he can remember your crooked little grin all day long.

We love you so much! I love your soft baby skin and your "milk and puffs" smell when I nuzzle your neck. I know that these things will go away so soon, so I try to pick you up and snuggle you as much as I can. I can't believe that in a few years you'll trade your fat little baby belly for a regular tummy, and that you'll be wearing your pajamas in two pieces. It's not fair that my baby is growing so fast. Tonight you almost fell asleep on me- something you haven't done in months. I was so excited! Is this how every mommy feels, hoping to catch her baby doing that one thing, just one more time?

What am I thankful for this year? I'm thankful that my sweet little baby is still a sweet little baby, if only for a few more months. I'm trying to enjoy every minute-it's just going by too fast!

We love you, little Turkey!