What fun! What fun! Donna Rose is 1!

Whose Donna Rose!?! Donna Rose is mine! My baby girl, and her mom's, too!

A year ago, Maria's belly was big with a baby, and we took a long walk. That night, she felt things changing. The next day, we went to the hospital at noon. At 8:52 p.m., Donna Rose was screaming and yelling and telling everyone what to do. She had hair when she was born. She has lots of hair now.

She would not, could not sleep in the same bed with us. She would not, could not sleep in the same room with us. She would, could, and did sleep in a bassinet in the front living room for the next few months. An independent Leo from the start.

Donna Rose learned when it was day and night. She would wake up every two hours when she slept in the beginning, then four hours, then six to eight hours. Mommy and Daddy were very sleepy. Mommy and Daddy were very, very sleepy.

Mommy wanted to breast-feed. Baby didn't know how. Mommy taught baby. It was very hard in the beginning. Mommy got frustrated, angry and confused. Daddy watched & encouraged but could do nothing. His boobs had no milk. Slowly but surely, Mommy and baby learned to breast-feed together. It was the hardest thing Mommy ever accomplished, but she did it!

Mommy and baby bonded at home. Daddy drove a cab on the road for money. Every day was an accomplishment, even the bad ones. Daddy would swaddle the child when he had had enough. Mommy was nicer than Daddy. This will continue.

Baby Donna Rose drank breast milk, peed, pooped, cried, passed gas, and slept.

Baby Donna Rose got a photo shoot at five months old for a health insurance company. They ultimately did not use her picture. They wanted smiling kids with toothy smiles. Baby Donna had no teeth.

Baby Donna finally turns over. Always rolling to the left. She is a tiny skinny baby, slowly moving from one phase to the next. Always healthy, sometimes happy.

Baby Donna Rose gets vaccinated. The first time is the worst time. She recovers quicker each time after.

She looks like Daddy and acts like Mommy. She is the cutest baby we know.

Grandmama is her best friend. She lights up every time Grandmama comes over. Grandmama is her personal babysitter. She even stays the night sometimes at Grandmama's house now! Good for baby! Even better for Mommy and Daddy!

She starts to eat baby food along with breast-milk. At first, she ate everything in a jar without complaint. Now, she must be distracted. You must put things in her hands to hold while you feed. Multi-tasking already!

Donna Rose has toys. She liked the dragon with rings in the beginning. And the horse. Now she likes things she can't have. The remote control, other people's beverage glasses, and the newspaper. She has fun!

Donna Rose can crawl. She can almost stand. She practices walking with help. She slowly progresses through each physical stage. She is in no hurry.

Donna Rose has teeth. Two on the bottom, and two or more coming in on top. She is starting to chew. And bite. She is drinking whole milk now which means...

Donna Rose is weaned! It has been almost two weeks since her last drink on the boob, and no complaints from Mommy or baby. Mommy abstained from drinking hard liquor while breast-feeding. Mommy did a good job. Mommy is now celebrating. Good for Mommy!

Baby can mumble. She can say Mama and whisper Papa & Dada. She points at things and says La or Ba or Ma. Daddy reads her quick books. Two or three minutes is all she can handle. After all, my baby is just a baby.

They say everything changes when you have a baby. This is not true. Everything is as it was. It's Daddy who changes. And Mommy. When baby changes, Mommy and Daddy change again.

They say babies grow up so fast. This is not true. Babies grow just as they should. It's just that adults aren't growing much anymore, so babies grow much faster than them.

They say the time flies by. This is not true. The first four months of Donna Rose's life lasted a year. The second four months lasted eight months. The last four months seemed like four months. Donna Rose's first year felt like two years to Daddy.

Daddy and Mommy have good days with Donna Rose. Daddy and Mommy have bad days with her. Daddy and Mommy have good and bad days with each other. This will continue for many years to come.

What fun! What fun! Donna Rose is 1!

Chris Jungle is in no hurry for baby #2.