Life as a New Mom: Bye Bye, Baby [VIDEO]

With my daughter's first birthday just days away, it's "Bye Bye, Baby" and "Hello, Big Girl!"We made the transition to a new car seat yesterday. Dolly's too big for her infant carrier, so I begrudgingly bid farewell to the old seat and welcomed in the new 'Big Girl' seat. She immediately loved it, and how could I blame her? She's got plenty of wiggle room now, and she looks so cute in that pink floral seat.

Moving her into the 'Big Girl' seat was enough for one night, but not for Dolly--she had something else in store. Her Dad and I brought her back to her nursery for some pre-dinner playtime, and she surprised us both by walking across the room. WALKING. ACROSS. THE. ROOM.

She'd taken a few unassisted steps before, but never like this. I cried. I was so proud of her I thought my heart would burst. This time a year ago, I was at the end of my pregnancy: things were getting scary, as her health and mine were in jeopardy. She was born three weeks early and seemed impossibly small when we first brought her home to her nursery.

And there she was, that same teensy-weensy preemie, walking around her nursery, picking up toys and babbling to us. I couldn't believe it--and I still can't in a way: My baby is now a toddler.

She's already getting in to everything, and now that she's fully mobile--God help us all.