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Addie’s coming up on her first birthday, which makes me reminisce and reflect a bit about the past year. Bear with me, here…

When I got pregnant, it was an intensely personal experience. We had waited over three years, and when it finally happened, I wanted that not-small miracle to be a private experience for Jesse and me. I didn’t really feel like sharing it with just anyone, including all the random people you meet who seem to think that a pregnant woman’s body and health present an open forum for discussion and curiosity. I didn’t discuss pregnancy with hardly anyone, I didn’t show off my growing belly, and I tried as hard as I could to act as though nothing was different about me. I just wanted it to be a personal.

When our long-awaited baby arrived, I looked at her as Jesse’s and my daughter, as the first step to growing our own personal family. I knew our families were excited for her arrival as well, but I didn’t think much about it. In fact, the first Saturday we were home from the hospital, my mom called and asked if I needed her that day. I told her not to worry about it and not come over, because I was fine. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it alone, and that Addie and I were going to be fine just the two of us. (I’m sure I hurt my mom’s feelings that day, but I’m also sure she’s long since forgiven me for my hormone-addled behavior…those first few weeks were rough, but more on that another time.)

However, as the weeks, months, and even the year passed, I started to realize more and more that I (or we) never had to do it alone. Yes, she was my daughter, and Jesse’s daughter. Yes, she was the miracle that Heavenly Father had granted us. But when Adelaide Elizabeth Knight entered the world, she wasn’t just a gift for us.

She was also a gift to her grandparents.

A gift to her aunts and uncles.

And a gift to her cousins.

(Yes, there are people not represented in these photos, but these are just examples.)

This past year, I’ve come to appreciate the fact that she really is everyone’s baby, not just mine. I know Jesse and I have created our own little family now, but in a way it feels like Addie is simply another one of the group, and I love that. I’ve had more than enough help this past year, and it’s not because people love me (although, I’m sure they do), but because they adore her. I feel so blessed to have so many people who love “their” baby girl.