birthday girl gets a new outfit!

today is my baby girl's birthday! and to make her feel extra special i decided (yesterday... typical) to make her a new outfit. 

i used a tutorial from one of my favorite sewing blogs, Make It and Love It. i love the step by step, easy to read instructions and photos she provides. it makes it easy for me to follow along, especially since i wouldn't consider myself an advanced sewer. i've really learned a lot from making things off her site. for this one i used her "little girl romper" tute. i also really love that she has a lot of boy stuff on there. 

{via}

i've had my eye on this super cute romper i found on pinterest for a while, and i happened to have a similar red polka dot fabric laying around.

i love how it turned out. the only changes i made to the original tutorial is that instead of making the chest area pleated, i added eyelet ruffles. i also added cuffs on the shorts with coordinating tiny polka dot fabric and a matching headband. 

she loves it too. i had it hanging up and when she came down stairs for the first time this morning she saw it right away and said, "thank you for my beautiful outfit mommy!". 

love her. 

Amalya, happy birthday sweet girl! you are growing up so fast. it really does seem like you were just a toddler, running around and jabbering words only we could understand. but now your favorite thing to do is "chat" at the table with us and carry on long discussions about your favorite things. you have so much personality, you are so animated and add drama and flair to every dance or song you sing. i see you changing, and understanding the struggles in your heart more. i see you working hard to obey and learning how to ask for things with words and not being so quick to throw a fit. i'm so proud of you for that! i prayed for you and you are a gift to our family, the perfect fit. God did not make a mistake on you, and i hope that as you grow you will learn that beauty comes from within, not from your outward appearance. i pray that God would capture your heart, even now, so that you will spend all the days of your life giving him the glory. i pray He will reveal His will for you to us and to you early on so you will never wander, and that you will use your gifts to bring him honor. 

you are so dearly loved, sweet girl. what a joy it is to be your mommy. 

xoxo,

mommy