Introducing Gianna...

Let me just say that I am beyond blessed with the friends I have in my life. Not only is my sister one of the closest people to me, but I have the most amazing girlfriends too that are honestly like precious jewels in the crown of life. One of them, Erica, had her first child, Gianna Marie, back in May of this year. I couldn't resist posting a photo of her while she was pregnant, this time last year:

Isn't she beautiful? :) Anyway, Erica is my first very close friend to have a baby and it's been so much fun for me to be a part of. I was actually fortunate enough to meet sweet Gianna, or Gia as we call her, two weeks after she was born! I went down to GA for Ami's wedding (another precious friend of mine!) the weekend of May 22nd and I was lucky enough to spend an entire afternoon with Erica, her husband Austin and sweet Gia. It will always be one of my favorite memories:

Anyway, as the year has gone on, I've had to deal with being a thousand miles away and watching Gia grow in photos. She's already been on a plane a couple of times, she's had her first Halloween, her first tooth is coming in...I mean, she's already growing like a weed! Ok, I just have to brag on her and post a couple of my favorite photos of her so far:

I mean, how cute is she?!? I just want to squeeze her. I write all of this today because, as of this morning, she is officially starting to crawl! I swear, I get so excited about every Gia update, you'd think she was my kid. I had to dedicate a post to this sweet little girl because, even though she doesn't know it, she's brought a smile to me on some of my toughest days. So, I had to 'celebrate' her a bit this morning and share exactly why she is so dear to my heart. :) Happy Wednesday!