This letter comes on the eve of your FIRST birthday. Where has the time gone? It's been a whirlwind of a year with so many joys and challenges. We didn't know quite what we were getting ourselves into when those two lines showed up on the pregnancy test that day in December. We had so much fun watching you grow inside of Mom's belly while you kicked + squirmed (and hiccuped a lot). We got nervous and excited that night you decided you were ready to enter the world. You came on a Tuesday, at 4:38 in the morning. You were nice enough to let Mommy catch up on her Monday night television and you even waited to start your shenanigans until she finished her bowl of Mint Chocolate Chip ice-cream (Daddy is rolling his eyes at this moment). Mommy says "THANK YOU" for that, as it was her last time eating ice-cream for quite a while. You started telling your Mom that you were ready to come out around 9:45pm. You didn't waste any time and by 11pm, Mommy + Daddy were racing to the hospital because your Mommy was in a lot of pain. By 3:00am, you were very ready to be in our arms. You came into our lives with a head full of hair and chubby little cheeks (those are still our favorite feature). We were amazed that we had created such an adorable human being. You were (and still are) the most beautiful baby we'd ever seen! The first few nights with you were exhausting and overwhelming. We weren't sure of a lot of things, but we knew right away that we loved you more than we'd ever loved anyone or anything. You were our miracle.
This year, you have shown us love in the simplest of ways. I (Mom) am starting to cry writing this portion because I just can't believe how quickly a year has passed. I regret not cherishing more moments with you because now they're just a memory. Thankfully, your Daddy and I have taken tons of pictures of you to help us remember special moments of your first year. As I was getting you ready for bed tonight, I did something I don't normally do; I rocked you. You laid your head on my chest and I just kissed you over and over. I could feel time just slipping away. You are growing so fast and every day presents new opportunities to experience your growth. You are so funny and your smile is just absolutely contagious. You light up when you see your Daddy and you crawl so fast to get to me these days. You love playing Peek-a-boo with Daddy's hat and you are extremely ticklish on your feet and sides, but really only when Daddy tickles you. You hardly cuddle up to us anymore, but when you do, the whole world stops. You don't like being left alone, and you would stay in my arms all day if I'd let you (or if I was strong enough). You are determined, strong-willed, and not afraid to ask for help (especially when you want to do something that scares you). You know sign-language and you are trying to say so many new words. Every day, it's something new and that's so exciting for us. This stage is SO fun and you are exploding in your development. It is awesome to just sit back and watch you play. But, even better than that is how wonderful it is to just watch you sleep. We don't often watch you close-up because you are a very light sleeper and seem to just be able to feel our presence, but we often just like to stare at you sleeping on the monitor as your roll around like a maniac in your crib. You sleep like your mama, girl! We love going through all the pictures we took each day after you've gone to bed. It helps us feel close to you, even though you're right in the room across the hall. We relive moments from the day by talking about the various ways you brought us joy. We sometimes cry because we can't believe how proud we are to be your Mom and Dad. You bring us more love and more joy than we'd ever imagined possible!
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| A few minutes after you were born. |
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| The last picture we took before you went to bed on the night before you turned 1 year old. |
Love Always,
Mommy + Daddy
August 25, 2015
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