You have just turned one year old. I absolutely can't believe it. Time has seemed to speed up like crazy since you have arrived, but I have tried to cherish every second I have had with you. You have blessed me and your daddy so much with your sweet smiles, adorable belly laughs, tight hugs, and even your occasional cries.
I have decided to start writing you letters for a lot of reasons. I want you to be able to look back at them and smile when you read about how much joy you bring to our lives, about how much we love you and about how much you mean to us. I want you to see and know the intricate details of how you are growing and learning. But most of all, I want to try to convey to you how much I love you.
You have been one of the best babies we could have ever dreamed of. You have such a big personality that beams with joy. You make friends with everyone you meet, and are never at a loss for smiles, waves, and kisses. You have the most energy I may have ever seen in a baby. From the day we brought you home from the hospital you have amazed me with the amount energy you have. You were turning your head trying to find me when I wasn't holding you at just a few days old. You would roll to your side when we put you in your bassinet to sleep at a few weeks old. And once you started rolling over...it's been full speed ahead. You are a speed-crawler, open every drawer and cabinet, open and close every door you can find, and cruise all over every piece of furniture we own. You climb into, over and under anything you can find. The day after your first birthday you really started taking off to walk. You started taking 5-10 steps in a row, and it's the cutest thing in the world to see you teeter totter, start and stop and fumble your way around the house.
Tonight, when I was rocking you to sleep, you weren't quite ready to go, so began studying my face and found my eyebrows. I know it sounds funny, but it was absolutely adorable. You would stare at them, gently touch them, and try to tug on them a little bit, all the while your tongue was sticking out in concentration and you were cooing, having so much fun discovering something new. You do something amazing like that every day. Yesterday you learned how to turn on the bathtub...by accident - but when you realized how fun it was, you quickly learned how to do it intentionally. We couldn't keep you away from that faucet. You'd spin the handle on with your right hand, watch the water flow for awhile, put your hand in it to get wet, then spin it off with your left hand. Lilly loved it too. Y'all are two peas in a pod. You feed her any and EVERYTHING you get your hands on. Your adventurous, inquiring spirit is awesome. Your dad and I love that you are so independent, but always want to know we are around and want us to chase you and play with you and sometimes you "whine" a little just to get us to look at you or come pick you up, then instantly give us the biggest grin in the world when we look your way.
You have a grin we like to call your "cheesy grin." You look at us, throw your head back and give us the BIGGEST grin, showing us every tooth you have, and squint your little eyes, and scrunch up your little nose. It is absolutely hilarious. You know it gets everyone smiling and laughing, so you do it all of the time, being the little ham that you are.
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| Cheesy Grin...at 9 months old |
Know that your mama loves you, and will always love you (and Jesus and daddy, of course) with all of my heart.
You make my heart so happy, and my life so full of joy.
xoxo,
mama
