Dear beloved son:

One year ago you were born and the world became a better place. You took forever to get here, but when you finally arrived you were tiny and perfect. Worth the wait. You are even more wonderful today.

In this last year, you have grown and changed so much. You learned how to lift your head, how to roll and sit and how to crawl. You are learning how to walk, and I’m sure that will happen any day now. You discovered that you love to move, and so you never stop.

You learned how to smile, laugh and to say a few words. Your first word was “more”, because you love to eat. I hope you always do. It is amazing what you can eat with only 4 teeth! You love fruit, cheese and yogurt puffs and you have been known to eat an entire cob of corn.

You will be a talker – I can already tell. You love to play with your voice. You babble, scream,  sing and whisper, delighted at the sounds you are making. You earnestly tell us all kinds of stories. You try to hard to communicate. You are dying to be understood and every day you communicate more clearly.

You are determined already. You want to do things for yourself even at this age. You practice things over and over, until you get them. You must have crawled over the small step leading to our bathroom 50 times a day, until you could navigate it with ease. You spent today pushing a laundry hamper around the hallway to practice your walking. You practiced until your little legs shook. When I picked you up for a break, you cried with frustration because you wanted to walk so badly. You refused to quit. Never lose this. It will serve you well in life.

You are such a happy boy. You have a smile that melts my heart and a laugh that I could listen to all day. I love your mischievous grin, though I always know that it means trouble. You will get into a lot of trouble, I think because you are so curious about the world. You want to see everything and explore every place you go. You love to watch cars, people and especially animals. You love people and you enjoy meeting new friends. You love music, and can’t resist the chance to make noise.

This year was full of exhaustion, frustration and doubt, but it was also full of love. I love watching your eyes light up when you discover something new. I love watching the pride you have when you learn a new skill. I love laughing with you, as you play. I love when you crawl over to give me a hug. Your little arms wrap around my neck and I never want to let go.

This year, you have taught me so much about patience, love and joy. I look forward to this next year with you.

I love you more than you will ever know. Happy 1st birthday, my beautiful boy.

Love your grateful (and tired) mom