You're One, Little One

My Darling Boy,

I've never been the type to make scrapbooks and, during this, your first year, I've discovered I'm also not one to reliably keep up with baby books either. This blog is the only memorial we have of your first year and so it is here that I post this letter to you on your first birthday.

You, my sweet little angel, punkin-head, monkey-man are the light of my life. You are the one thing that I have done perfectly in all my nearly 30 years. You are strong, you are tall, you are healthy and you are a joy to everyone who meets you. I can't take all the credit for all that you are, as your Daddy, as well as God himself have all had a hand in your creation but I am personally so proud to call you my son. MY son. I look at you and I am overcome with awe and wonder at how simply perfect you are. Personally, I have never seen a cuter, more adorable, more precocious little boy.

You are tall, just like your Daddy, and big, but not chubby. You've never been chubby. We've kept our eyes peeled this last year for any sign of fat rolls but, while you've filled out a bit, not one fat roll has surfaced. You are solid, though. I used to call you scrawny but that word doesn't fit anymore. You are rough and tumble and brawny and, strangly, self-assured. You did not get that particular asset from me.

You have big, beautiful eyes, just like Daddy and the longest eyelashes. You're eyes aren't quite the same dark shade as your Daddy's are but they seem to have gotten darker over the course of this past year so we will see what they look like as you get older. Your hair is a funny shade of not quite blond, and not quite brown. Here you have made a nice compromise between what Daddy and I looked like when we were your age. The best part? Your hair is just beginning to curl over your ears (when you wake up it looks like you have sprouted wings on the sides of your head and you're about to take off) and at the nape of your neck. I'm sure those curls, combined with those eyes, will the my undoing.

You're walking already and have been for about 5 or 6 weeks now. You're Daddy is still a little surprised by this but not me. I was an early walker too and you, well, you've always been a mover and a shaker. You crawled early too and rolled over early so I knew walking would come quickly to you. And it did! One day, you were barely taking any steps, the next, you were off!

And you're fast! I can barely get the gates up or the doors closed before you've run across the room to see what trouble you can get into. And yes, you are a trouble maker! Somehow, I just knew you would be. You keep me on my toes every day. And you are into EVERYTHING!

You are stubborn and determined and willful and you give me this look when you are just about to get into something you know you shouldn't and that look says "Mom, you just try and stop me." And then you flash your adorable smile, with TWO dimples and I start to laugh and then you start to laugh and soon the only lesson you've learned is that your Mom is a giant pushover.

If I had written this letter one month ago, I would have said that you are reserved and quiet and you save your smiles and laughter for only the most special moments. But, over the course of this last month, you have blossomed! You love to laugh and smile and you get such a kick out of causing laughter and joy in other people. You mimic many of sounds that others make, including when we laugh or clear our throats and you are getting so good with mimicking words and animal sounds. You say Mama, Dada, Nana, dog, cat, car and when we ask you what a dog says, you put your lips together and make short, little MMM, MMM sounds. And, a personal favorite, when we ask you what a lion says, you open your mouth as wide as possible and say "AAAAHHHH". You're so smart and every day I look at you and think, how did I get the most brilliant baby ever?

I love to watch you play with Daddy. You guys wrestle and tickle and read stories together. Daddy always does the best voices and to watch you lay on his lap with your head leaning back on his chest, makes me so happy I could almost cry. Sometimes you'll sit on Daddy's knee and he'll bounce you up and down and you open you mouth so that with each rise and fall of his leg, you voice goes up and down and Oh, how you love it.

And you love bath time! You're not afraid of the water at all. A part of me hopes you will continue to be fearless and another part of me hopes you learn to be more cautious. But that's what childhood is for, I guess. That time of wild abandon when it seems nothing bad could ever happen and your only experience is happiness and joy.

My little one, I love you so much. I simply can't get enough of you and when you are driving me crazy and scream at me until I pick you up, I remind myself that this time will pass too quickly and that one day, very, very soon, you won't want as many hugs and kisses. For now though, you are my sweet little man, the most perfect, precious wonderful little being in my entire world. Thank you so much for enriching my life. Thank you for showing me what it feels like to care for someone to complete and utter distraction. Thank you for being my boy and for being so perfect. I'm going to give you a million and one kisses today. Please don't ever forget how much your Mommy loves you.

Happy Birthday, Monkey!

Love,
Mommy