Happy birthday baby

Dear Piper,

What can I say to you on your first birthday that will even begin to express what a blessing you are in my life?  We waited so many months to meet you! And now you’re here with us, and it’s more amazing than I could have imagined in my most sentimental and wildest hopes. You’re an incredible gift, and Daddy and I cherish you every single second of every single minute of every single day. We remember – always – that we are so very, very, very lucky to have been blessed with your presence in our lives.

So what has your first year been like? I can’t say for certain from your perspective, but it sure seems like you’re having fun! My how you’ve grown – it’s almost unbelievable. Each stage, I think ‘This one is the best’. And then we get to the next stage and it’s even better. You change every day, some days in little ways and some days in really big ways! Some days you begin to make a new noise, or you discover something – like a door-stopper – that enthralls you. Other days things just fall into place and whereas the day prior you might have been sliding along on your belly, somehow this day you begin to crawl at warp speed. Maybe that’s why you sleep so well – because you’re so busy changing right before our eyes.

You’re the happiest baby! I hope you grab onto your inner happiness and hold on tight because my wish for you is that you’ll be this appreciative of the experience of life for its entirety. You love to play, and snuggle, and go to sleep. You love to talk. From the moment you first started cooing I fell in love with your little voice. You sound like an angel. You love your bottle, (some of) your snacks, your doggie Hero. You love bath time most of all. It’s like watching the world light up to watch you in the bath – you shriek and splash and stand and sit and grab and toss toys over the edge of the tub like it’s the best game ever. You personify joy. If ever in your life you lose sight of happiness, just remember it is inside you – it’s your strongest personality trait!

You look mostly like Daddy. You have his eyes, his eyebrows, and his mouth. He has commented to me that sometimes you seem so familiar to him, because you share a face. Every once in a while, though, I see a little me in you. In how you furrow your brow or look very intently at something. You’re extremely good-natured, but I have to admit you’ve got a bit of my personality – you have a quick temper and you’re very determined. The Nurse Practitioner at Southlake Pediatrics said – when you were just a few days old – “She wants what she wants and she wants it RIGHT NOW.” I think she was right. That will both help and hinder you in life, but use it wisely and it will be the former. All in all, you seem to be a beautiful combination of the two of us – in looks and personality. We’re in awe that we created someone so stunning.

I’m not sure what else to tell you to try to describe your first year. We have a ton of pictures so someday you’ll see it for yourself, long after you’ve forgotten.

Your ‘official’ first word, repeated often, was probably “hi”. But your second ‘official’ word was spoken just yesterday, 6 days before your birthday, and it was “thank you.” You said it to me, while you were in the bathtub. But it’s most appropriate that I say it to you. Thank you, Piper. Thank you for the smiles, the cuddles, the laughs, the expressiveness and passion with which you navigate your life. Thank you for your gentleness, your curiosity, your good humor, and your joie de vivre. Most of all, thank you for the pure joy you have brought into our every day. Thank you for being effortlessly, fabulously, perfectly YOU! We can’t imagine how we got this lucky, but we’re so glad you came into our world. It’s never been better than it is with you in it.

All the love in my joy-filled heart,

Your Mom