One Year Old

I know it has taken me a few days to make a post for my daughters first birthday, let’s be honest, I have been in denial. Her first birthday crept up on me and before I knew it, it was already gone. That’s the thing about time, it just keeps on going.

Regardless, my daughter is officially one year old. Wow, even writing it seems crazy. When people ask how old she is I still think in my head, “oh she is just now four months!”, but the “months” have gone, and we are finally into years. I guess I could be one of those parents who refuse to own up to the year milestone and keep saying months… “Oh, she just turned 12 months a few days ago!”… Yeah, that just sounds silly if you ask me. Haha

A year has come and gone, and my daughter isn’t the only one who has grown tremendously. I have too. I am so glad that my husband and I took a leap of faith and decided to have a baby. I can’t really sum all that this year has brought and I don’t want this to turn into a sob story. So, I decided to share my letter that I wrote to Olivia. Every year until she is 18, I will write her a letter on how that year was. One of my love languages is words, and I love writing letters, (ask my husband, we live under the same roof but he still receives letters from me haha) so here is hers.

Dear Olivia,

                You are officially one year old! We made it! I remember this day a year ago so well. We just had you and you were sleeping so soundly in your little bed that the hospitals have. Your daddy is out getting us dinner, Culvers to be exact! I keep looking over at you as if you stopped breathing but, there you are just being the most perfect angel ever. As the days go by, your father and I are learning quite a bit. How to swaddle. How to nurse. How to get our sleep when we can. We learn what it’s like to pull countless all-nighters. The first three months were the hardest for me but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Around three months you start smiling. I literally thought my heart was going to burst! Your eyes are turning into a bright, beautiful blue. You begin chewing on your hands and moving a lot more. By six months old you are sitting up all by yourself. You can now laugh and giggle and your cries are changing too. You have turned into such a sweet and happy baby. You also have been sleeping through the night and are such a huge blessing. By 8-9 months you begin crawling and you start to really explore things! We call you our little vacuum because you are putting EVERYTHING you find into your mouth! You are saying “dada” “mama” and “uh-oh”. You love Mac N Cheese, This Little Piggy, and music. By a year old you can pull yourself up to stand and cruise furniture. You have grown into such a healthy and beautiful one year old.

I am so proud of all the things you have learned to do in your first year! I am so happy to call you mine, and I am honored that I get to be your mommy for forever. Thank you for being so patient with me. For loving me unconditionally and for teaching me so many things. Thank you for always cheering me up and for pushing me to be a better mom. You and your dad have been my rock and I love you both. There was a point that I thought I wouldn’t be able to be the mom you need. That I wasn’t good enough to you and that I didn’t deserve you. But then you smiled at me and I felt like you were saying “Oh mom, yes you CAN do this.” You are my little cheerleader and I am truly so grateful for you. I love you little bean. Happy Birthday.

Love always,

Mom