Dear Kate,
As I rocked
you to sleep tonight, listening to ‘Carol
of the Bells’, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the flashbacks… 365 days ago
I held you tight in my arms in a dark hospital room singing Christmas songs to
you as I rocked you to sleep just a few hours after you were born. You fit so
snuggly in my arms… such a tiny little munchkin. You were already trying to
suck your thumb as you gazed up at me and I already knew you were going to
march to the beat of your own little drum. And here we are, 1 year later. I
still love to snuggle you, but you sure don’t fit in one arm anymore. As I hold
you with both my arms, your arms and legs dangle, you are able to lay your head
on my shoulder as you sit on my lap.
Has it
really been a year?!
It really
has been… and what a fun year it has been. I love being your mom. I love
snuggling you and playing with you and watching you grow and learn new things.
You are such
a happy, content, joy-filled baby. You are full of smiles and giggles and hugs
and kisses. Those smiles truly melt my heart.
Your face
lights up when you see a loved one. You are not afraid of new people – you are
definitely going to be my most outgoing child!
From the
very beginning, you have been eager to be bigger than you need to be. I suppose
you just want to keep up with your big sisters. I learned early on that I
wasn’t going to be able to stop you from trying to be a big girl, so I’m
choosing to sit back and watch you go…and you are giving me a very entertaining
show!
You love to
play with baby dolls. I think you were probably about 6 months old the first
time you picked up a baby doll and just absolutely loved on her. You
instinctively knew how to cradle her and rock her. You have since moved on to
feeding your babies and bathing them and playing with them. If I was a betting
woman, I’d bet you are going to be a great mom!!
You are
learning to walk… you are actually pretty decent at it, but for now you are
still choosing to crawl most of the time because it is so much faster.
I have loved
experiencing so many ‘firsts’ with you this year… first smile, first giggles,
first time you reached for me, first time you said ‘mama’ and meant it, first
time you crawled, first steps, you even managed to eek in your first tooth
before this very first birthday!
Kate, the
day you were born all I could do is look at you and marvel at how perfect you
were. 1 year later, the post-delivery hormones have long since worn off and I
still consider you so, so perfect! 2013 has been a wonderful year, made so much more perfect because you
were here with us… a perfect addition to this crazy family.
I can’t wait
to spend your second year with you!!
Love you,
Mommy
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| Kate Elizabeth - 1 hour |
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| Kate Elizabeth - 1 year |
