Happy Birthday Sweet C!

Dear C,

Today you're ushering in your first hours as a newly minted one-year-old.  One year ago today, you were placed gently in my arms and I marveled at how small you were, (you really weren't that little compared to everyone else, but compared to your 28 pound sister, you were a peanut).  The stress I had been feeling over whether I'd love you anywhere near as much as I loved Bean melted away as you blinked your big eyes and stared at me every time I said so much as a single word.

We all figured that since I talked so much while you were in utero, you knew little else in the way of sound.  Judging by what a chatterbox you've become, it's abundantly clear that we share those genes.

Your first year was joyous in many ways and challenging in many others.  You were bound and determined to prove off the bat that you were very much unlike your older sister.  For the first few weeks, your bed of choice was a little nest made in a small down pillow while tucked neatly in the crook of my arm.  You always turned your face towards mine and I'd often wake to the sweet smell of your baby head as it rooted around, half-awake.

You slept a lot, then you didn't sleep at all.  You love being carried no matter the method though you will always prefer to ride around on my left hip, burrowing your head in my shoulder when you're uncertain.

 Thankfully, you're back to sleeping, and well.  Long ago, you shunned the pacifier for your first two fingers, and when you're particularly cranky or tired, you'll pop them in your mouth, search for your fuzzy blanket and crawl over to me for a snuggle.

You're starting to communicate in a bunch of different ways and get ridiculously persistent when you want me to acknowledge what you're trying to say.  The other day, you were pointing and waving over towards the sun room saying the same thing over and over again.  I was trying to have another conversation and in the lulls, I repeated your sound without really looking at what you were looking at and probably would have continued had you not tried to dive out of my arms.  When I looked at where you were trying to go, I saw your giant purple playground ball and I put you down.  You immediately crawled over to the ball, patted it, smiled, and said, "BAAAALL!"  So that's what you were trying to say.  Who knew?

In addition, you're regularly saying "Mama," "Dada," "Hi," "Bye," "Hello" (which means phone), "Dog," "Uh-oh," "I-want-down" or "Down," and "All-Done".  I'm sure it won't be long before you're chattering as much as Bean does.  Your poor little brother doesn't stand a chance.

 Your legs are apparently trying to keep with your vocabulary and you're starting to take your first steps.  We're most successful in getting you to toddle to us when Bean is in one of our laps.  She's by far the greatest motivation as she cheers louder than both of us.  And even if she didn't, I'm sure you'd be more about her approval than ours.  May she always give you a good example to follow

You are jolly, happy, and genuinely friendly.  You're not interested in letting anyone else get their hands on you if I'm around, but you'll happily grin and wave and charm the heck out of everyone who stops for even a moment to engage you.  And occasionally, you're the one to initiate and draw people in effortlessly with a grin or a drawn out, "Hiiii"

May this birthday be your happiest so far and may they only get happier from this year forward.

You are so very, very loved,

Mama