Dear Baby | Your First Birthday

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This is a letter I’ve written to you on your first birthday. You are currently sound asleep next to your brother. We are on vacation in beautiful Maui, our first big family vacation and your first flight ever.  You did amazing!  I’ve tip-toed into the room and now I’m staring at the two of you while you sleep. I could watch you little loves sleep for hours. You will only understand how amazing it feels to see your child sleeping peacefully, so angelic when you become a parent one beautify day, my boy.  It’s the sweetest thing ever.  You have such a cute way you sleep, snuggling your blanky, one sock on, one sock off, lips puckered and hair tousled perfectly. You don’t know this but it’s been raining for hours now and Maui is on high hurricane watch. But thankfully,  with each hour that goes by the hurricane weakens and moves farther and farther away from us.  You and your older brother are safe.  I’m finally able to relax and write this letter to you.  Your daddy and I had such exciting plans for how we would celebrate your first birthday here in Maui.  How amazing is it that you get to celebrate your first birthday on this gorgeous, tropical island my boy! So imagine how sad and dishearted we were when we woke up the morning of your first birthday to the relentless rain and such a gloomy mood. But as soon as we saw that morning smile and sparkle in your eyes, we remembered that it’s not the gifts or the activities that make a birthday special, it’s the love!  There is beauty in chaos and this hurricane is just another reminder of that.  Always remember, the harder the storm, the brighter the rainbow.

You are ONE! You have given us exactly 365 days of love, gratitude, and joy! How did the time fly by so quickly? Maybe because when you arrived it felt like you were always meant to be and as soon as I held you in my arms we became a family of four.

Those first few weeks when we brought you home, we worried if your big bro would love you like the way daddy and I do. It’s a silly thought now, isn’t it! You look up to your big brother and he adoresssss you. How cool is it when he says, “ come  Greysik, let’s play over here”. And you follow him from room to room, don’t you! How sweet is it when he breaks off a small piece of his snack to share with you. It’s as if he knows your his little bud and that he’s supposed to look after you.

And when you cry, he says “don’t cry Greyson” and in the morning the first person he wants to see is you! One of life’s joys is seeing you two grow up together loving each other, protecting each other and being each other’s best friend through every season and change in your lives.

Mama and daddy will make sure of that but the love you too have for each other is plain to see. Greyson, these past twelve months have been nothing short of spectacular. I am a better person because I am your momma. Sure, there have been many hardships, changes, and adjustments but each and every day my love for you has grown immensely. You are our little smiling-tiger. Your energy is magnetic!

I am so excited to watch you grow. As much as I adore the squishy baby stage, I love seeing you crush every new milestone. Watching Geo grow from a little baby to a toddler was one of the most delightful and fun experiences of being a mommy and knowing that you will take your first steps soon, speak your first words, and reciprocate a fraction of the affection we feel for you, I simply can’t wait for this,  my boy.

Oh, sweet little one, how did you ever get so big? In the early days, we had some challenging times. I was learning how to care for you while also taking care of your brother, daddy and sometimes I felt like there wasn’t enough time left for me. Some days you refused to be put down, and I had to hold you for hours.   There were days where it took us 3 hours just to leave the house for a 1-hour play-date. There were nights where I felt like I was in a big fog, I was anxious, a new mommy of two babies. Some nights where I worried about the future.  Then there were nights where I was soooo tired, so exhausted that I could sleep for days but you decided to wake up 4 to 5x’s. There were mornings and afternoons where I had many-many cups of coffee. Some days where I felt so overwhelmed that I would cry to your daddy. Who was I outside of being your and your brother’s mama? But guess what my boy, never in a million years would I EVER want to be the girl I was before having your brother and you!

So, these past twelve months, 365 days have been the most rewarding months of my life. You are just so easy to love! Want to know another thing? Your daddy feels just the same way.  Geo feels the same way. Your grandma’s and auntie feel the same way! What I’m trying to say is that I love you, we alllllll love you! I have so many wishes for you on your first birthday.  Sometimes I’m not good with my words and I’m finding it extremely difficult to sum up my love for you in just one letter. So my goal is to show you how much I love you every second of the day.

Happy first birthday, my sweet Greyson. I pray that you have a life full of abundant health, a life full of adventure. No matter what challenges this world throws at you, I hope you maintain a loving and passionate heart, a mind hungry for knowledge, and a wild and free spirit.

All my love,

Your Mama

I hope you enjoyed this letter to my sweet boy. For more motherhood, related posts check out my postpartum updates here, here and here.