One Year

Dear Tabitha,

This morning I woke up early...waiting to hear your little morning sounds. You've had a REALLY rough cold this last week, one that turned into your first ear infection- and it's made sleep slightly allusive. You've slept between me and Daddy almost every night- usually in your favorite position... Head pressed up against one of our checks. You were usually very considerate, choosing one parent for one half of the night, choosing the other for the other half. No playing favorites, everyone perfectly sleep deprived.
Lucky for you, your birthday was already looming before me and I was feeling the nostalgia so strongly already that you couldn't PAY ME to not have you snuggled up next to me those nights. I will treasure your littleness. I will treasure your baby sounds. I will treasure your baby rolls and baby cheeks. They will soon be gone and I will miss them.

Today you turned one. One year ago we welcomed you, our miracle baby who had overcome so much to be full term, to have a perfectly beating heart, to be healthy in every way we could have dreamed or hoped. The ten months we fought it out for that birth taught me an immeasurable amount. In fact, Im still in the process of writing it, and one day I hope you will get to read a somewhat accurate and well put together report of that season of our families lives. But today, I want to talk about this past year with you. It may not have been as dramatic as those first 10 months ( thankfully!) but they've done their part to continue to teach me much.

For one thing, for a perfectly healthy baby we spent two separate times in the NICU. ( see: That time you had jaundice. See: That time you fell out for you carseat and had to be under observation for 24 hrs.).

And this year we also see one of your very first friends go to heaven at the age of 12.

These events among many other normal every day events have taught me to hopefully hold you closer, forgive a little more of myself and even your imperfections because these days we have together are short. They are also so very very precious. And you my little daughter are SUCH a joy!

This month you continued to grow and learn. You say "bye" "Mama" and "Daddy" and a whole bunch of grunts for your brother's name. You also know the signs for "finished" and "please" and "bye" and "hi" which are really important when your 11 months old and you want something really really badly.

You still haven't learned to walk but you basically will grab ANYONE who has fingers and hold on with a deathgrib in the hopes that they will take pity and walk around with you. And along with some awesome walking toys you got for Christmas and your birthday, you may just beat your brother in the walking game yet ( lucky for you, he was 14 months old before HE walked! haha! So no pressure! You've got time on your side!)

Speaking of Christmas, you celebrated your very first Christmas this month! We spent four days in Nacogdoches enjoying our family. You were so sweet and easy as always, and I think you genuinely had a good time watching your brother and your bigger cousins rip into things! I'm sure you'll give them a run for their money next year.

We decided that even though it meant doing a turn around trip of only 6 days at home before heading back, we wanted to spend your birthday in Nacogdoches as well. Mommy and Daddy wanted to pay special honor to some of the many people that were so kind and generous to us during Mommy's time in Houston.
Let me tell you, you ROCKED your party. Having only had about 25 minute nap, you were happy being passed from person to person, opening presents and staying engaged with all the people that were crowded around! I hope this is just the first of many parties that you dominate!
Just remember what your great-grandmother use to say, "If you're nervous at a party and don't know what to do...then just find the person in the room that looks lonely and in need of someone to love them, and go talk to them. You will do two things, you won't be nervous  anymore but you also help someone else feel less alone.
But, for right now you are just one, and you have no worries other than where the next cracker is going to come from. And for that I am so thankful. You, my dear, bring so much joy to our family, to our hearts. I thank God that I have yet another blessed year ahead to look forward to with you.

Thank you for laughing SO hard at the Peek a boo Moo books, thank you for loving puppets and all stuffed animals and talking to them all with such animation. Thank you for lighting up when your brother enters your line of sight and working you hardest to get into his business...even if it does cause a WHOLE lot of drama. Thank you for crawling as fast as your little legs will carry you and then shoving your head up against your Daddy whenever he comes home from work, thanks for almost never crying when you wake up from a nap but instead just chilling with your Elephant and bear. Thanks for patting us on the back when when give you hugs, and doing the same when you hug your stuffed animals. Thank you for being so chill about just about everything.

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl.

Mommy