The Big One.

This is about a month late, but I think CC will forgive me!

September 14, 2011

Dear Caroline,

I cannot believe we are here at this point where I write you your one-year letter. You are amazing. You are sassy, sweet, bright, charming, and bold. You laugh and smile and explore and demand and throw fits, and it is all so unbelievably beautiful. To say that this has been the best year of my life is so obvious, and cannot possibly encompass the depth of emotion that I have in looking back on the last twelve months. I am so proud of you. I am so grateful to be your mommy. And now that you are a toddler, I miss your babyhood desperately but am so thrilled everyday to watch you grow. You are so tremendous in your being and so much more than I ever dared to dream you could be.

Our first meeting was nothing like I expected it would be. You were a few hours old, and you were a tiny bundle of blankets with dark hair peeking out. You looked so comfortable in your daddy's arms that I almost hated to take you away. But the second they handed you to me, I knew you were mine. We loved each other immediately and you filled my heart in places I never knew it was empty. You were so tiny, and delicate, and beautiful, and even though it wasn't what I expected, it was perfect.

Now you are strong, sturdy, and so full of personality. You are still beautiful of course, but in a more complete way. Your spirit is just so full of life that it seems to spill out of you and touch everything and everyone around you. I feel so blessed to be the one to feel the most of it!

You have learned so much this year. You can walk and dance, you give kisses and snuggles, you say "cat," "cracker," "mama," "dada," "hi," and "book." You can point to kitties, cars, pacis, your lovey, the stairs, and yourself whenever asked. You can do "hands up," "so big," and "shake your booty!" Teaching you things is so much fun, especially when you finally learn to do them on command!

You can feed yourself, play with the cats and their string toys, and turn your music boxes on and off all by yourself. Sometimes I can't believe you are the same tiny little bird I brought home from the hospital, who slept all the time and hardly every made a sound. Life is so amazing.

So, to you, my darling girl, Happy Birthday. I can't wait to see what the next year brings us as you become a big sister, and continue to grow and play and laugh your way through life. Thank you for bringing me along for the ride! I love you! -Mommy

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAROLINE!