Dear Jake, On Your Birthday

Just as my due date came and went, an entire year has come and gone.

You are no longer a baby, but a boy.

 A little one to be sure, but a boy nonetheless.

It makes me sad to think about how fast this year of you has gone,

how quickly those hazy crazy baby days went.

And while there were parts I could have done with out 

(think milk gifts re-gifted, all that quality time at 2am, and 

those surprises you had for me that never stayed fully in your diaper...)

there were all of those astounding, heart-bursting, life altering moments that I'll never forget.

I remember watching you struggle to push yourself up, so proud when you succeeded.

Seeing those first wiggles as you tried to crawl,

and those first oh-so tentative steps (not so long ago!)

Listening so hard to hear your first word - of course it was Haaa-naaah.

I love the way your hair looks when it falls over your ears,

or how it catches the wind when we throw you straight up in the air.

Your cheeks, flushed and lined from your sheets in the morning, smiling at me.

And when you walk around in your itsy-bitsy jammies, or fall asleep on my shoulder at night.

Your first smiles blew me away, your giggles do it to me everytime,

and everyday you still take my breath away.

I can't wait to keep growing with you.

xo, mom.