One Year Old Letter

To My Dearest Guppy,

Wow. One year old. How amazing is that? It's truly astonishing how much you have grown in developed this past year. And it is even more astonishing how much you have impacted our family in such a short time.

In this past year, you have taught me so many things. You have taught me Joy: You arrival into this world was the best birth experience I could hope for. I still feel as though I am on a birth high from that single experience; thank you for teaching me how to empower myself through my natural abilities as a woman.

The Guppy, One Minute Old

You have also taught me patience: While the Mermaid was a very quiet and independent child, you adore constant contact with either me or your father. You love to be held. And while we adore holding you, it took a while for us to learn patience and appreciate the fact that you love to be held so much. Now that you are not teething as much and are more independent, I find myself missing that constant contact and I'm glad that I was able to develop the patience necessary to wear or hold you almost all the time without complaint.

You have also taught me to prioritize. Reading my email is not as important as playing with you and your sister, and you were very vocal on letting me know that. Eating ice cream was not as important as avoiding dairy so that your eczema would not come back. And cleaning the house? Definitely not as important as a good long nursing and cuddling in the recliner. Thank you for those moments.

The Guppy three months old

Lately you have come to understand so much that I think of you as older than one. You have five signs that you know. You shake your "no" or nod it "yes" when I ask you certain questions. Your funny butt scootch is so close to turning into standing up that I have my video camera charged and nearby to catch that moment. You pull yourself up. You love to race after the Mermaid down the hallways. You love puzzles. You play pass with the ball. You point to things that you want. You adore your father, your sister, your Aunt Stacie, and me. And while you are enjoying so much the freedom of crawling around and exploring, you also love to engage in a few quiet nursing sessions each day.

You are so calm and easygoing, the Knight and I feel as though we can take you anywhere....and we do. You are so patient with your older sister when she gets a little too excited and rough with you, never reacting with anger. You hair is still light blond but your eyes are turning brown. You now have at least four teeth. And playing with your sister is your absolute favorite activity.

I love your chubby cheeks and legs. I love the way you look when you are drunk on my milk. I love watching you sleep. I love the way you play with your belly button. I love the cute way you sign. I love how you feel comfortable in any one's arms. I love the way you snuggle up to me at night. I love the way you watch your sister, your eyes filled with wonder and awe. I love the way that nothing scares you, you are always calm and serene. I love the look you give me when you want me to pick you up, no one can resist it. I love the way you are so chubby you fit into your sister's clothes and diapers...it makes getting you dressed so much easier. I love how you are willing to try any new food that I give you. I love that you still enjoy being worn in the Mai Tei on my back. I love the cute way you get mad when the Mermaid steals your toys. I love how you are so expressive of your feelings.

I love how you are so sweet, so adorable, so calm and serene. I love you with every fiber of my heart and soul and this past year has been the best year of our lives.

I am so incredibly excited to see what the coming year is going to bring. There are going to be so many positive changes happening for our little family and I am overjoyed that you are here with us to experience it. I can't wait to see your first steps, watch you develop and grow into a toddler.

Happy Birthday, dear Guppy. We all love you so much.

One Year Old Letter