Fall Family Fun: Reminiscing on the past year....

I wrote Owen this letter the night before his birthday. I want to try to do this every year!

My precious baby boy,

As I lay here on the couch with you asleep in my arms, I feel so blessed. I can’t believe you will be one year old tomorrow. For the past year you have fallen asleep in my arms like this every night. You love to cuddle with Mommy. I am so grateful for these moments. I know they will only last for a little while. I can’t believe my sweet baby will be a year old tomorrow. My eyes fill with tears every time I think of how fast this year has gone by! This has been the best year of my life, and I fall in love with you more and more each day.

I have spent the last month reminiscing on this wonderful year. I remember the first time I ever felt you move. You were so calm in the womb, and you still have the same passive personality. I remember so clearly meeting you for the first time. June 1, 3:09 PM, will always be one of my most treasured memories. We waited so long to meet you. I was exactly 41 weeks the day you were born. You were worth every bit of the wait, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I remember when Dr. Heaton pulled you out and held you up for me to see for the first time, you were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen! I remember seeing your precious face, and hearing your sweet little cry like it was yesterday. I remember thinking you had the cutest chipmunk cheeks. I remember the way your soft skin felt on your cheek as I touched you for the first time. It was the most magical moment of my life. I remember nursing you right after you were born. You latched on, and ate for an entire hour. You were a big boy…8lbs 7 oz, and you knew just what to do. The family made jokes about how hungry you were, while they anxiously waited to meet you. I remember bonding with you so much in that hour. I remember studying all of your precious features, the warmth as I held your sweet, tiny body against mine, and I couldn’t believe God blessed me with such a perfect little miracle. In those moments, I knew I was your mother and you were my son and you would change my life forever. I think that hour I had with you will always be one of the best hours of my life!

A year has passed since that amazing day. It has gone by in the blink of an eye. I have cherished each moment. You are so special, and I want to remember everything! The first 12 weeks of your life I never put you down. I was so upset about having to go back to work. I knew I would miss so many precious moments. I wanted every second with you that I could get. To this day, I think that bonding time we had for the first 12 weeks made you the happy child that you have become! I am so sorry that I had to leave you while I worked over this past year. I would give anything to get those precious hours with you back!

With that being said, we are starting a new journey this year! I will be staying home with you. I can’t wait to get to spend as much time with you as possible. Time with you is so precious. I know you will be grown before I know it. I refuse to miss another moment, no matter what sacrifices we have to make!

My goal in life is to be the best wife and Mommy. I want to give you everything I never had. I hope I am always a good role model, and you can learn as I do, rather than as I say. I hope I am always positive around you, and make you feel special. I am raising you completely different than how I was raised. I thank God for helping me forgive and move on from my past. I love that God is showing me how to take care of you the right way. I know with his guidance I won’t go wrong! Most of all, Owen, I hope you always know how much I love you, your Daddy loves you, and God loves you!

In this incredible year, I saw your very first smile at 4 weeks and heard your first giggles at 8 weeks. You were quick to smile and laugh. You are such a happy child, and you couldn’t wait to express it! I can count on my fingers the amount of times I have actually heard you cry over the past year. Your laugh and smile are contagious. You have the favorite laugh of the daycare. When I talk to the teachers at your school they say “Oh Owen, the baby who likes to laugh”. I love this quality about you, and I hope it stays with you the rest of your life. As your mother, I want to make sure you are always happy and always know you are loved so very much!

I am so amazed at how far you have come. You came into this world a tiny baby, so soft, so innocent, so dependent, and absolutely perfect in every way. And now, you are a little boy…about 18 lbs, laughing,

talking, waving, clapping…charming every person who is lucky enough to meet you. As I sit here and watch you toddle about, I think of the man I hope you’ll become and that I will do anything under the sun to be a good mother to you and help guide you in the right direction.

You have developed into such an amazing little person already. You are the sweetest, most loving child I’ve ever met. You are so sweet, and a big Momma's boy! You are so smart. You are learning to communicate and say several words. My heart melts every time I hear you say “Heyyyy Mama”. You love to say hey, bye bye, and dog -dog. You pay such attention to detail. I always call you a little “engineer”. You are so much like your daddy. This makes me so proud! I know in my heart there are big things ahead for you.

Words cannot express how much I love you, my precious baby. I’m so proud of you and blessed that God chose me to be your mommy. I don’t know what I could have done to deserve such a blessing! This last year has been filled with priceless memories and I look forward to so many more to come.

Love,

Mommy

HERE I GO! Watch me Grow!

Mommy at 40 weeks