Happy Birthday Olivia!

Our little one has made it a year. I can’t even believe it.

As much as I’d like to take the credit for keeping our little one alive, sick-free and happy for a whole 12 months, I didn’t do it alone. We are a team. We’ll always be a team.

So here’s what I have to say to you, my little one, on your first birthday:

I never, in a million years, felt my heart so full as when we brought you home. Your tiny hands trying to hold on to my finger, hanging on my every move and trusting your tiny, 3lb. body with me to protect, comfort and introduce you to this new scary world. I made it my job to be everything you needed and took the role of “Mama Bear” like it was the most important job.

When we would spend hours of the day together and I wondered whether you knew who I was, you gave me your first real smile. When you wanted to put a word together to communicate with us, you said “Mama”. When you discovered your hands and feet and wanted to show me, you touch your thumb and finger for “Itsy Bitsy Spider” as I had done with you since you were a couple months old. I’ll never forget that.

When you got excited and wanted to use your hands, you start to clap. You learned to roll over and crawl so you could explore the world at full speed. You try to make sounds into words to communicate with us. You take such great interest in little details of things that make me stop and admire them the way that you do.

Now that you’re crawling like crazy, blowing and giving kisses, waving and making all kinds of funny sounds, I feel more connected with you than ever. Although you’re growing up way too fast for my heart, the best part about that is that it’s only the beginning.

I’ll tell you again as I told you when you were born, I promise to be your advocate and protector. I still feel like the luckiest woman to be your mommy.

You make me so happy. Happy birthday little one.