The Bub in the Belly

My dearest Rachel,

Just when I think that you could not possibly be cuter bopping your head and shaking your butt to the beat, you get up on your feet under the high chair and start pole-dancing. Just when I think I'm going to give you your first scolding ever (for testing your new teeth while latching), you smile and wave and clap your hands at me, because you know I'm going to smile and wave and clap right back at you. Just when I think your brother is going to upset you with his possessive and obsessive hold over his alphabet blocks, you grin and yell right back at him. Your playful "AH!" to his insistent "NO", each of you yelling in turn until you make your brother see your point of view and the both of you dissolve in laughter.

You bring the sun out when you smile, a high-wattage grin that banishes every worry and heals every sadness. When you are sad, you are the saddest little girl around, your head and shoulders drooping under the weight of your woes. And when you are shy, you are the sweetest thing, hiding your face in my chest, your large curious eyes peeking out.

Ever the lady, you giggle girlishly when I throw you up in the air and you love it when I comb your hair out. You can't stay still, not even when strapped into your high chair. Just when I thought that you had climbed onto and conquered every chair in the house, you start climbing from the chairs onto the tables and chests. You love it when I carry you and chase after your brother and I know you just can't wait to be running around with him, and you will, soon - you started walking on your own over the weekend!

You are already a proficient communicator, ever ready to tell us exactly how you feel and exactly what you what. "Gah!" or "Aph!" hold a world of meaning, don't they? "Mama" and "Mum mum" may sound the same to others, but you and I know otherwise. And, once in a while, you talk to yourself in a long uninterrupted stream of babytalk, a language which we have long forgotten, which you use because you think nobody is listening.

And today! Today, you are one year old! One! Oh, babydoll, you are our blessing and our gift. You have surpassed all expectations, outdone yourself at every turn, and charmed the pants off everyone. Just when we think that we could not possibly love you more, you show us that we can and we do.

Happy 1st birthday, darling. We love you, we love you, we love you. As your brother would say, "I put you in my heart." And there you'll always be.