The first of April marks seven weeks
since our baby turned one. His first birthday party was a Boss
Baby theme complete with a balloon arch and black ties. He even
wore his tie and vest for the occasion. I made homemade chocolate
cake with an ultimate milkshake bar. However, with all the
decorations and cake comes our birthday tradition.
I'm a writer, so I write my kids a
letter on their birthdays. I don't share it with them; I put it with
their baby books. It's a stack of love letters for each of them.
Below is the letter I wrote for our sweet baby boy on his first
birthday, February 12th.
My Beloved Baby Kaiser,
On this day a year ago, your birth day,
I waited for you to come. I imagined your sweet smell and your little
hands and feet. I imagined your strong cry and squished pink face. I
imagined the feel of your soft skin against mine. All that imagining
was made a reality when you joined our family. In all your
perfectness, my imagination could never have created something so
great. In that moment, all the world couldn't have intruded on our
blissful meeting.
Your brothers and sister saw you as
something special made just for them. Your connection to them was
cemented when we brought you home from the hospital. They took turns giving you Eskimo kisses and singing you songs. They kissed your head until it smelled like them. They brought you toys to
play with and painted you the most beautiful pictures. You were patient with them and
never uttered a sound of upset.
The first month of your life, we were
at the doctor's office every week for weight checks. You were a
linebacker born, but acid re-flux saw you more as a pianist. However,
you never complained. You were content to look up at me with those
magical blue eyes as if to say, “Mom, just feed me again.”
I'm so amazed by all that you have
accomplished in just a year. Your sitting, crawling, walking, eating,
and climbing are such intense feats. But your little details gave me
so much more: your excited smile when you look at me; your hand
holding mine; your wave for me to hold you; your bottom lip pout. As
I'm writing this, I can hear your even breathing and your occasional
sigh from your crib. I will hold onto those sounds forever. I will
hold onto the feel of you in bed next to me when everyone else is
asleep, and it's just the two of us. I will hold onto the feel of
your drool in the crook of my arm when you use it as your pillow. I
will hold onto the sweet sound of mama said for the first time. Those
are your gifts made just for me.
I'm so grateful that God saw fit to
make me your mother. You are an amazing child that gives me
excitement for the future. I will be here to catch all of your smiles
and tears and everything in between. Your family will always be there
for you and love you unconditionally.
Happy Birthday My Darling Kai!
With all my Love,
Mom
