To Our 1 Year Old, Love, Daddy

Today is a very special day. Perhaps not so special to Mia (she has no clue why we are having a party), but for daddy and mommy it marks a full year that we've had her joyful little person in our family. Honestly, to her every day is a party anyway. And why wouldn't everyone want to see her every time we get together? After all, she has to be the reason anyone gets together with her parents! She is always the center of attention and always will be as far as I'm concerned. It's really kind of funny because every time we go in a public setting, she looks around with this cute little smile expecting everyone to admire her. An of course they do. She is a little goddess.

Knowing that her birthday was so close, I found myself looking back at old pictures. Old being a relative term when your child is only a year old, but old nonetheless old to Mia’s timeline. It blows my mind to think that this little body has grown so fast… and trying to imagine what I was thinking being a parent would be like makes me laugh a bit. Looking back at old journals I have found some personal insight on what I expected. I even wrote a couple of letters to Amelia within the past couple years. Even with my best guesses, I could not comprehend how it would feel when the moment finally arrived. 

This last year has been a joy (a joy with some painful realizations of what sleep and the lack thereof does for the human body that is). I'm sure the upcoming year will be a joy as well (with plenty of new-found sleep!), if not a bit different in nature with me starting my residency as a new physician. I will make sure to find the time to spend with my family and will do so with every bit of enthusiasm that I have had as a brand-new father since day one (or was it day zero?). I'm sure those of you who are reading this are drowning in my parental gushing… so I will spare you the pain and just let you know how incredibly excited I am to celebrate Mia today. She will get lots of hugs and kisses. I will be sure to give her some extra special kisses for those of you who can't be here to celebrate with her in person as well :) 

Happy 1 year baby girl! Tack on a few more of those years and you will be changing daddy’s diapers! (or not)