July 28, 2010

The one year anniversary of your birth.  And what a wonderful birthday it was, filled with heaping gobs of love and spoiling from all your family. 

A special shirt and ribbon for a special boy, who spent the day with Mimi, Grandma, Grandpa and Auntie ColeCole.  Your first candle flickered in a blueberry muffin after lunch.

And then you got to spend the evening with all the other side: Grammy, Grand-dude, Uncle Jeff and Aunt Lauren.  Your Uncle and Aunt planned a wonderful mini-party for your birthday dinner, complete with balloons (your favorite!) and cupcakes.  Splenda cupcakes, because they didn't want you to have too much sugar before bed.   Boy do you like love-you cupcakes.

And even though your party isn't for a couple more days, you got to open family presents throughout the day and play with new toys.

You got to stay up past your bedtime on your birthday, which scared Daddy but pleased Mama because I had been secretly hoping to be able to snuggle you at the exact moment you turned One. 

And I held it together all day long, I did, until bedtime.  When, after your bath and lotion and jammies, I snuck you off for some serious one-on-one cuddling.  And together, alone, the tears came fast and full.  You nursed yourself to dreamland while I whispered to you and prayed for you.  Thanked you and God for all the joy, blessings, lessons and fulfillment we've been graciously granted over the last year of our lives, the first year of your life.  Tears of happiness blended with tears of sadness, and before I knew it, your hair was soaking wet with all the love and pride pouring from my eyes. 

And then I realized a huge string of congested, silent-crying snot stretched from my nose to your face, and I couldn't help but laugh at the royal birthday sliming I was giving you in your sleep.

I recited your night-time prayer to you and whispered goodnight into your ear, just as the clock struck 8:31 p.m.  And then I laid with you quietly, until Daddy came in a couple of minutes later to steal his own kisses from our one year old boy, and wipe my tears.

Happy Birthday, my love. Thank you for making me a Mama, and opening my eyes to the wonder and bliss of this responsibility. You are my little slice of Heaven on Earth, and I love you more than you know.