A Letter to My Son from his Adoring Mother on the Occasion of his First Birthday

Today is your first birthday, congratulations son!  To say you have been a joy is an understatement and words cannot describe how much we love you.  You came into this world one year ago on a very hot and humid DC day.  Today was perfect; sunny, breezy and hot, but not too hot.  (I ordered the weather special delivery for you.)  You woke up this morning with a little pink eye and a bruise from that other child in daycare who bit you when you tried to take his toy, but neither one seemed to bother you.  We sang Happy Birthday to you at 6:30am and you clapped for yourself and gave us high-fives.  Your smiles were extra large and so were your hugs and kisses.  I treasure each one as if it was the first. 

You are such a delight to parent.  You rarely cry, unless I leave the room or punish you, which I rarely do.  You smile and blow kisses on cue, which delights even strangers.  You light up when I am picking you up each day and race over to give me love. I look forward to seeing you the moment you are out of my sight and I count down the minutes of each day until I pick you up. I love reading you stories and listening to you babble.  I dream up adventures to take you on, places to see, people for you to meet and love.  I take as many pictures as I can to embarrass you with later.  I tell and re-tell stories about your funny ways to anyone who will listen.  I imagine the man you grow to be and dream about the life you will lead. 

We will celebrate this weekend and take many photos for you to look back on and cherish.  We will delight in your antics with cake and frosting, laugh as you eat the wrapping paper and ignore your gifts, and sing as you clap for yourself.  You have changed our world, made us better and more loving, feeling people.  We cannot thank you enough for choosing us to be your parents.  You are gift from heaven; a little angel here on Earth. 

My love for you is as steep as the hill, as many grains as in the mill, as dry as the desert, as deep as the ocean, and as infinite as the stars. I love you as much as a mother can love.

Happy Birthday Teddy Azer, my precious baby boy!