ONE

I can't believe that you're a whole year old. I regularly ask you who told you you could grow up this fast, but you just giggle at me.

There are so many, many things I love about you. I love your chubby baby legs and your perfect feet and toes, I love your now-curly strawberry blonde hair, I love the excited way you say, "Daddy!" when you first see him in the morning, I love your little baby kisses and how you play peek-a-boo with anything we give you that's like a blanket.

I hope that I can always remember your smiles and giggles from this year. You are the most open-hearted person I know. You are happy to be fast friends with anyone, playing and smiling and giggling. (Unless you're in the church nursery.)

You play slowly and carefully with your toys. It's like you're examining fine art. You turn them around, you put them in your mouth, you shake them and bang them together to make music. You LOVE music. You will make anything a musical instrument! This afternoon I listened to you singing in your crib when you woke up from your nap. I was just listening in the monitor and enjoying every minute of your little song.

You walk really well, but you're very cautious and won't let go of at least one finger when you're doing it. But practicing walking is probably your favorite thing to do right now. You got a Radio Flyer push toy for Christmas and you've spent many evenings just pushing it back and forth across the living room over and over again.

You also love animals. Your first word was "dog" and you signed it at the same time! It was right when we were getting up in the morning and you were really excited to see our dog Rosco first thing. You signed it and said it over and over again with a great big smile on your face.

I think my favorite thing to watch this year has been your relationship with your dad. You are so crazy about each other! It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever been privileged to witness. I know some daddies don't like to put little girl outfits together or do day-to-day life with their babies, but not your daddy! He knows all of your routines and when you need milk and when you need dinner and when you need a nap, he changes your diaper (and washes them sometimes!) and gives you baths and reads you stories and sits on the floor to play with you. He even lets you ride on his back in the Ergo when he's cooking sometimes, which you love. Do you know why he does all of those things? Because he's crazy about you! And you're crazy about him too. Most babies go through a long time where they only want their mamas, but I think you only did that for one week of this whole year. You love being with either of us, and your favorite thing is when all three of us are together playing.

I don't know if you'll ever know what a blessing you've been to Daddy and me, or how much we love you, even though we tell you every single day. I just can't imagine our family without you in it.

If they lined up all the one-year-olds in all the world, I would choose you every time. Because you are my favorite one-year-old. I love you because you're mine.