A Whole Year of You

Kaleb, you are now officially a one-year-old. I am so excited for you to grow and so sad that every day you are that much further away from being my baby. It is hard to believe I only really met you a year ago; I feel as if I have known you for the entirety of my existence. While I was pregnant with you you gave us a big scare, so on your birthday I was so happy to meet you I would not have given a snit if you had been green with four eyes. You are far from green with four eyes, my boy. You are indescribably pure and an undeniable miracle.

In the last year you have hit all of the milestones ‘they’ say you should, but you did them in your own time. That is one quality that I admire about you; you are not in a rush to grow up. I hope that never changes. I hope you really take the time to be a child. I pray that your Daddy and I provide you with the best childhood you could ask for as well.

While you are certainly a ‘good’ baby, you are becoming more confident and more of a troublemaker as you get older. You pull your brother’s hair and downright bully him whenever you can. You are not being mean, you are just a rough and tumble boy. That surprises me because you have always been laid-back and cuddly. I guess the more mobile you are the more you are going to test the waters of trouble. Just do me a favor- do not jump into the water entirely!

In your first year you have been quite a few places. You were born in Salt Lake, then we moved to Rawlins Wyoming. After that we went to Layton, UT, then on to Blanding, UT. Back up to Ogden, UT we went after that, and finally back to Salt Lake. When you were about 9 months old Daddy changed jobs and we came all the way to Ross, ND. Through all of our travels and all of our scenery changes, you have been a trooper. You rarely complain and are generally OK with anything. What an awesome quality!

You have been a booby-baby for all of your first year. You are currently in the process of giving it up and that makes me a bit sad. I never thought it would, but I love having that time with you, holding you, examining your soft face, touching your baby-fine hair (that, admittedly, there is not much of).

Now the mushy gushy stuff. Kaleb, you are an absolute treasure of a boy. You have made our family more wonderful and more fun than we could imagine. Your big brother adores you and would do anything for you. He even shares his hot chocolate with you willingly! You have Grandmas and Grandpas and Aunts and Uncles and Cousins and friends that think you are wonderful. You exude a light and a sense of joy wherever you go. You are so very uniquely you, and this Mama would not have it any other way. We love you Silly Bean. To the moon and back, which is a very long way.