One year

Dear Christian,
Your daddy has spent the whole day saying "Can you believe it's been a year?" over and over again. I'd like to concur and say "Yeah, I know, I can't believe it either", but no, I CAN believe it. It does feel like a year has passed. It's been a long year and I've felt and lived every bit of it. Today, my little baby, you are one year old and you have taken me on a roller coaster ride the likes of which I could have never imagined.
Together, we've experienced (in no particular order): baby kicks, ultrasounds, ligament pain, heartburn, C-sections, recuperation, baby blues, breastfeeding, burping, mastitis, midnight feedings, twin bed sleeping, exhaustion, raspberries, pacifiers, diapers, explosive poop, black poop, green poop, poop on the wall, getting squirted with pee, rattles, sponge baths, umbilical issues, first baths, lack of tummy time, first Halloween, first thanksgiving, first Christmas, first new year's, first valentine's day, first St patty's day, first Easter, first fourth of July, pumping milk, daycare for 3 weeks, snotty nose, booger bubbles, fevers, gases, coughs, ear infection(s), a million different bottles, cereal, cradle cap, long nails, scratches, SIDS obsessions, overprotectiveness, teddy bears, bottom teeth, baby food, videos, pictures, car trips, baby walker, laughs, bumps, bruises, scratches, first haircuts, bubble baths, car seats, multiple strollers, multiple nannies, standing in the crib, projectile vomiting, top teeth, biting, drooling, kisses, rolling over, sitting, sitting up, lunging, crawling, pulling up, standing, cruising, walking, running, face landings, sleeping through the night, Easter bunny, tantrums, giggles, mama, dada, papa, nana, baba, saliva bubbles, everything going in the mouth, toy invasions, rocking to sleep, singing to sleep, storytime, shoes, blanket, chewing, choking, pediatrician appointments, vaccinations, clapping, peekaboo, screaming, hating shampoo, pirate faces, stroller meltdowns, squeals of delight, formula, Santa Claus, tickles, antibiotics, playdates, waving byebye, first dip in the pool, screaming in restaurants, hating the shopping cart, mother's day, first trip to Disney, first trip to Busch Gardens, first theme park ride, first Hurricane, car seat meltdowns...and first birthday! WHEW! We made it!
Wow, you must be exhausted little man! I get tired just reading that list! There's definitely some highs and lows in there, but the highs are just so awesome, that I forget about the rest (at least momentarily anyway). I read once (I don't remember where) that someone described parenting a baby like having a really hard exhausting job and then winning a Nobel Peace Prize once in a while (or something like that). Yeah, that makes sense. I won the best prize of all though, I was blessed with you, my little boy. Happy Birthday Christian. I love you my little baby and with every day that passes, I love you even more. I'm looking forward to the next year of "adventures" with you.
Love,
Mommy.