For my daughter on her first birthday

For my youngest, on her first birthday:

My beautiful baby girl, you came into the world on the wings of a storm.  The summer of 2012 was hot and dry, so hot and dry that I was near to miserable carrying you in July.  Although you were not officially due yet, I must have had the look of a desperate pregnant woman, because other women often asked me, “Honey, when are you due?  Didn’t you have that baby YET?”  Then, on the night of July 18, we had a storm, the first rain in weeks and weeks.  At 2:00 am on July 19, my water broke.  During the summer of a record drought, your daddy drove us to the hospital as it rained sideways across the highway and we could barely see.  You arrived like a storm, too, quickly and with little warning.  We pulled in to the hospital around 4:00 am and you were born by 5:00 am.  They had to hold you off to give the doctor time to get to our room; within ten minutes of her arrival, you were born.  The nurse said, “That’s the way to have a baby!”  By 7:00 am, I was ready for breakfast.  Since then, I’ve learned a few things about you.

• In your first year, you are like the summer.  Most of the time, you are sunny, warm and friendly.  Once in a while, you are stormy and angry.  When the storms come, they are fierce and not easy to abate.  Luckily, they are few and far between.
• You are expressive.  You dance, laugh and smile with abandon and your angry yells can be heard throughout the house.  Although you have no words so far, you can tell me what you want.  If you’re hungry or thirsty, you crawl (or walk) to something and smack your lips.  It’s clear what you’re trying to say.  
• You are determined.  If there is something you want, you will grab it and hold on tightly (even if your older sister is pulling your hair to get you to let go).
• You are confident.  If you want to climb something, you will do it.  Never mind if the step is above your head, your little leg is trying to reach it.
• You are resilient.  It’s amazing to me to watch you learn to walk.  You failed more than you succeeded, but you kept going.  Most falls would not even phase you; you just get up and go again.  If it hurts, you come to someone for a moment of comfort and try again.
• You are loving.  You yell with excitement when your daddy or I come home from work.  You cuddle into the person who’s holding you and rest your head on her shoulder.
• You are energetic.  You love to be on the move and you don’t want to be held for long.  You crawl and walk quickly and you are always exploring, climbing, trying new things.
• You are joyful.  You love to turn on your toys that play music and you dance, swing your arms and clap.  Your giggle is infectious and your shrieks of laughter carry through the house.  

Little girl, I am so lucky to have met you and I can’t wait to see how you grow.  This first year has contained your first teeth, your first food, your first steps, so many firsts that I cannot count them.  I delight in watching you become a joyful, determined, brave person. I hope you continue to meet life’s challenges with the tenacity you’ve shown so far.