Lessons from my Son ~ A letter to my first born baby

My Dear son,

Today you are one year old!! This day last year changed my life in a way that no other day ever has. I swear it feels like yesterday I was waiting for you to be born. Very anxiously waiting. Your Daddy and I could not wait to meet you. We were so excited to be parents and have a little boy. Little did we know how much you would teach us and change our lives.

You came into this world early. Which is just your style, you don’t wait for anything or anyone. You do things on your own time. You were just this little (well okay big) ball of baby squish. You instantly melted my heart, and broadsided your father with overwhelming amounts of love.

A year later, the picture we took of your Daddy and you is still my favorite. When you get older you will see the intense look of love and joy in his eyes. We were both so happy to have you in our arms, heart, and lives.

There is a quote that says, “Before you were conceived, I wanted you. Before you were born, I loved you. Before you were here for an hour, I would give my life for you. This is the miracle of life.” ~ Maureen Hawkins.

There never could be a truer saying. You surprised us by coming into our lives a little earlier than we had planned, but we always knew we wanted you. When you were growing in my belly, we loved you. Your Daddy cried the first time we heard your heartbeat. I laughed out loud the first time you kicked me really hard.

We couldn’t wait to meet you and share our love with you and teach you all we could to insure a great life for you. And when you were born, I don’t even think it took an hour that I knew, and so did your father, that we would do anything for you including give our lives.

You have taught your father and me much over this past year. You have taught us to laugh more often. How can we not? Your personality is so filled with love and silliness. I don’t think there was a single day in this past year that you have not made me laugh out loud. That you will learn is not a simple thing to do.

You have taught me to be persistent and when that fails to look outside the box. Watching you discover your world allowed me to see how one dimensional my thinking had become. I watch as you try over and over to do the simplest of tasks, and when that doesn’t work, you try another way to accomplish your task.

You are so focused, innocent, and awed at the simplest of things. I feel so blessed to be a fly on the wall watching you, and your biggest fan (although your Daddy fights me for that title) cheering for you every step of the way.

You have reintroduced your dad and I to the simple joys normal every days have. You have brought your Daddy and me closer than we ever have been before. I see him being such a loving and doting father to you, and I love him even more than I already do.

You have taught both of us to enjoy sleep more.

To be more patient.

To live in the moment.

That life doesn’t have to be hard.

That money isn’t what brings happiness, family is.

I always thought being a parent was about loving and teaching your child how to live in the world. Little did I know that even in one short year you have taught us more than I have learned on my own in all the years since I have stopped living with my mom.

So my dear sweet sweet little squishy baby boy; Happy 1st Birthday. I hope that your year is filled with wonderment, discovery, joy, and love. I don’t have enough words to tell you how much your Daddy (or as you like to call him – Bob) and I love you.

You are all the proof I will ever need that God exists.

Of all the things I have learned in one year, two stand out about the rest. I have learned there is so much more love in having a child than one can prepare for, and that I never want to live a day without you in my life.



It's not only children who grow. Parents do too. As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours. I can't tell my children to reach for the sun. All I can do is reach for it, myself. ~Joyce Maynard