One!

My Sweet Amelia Gray,

It is completely unfathomable to me that you turn 1 today! They say time flies, but never in my life has it passed as quickly as it has this last year.

We could never have anticipated how much you were going to change our lives when you entered the world. I say with complete confidence that there simply can't be another baby on the face of the Earth who is loved as much as you are!

My wise, wise friend and mother-of-seven Grace Wolnski said something so profound to me as I was describing the way your brothers dote on you ... she said, "Most mothers don't get the privilege of seeing their sons love and protect someone that way until they grow up and have children of their own. But you are receiving the wonderful blessing of watching your boys love her so completely, so perfectly, in these moments."

And she is so right. No matter where they are, or where you are, you are their number-one concern. If they're away from you for an hour, they run back in and come straight to find you.

They hug you, kiss you, dry your tears, feed you, give you your bottle, encourage you to try new foods, carry you around the house, and generally smother you with attention 24/7. And you EAT IT UP.

I hope they haven't ruined you for life.

You have a light in your eyes that's contagious ... everyone around you lights up when you smile. You have -- and this is the universal opinion among all who know you -- the best personality of any baby in the world! Every single day, your school diary sheet has the boxes for "cheerful" and "content" checked. You simply rarely, RARELY have an "off" day.

I love your chubby hands, your dimpled cheeks, your cornflower-blue eyes. I love the feeling of your face burrowing into my neck when you're sleepy, the way your fists grab my pants leg when you're trying to pull up to your knees. I love the sweet smell of your baby breath as you fall asleep on my chest ... so rare now that I have to look back at months-old pictures to remind myself that it used to happen all the time.

You are the daughter I didn't even know I needed ... but I did. I do. And I always will. I think you're magnificent in every way, and we are so blessed to call you "ours."

Love,
Mommy