Dearest Mirei,
Happy first birthday! I woke up this morning to you smiling up at me and I held you close, thinking of all the ways you’ve brought so much joy into our lives in the past year. We have watched you grow for the last twelve months, and we couldn’t be more proud to call your ours. How quickly you have gone from a tiny bundle of helpless newborn to a toddler who scurries around the house, sneakily grabs things from tabletops, and eagerly imitates our every gesture and sound. You are a sweet, bright little girl with an infectious smile, wide eyes that seem to take in everything (and not miss anything!), and a stubborn streak a mile long. You have such boundless energy and curiosity, and seem fearless in wanting to touch and grab anything and everything you can.
While pregnant with you, I had spent so many nights dreaming of you, wondering what you would look like, worrying about whether you would be healthy and happy… if you would be as perfect as I had imagined time and time again. I was afraid about whether I had enough room left in my heart to love another baby after investing so much love and care into our first. All of those worries and fears melted away on a Saturday morning exactly a year ago when they placed you in my arms and I knew that everything was just as it was meant to be.
Your first few months seemed a blur of constant breastfeeding and pumping, trying to balance caring for both you and your sister, sleeping (or attempting to sleep), and just making sure we were all surviving. This first year with you has flown by seemingly faster than our first year with Mio, but there are definite milestones that stick out, that I know I’ll always remember — your first smiles, your first time rolling over, your first time eating solids, your first attempts at crawling, and your first steps… and of course, memories of firsts as a family of four — our first summer with you, first family trip, first Halloween, first Thanksgiving, first Christmas, and first New Years with you — all made so much more special because you were now a part of it. You’ve enriched our lives so much more by becoming part of our family, and it really so much more complete.
My love for you is immeasurable. Every time I see you and every time I hear your voice, I fall more in love with you and driven to be a better, stronger, and kinder mother. I feel so grateful to be able to love you and your sister in this life. Just knowing you, my life is complete. Thank you for being ours, and for reminding me every day of the extreme blessings I’ve been showered with. For drawing me even closer to the other people I love. For showing me that this is how life is meant to be lived — full of color, emotion, challenges, and messes. I will always love you and be here to support you and listen. That when you are 5 or 16 or 50, you will know that my arms will always be ready to embrace you and that you are loved as you are -– nothing more or less.
We can’t wait for the gift of this next year with you, to see where the road to two will take us next.
Mama
