Dearest Mio,
Today, you are one year old.
It’s a strange feeling to look back on this year — in a sense, it seems like we’ve had you in our lives forever, and yet at the same time, I find myself stunned that it’s already been a year, wondering where the time went. I’m reminded of the quote, “The days are long, but the years are short,” because that’s exactly how it feels. Each and every day seems to move slow, but when I take a step back and reflect on the collection of those days, it seems to have flown by. As a new parent, there are so many moments when I was just in survival mode, making sure that I was getting everything done, that it’s difficult to find a moment to drop everything and reflect on the now and savor the present with you. But on this special day, on your first birthday, I’m going to sit down and do just that.
As I look back on these past twelve months, my heart is so full that it feels like it is going to burst, and tears spring to my eyes. It has been such a joy to watch you grow and reach all of your milestones. Since you were born, life has been more joyful, more trying, more delicate, more scary, more fulfilling and more breathtakingly beautiful. You’re like a rose-colored lens that shows us this world in a new, fresh, and different way.
Mio, before I met you, I was just breathing. Inhaling and exhaling. I didn’t realize it, but I was. Of course I was content with my life alone with your Daddy, just the two of us, and was comfortable in it. But then you came along, and showed us just how much more love we were both capable of. We are everything we were before, but better — deeper in our convictions, stronger in our passions, more devoted in our journey together for a happy life. We’ll never forget those moments when we first met you and we all stared at one another — you gazing up at us with those big, chocolate eyes trying to make sense of your first blurry vision of the world, and us trying to wrap our brains around the fact that this pink little person lying on my chest was equal parts both of us. Our little girl, our responsibility, and the beginning of this very real and often daunting journey. Now I savor every moment with you. I breathe you in and squeeze you tight, knowing that before I know it, you’ll be wriggling away and running off. I love watching you play, watching you learn, watching you grow.
I have so many wishes, hopes, and dreams for you, my sweet daughter. But, the most important hope I have is that you always know how loved you are by me, your Daddy, and your family. I am in awe of who you are and who you are becoming, and so thankful for the mother you’re making me.
When you smile at me, you light up my entire world. You are my brightest sunshine and you complete me, and it was you who made me realize that I have always wanted to be your Mama. I love you for all that you are, all that you have been, and all that you’re yet to be. I love you to the moon and back, and feel so blessed and lucky to be your mother. You are, and always will be, the daughter I always wanted.
I love you with every fiber of my being, with every breath I take, with every beat of my heart.
Mama
