To Dani at 1

Dear Dani,

It's hard to believe you are already 1! It's just simply hard to fathom what life was like without you. Granted, things were a little less hectic but that just comes with having two kids and I wouldn't change a second of this craziness for anything in the world. I remember being so scared leading up to your arrival. I knew I wanted to have another baby but I was just scared. Scared of two, which was so foreign to me as an only child. Fear that Jack wouldn't take well to you. Fear that I wouldn't know what to do to juggle everything. Fear that I couldn't possibly love two children so much without exploding. Then you arrived on the scene, all 9 lbs 7 oz. of you and erased all fears I ever had.

You got off to a rough start, with your milk allergy. I felt horrible not being able to help you and so relieved when we found a way to relieve your pain. As you grew, I watched this helpless little baby turn into a strong, determined, happy little girl. Every day you amaze me and I find new things to love about you. Here are some of my favorites:

Your smile: Your smile lights up your whole face. It is impossible not to smile when you see your grinning face. You started smiling early and once you figured it out, it didn't stop. It is so easy to make you smile. It took you a little longer to laugh. You now do it quite readily, especially around your brother, who you adore. My favorite is when you are walking fast/running away excitedly while being chased. You break into this laughter that affects your stride and it usually ends in you catching your balance on the nearest piece of furniture or falling to the floor.

Your eyes: When your eyes stayed blue well past the point that Jack's turned, we had a little hope that you might get a color other than brown. Seeing as Daddy is Hispanic, we didn't REALLY think it would last, but I was thinking maybe you'd get green. Yet they stayed a definite blue. You got your Nonny's eyes. And they are beautiful. But even more beautiful than the color is how big and lively they are.

Your babbling: You are a talker. So far, you have "bah-bah" (bye-bye), "mo! mo!" (more, while signing the word), and "baw" (ball) down. "Elmo" is just around the corner, especially after your new birthday gift. You also have an amazing ear for sounds. From an early age (as though you are "old" now) you repeated different things. Mostly just "ma", "ba", "da", and "na" but you have now added "la" and eeeee sounds. You repeat well and LOVE to repeat Jack, who loves teaching you! You also make less desirable sounds like screeching, earning you the nickname "Squawky".

Your face: Or rather, more specifically, your nose, the way it scrunches up when you are extra excited or happy. It's actually not a terribly attractive face that you make but I just love it.

Your spunkiness: You are a lively girl. Since you started moving, you haven't stopped. You love to move, explore and see new things. You are completely outgoing and constantly crave social contact. "Stranger Danger" is not a term that is on your radar. You want to be with people at all times and reach out to strangers. Now, I don't exactly LIKE this trait (at least I know it is something we will need to work on in the future if it remains this way.) You really don't like to be left alone for any amount of time, unless you are watching Bubble Guppies. In that case you are pretty much hypnotized.

Your determination/opinions: When you decide to do something, you do it. Or you get EXTREMELY mad if you aren't allowed to. You crawled and walked early because you decided that that was what you want and needed to do. The mad part isn't completely fun but I think I can safely say that you probably won't be the girl who, when asked what you want to do says, "Gee, I don't know, what do you want to do?" You aren't shy about letting anyone know just how you feel. When you get really mad, you start to cry angrily and flap your arms up and down. Sometimes you lay on the floor, giving us a glimpse of the tantrums to come! It's hard to get mad or frustrated sometimes because it's so funny to see this little girl expressing (with her limited expression resources) her displeasure. The funniest example was at the doctor's when you got your flu shot. For the first shot, you didn't even cry. However, when you got the second a month later, you definitely changed your mind about it--and the nurse who administered it! I watched your little face go from peaceful and happy to bright pink. You not only were sad, it was as though you were personally offended that someone would do that to you. You started to cry and then looked at the nurse and screamed louder, almost accusingly. When I picked you up, your head was on a swivel, scanning the room for the offending nurse, screaming more loudly at her when you found her.


Put simply, there really isn't a list long enough for all that I love and adore about you. I am so glad that I have a little girl and so happy that that girl is sweet, spunky, strong-willed, perfect you. You are so full of life. I love coming home from work to be greeted by your huge, beautiful smile and you walking, excitedly into my arms for a hug. I love when you reach out for me yet I love your independence. I love how joy just bursts from you and how that joy is instantly contagious. You've certainly brought so much joy into my life in just this first year. I don't know what I did to be so lucky but I am sure grateful that I am your mom. I love you, Dani. Happy birthday.

Love, Mommy