From Grams to Ava on Birthday One

Happy first birthday, Miss Ava! I hope you have a wonderful day enjoying all the fun with your loving family and friends as they share the happiness of your birth just 12 months ago.

So many spectacular memories from your first year on earth, as you made your entrance right on time. And, right from the start, you made it clear who was in charge, pushing off an oxygen contraption the nurses tried to put on your head minutes after your birth. You go, girl!

Your mom and dad have given you the absolute best start in life, from learning as much as they could about you before you were born to working so hard to take care of your every need, including diligent pumping of milk from mom to many sleepless nights as they soothed your stomach distress and other discomforts which you thankfully outgrew.

And along the way there was your first smile, your first laugh, your first roll over, your first sit up, your first crawl, your first teeth, your first sounds as you began to verbalize, your first wave and all the funny interaction with your feline brother, Vinny.

You have become so entertaining and so much fun, not to mention a true baby fashionista in keeping with your mom’s sense of style. Can’t wait to see how your mechanical ability develops, inspired by your dad.

As you grow and develop into what we’re sure will be a highly intelligent and interactive two year old, don’t be too eager to leave babyhood behind. We will have your first year documented in photos and happy memories, but we will miss teeny tiny you, too. You will be a little girl with a big personality before we know it.

So happy, happy birthday to my favorite one year old. I wish you sunshine, rainbows and many yummy strawberries along the way.

(Written in June 2014)