Dear Quinn,
Somehow you are already a big one year old! Smiling, playing, exploring, destructing, putting back together, moving, shaking, dancing, babbling, and bringing joy in to our lives daily!
Every parent says the time goes so fast in their baby’s first year of life. It sure does! There were many days in the last 12 months when I would get you after a nap and would swear you grew an inch in the two hours you were sleeping! I had a hard time keeping up with all your accomplishments and finding the time to grab your baby book from your bookshelf to record all the new things you were learning and doing! Now I also understand why so many baby books end up incomplete, as babies grow too fast for mamas to keep up! The most exciting part of parenting you is watching your very own personality grow and become more and more apparent. It’s like being able to glimpse into the future and get a little taste of what type of little boy you will become as you grow older. I love what I see – I love who YOU are.
I have many wonderful years under my belt. I have lived a great life so far and am excited for my future, and I can honestly say this past year with having added you to our family have been the very best year! You hear everyone has their ‘glory’ days, a time in their lives that they enjoyed so deeply and miss when they are gone. I know many people say their high school days were their ‘glory’ days. I believe I am presently living my glory days! I believe being a mom to YOU and a wife to your daddy is my glory days!
That’s not to say it’s all been easy, Mr.! When you were just born and your daddy came home from work around suppertime you would cry and cry… from around 5:30 and into the evening you would just cry… Luckily for me, I got to see your more content disposition during the morning and afternoon. Your poor daddy only knew the Quinn who cried! … Daddy and I muddled our way through those sleepless, overwhelming early days in your life. We didn’t know if it would ever get easier! We wondered how parents could ever handle more than one child! We learned more and more about each other and become closer in our new family of three. Slowly we eased out of those sleep deprived days and started getting the hang of it! My arms got stronger and stronger, so that holding you constantly and lugging your baby car seat and diaper bag everywhere became second nature! The thought of going to the grocery store with you didn’t worry me as much as time went on. I started to let go of the worry that you would start screaming at the top of your lungs during church or in the middle of the line at Target and everyone would be staring at me! …It got easier. We got to know one another, you and me. Daddy and I started seeing big smiles and hear your little baby giggles and it gave us the confidence that we were doing a good job!
You have amazed us with your ability to move around so much from the very beginning! When I think back to your life during the first year, I will remember with great fondness your activity level! Quinn, you were always moving! Turning over, grabbing for things, army crawling to be by Tucker when you were five months old, crawling shortly after, pulling yourself up in your crib and cruising around furniture all day every day until finally, at nine months old you felt brave enough to let go of the coffee table and just walk on your own! You haven’t slowed down since! … You love holding your hockey stick and walking around the house! Sometimes when I cuddle with you, the hockey stick cannot be pried from your little chubby hands and I cuddle with your hockey stick, too! You love playing in ‘your’ Tupperware drawer in the kitchen. You like the bright colored bowls and you carry them over to the bench in the kitchen and stack them in a line! You love then going into our living room and grabbing little blocks or leggos and bringing those into the kitchen to place in the bowls. You are so busy and look so determined and I often wonder what is going on in that head of yours! I think you are doing experiments to learn how the world works!
I cannot leave out your social nature! One day in particular comes to mind when I think of how social you are. Grandma Jan and I took you to Panera Bread for breakfast and we choose a table close to the big window overlooking the parking lot. You loved looking out the window and getting so animated when people would walk by! You would wave and smile and we felt like our table was the official greeter table for Panera Bread! They should have paid us! You are the same when you are in your cart at the grocery store, or when we go to church, or when we visit great grandma Sophie at the nursing home and all the old ladies just love on you with their big smiles or sweet words! You love visiting your grandma and grandpa Sattler out in the country and seeing their dog, Jack! You love all your aunts and uncles, grandmas and grandpas and friends.
And Tucker! After mommy and you have been out and about running errands you get so excited when we run downstairs together to let Tuck out of his kennel! When you are busy playing in the kitchen and spy Tucker lounging in his dog bed you take a moment out of your busy playing to toddle over to him, dive into his bed with him, and snuggle for a minute or two!
You bring so much joy to our lives, Quinn! You are loved so much by your mommy and daddy and your entire family!
Happy First Birthday to my sweetie pie!
Love, Mama
