A letter to Henry

I wrote this the week of Henry's first birthday and am just now publishing it. It just made me cry because I haven't read it since the night I wrote it!

Dear Sweet Henbo, 

Happy Birthday! This past year has been the absolute fastest of my entire life. How have you been here a whole year already??? The time has flown! And yet at the same time I feel like you’ve always been here. The very moment you were born I loved you. I loved you quickly and fiercely. Much differently than I had loved your brother before you. My love for you is still fierce and grows stronger every day. 

And you love me too. You are a momma’s boy through and through. It’s probably my favorite thing about you. Not necessarily that I am your favorite person, but that you just aren’t concerned with the world and what it thinks of you. While your brother was and is the constant entertainer, you are content to watch and think and just hang and interact with us, your family. I love how you do a new trick, something you think is funny, and then look at me for my reaction and approval. If I smile, then you smile. Henry, you don’t pull any punches. Even at only a year old, it’s always obvious what (and who!) you do or don’t like. One thing you definitely like is EATING! I’ve never in all my life seen someone put away food like you do. We haven’t found anything you don’t like yet and we’ll be entering you in your first eating contest any day now. :)

Henbo, in your short little life you’ve already had a few tribulations. You’ve been pretty sick and had a broken leg already! But you are so sweet that you barely complained about either. Any other baby (or an adult for that matter) would have been terrible to deal with, but not you. You took it all in stride. I hope this part of your personality continues to shine through. As a mom, what I want for you is lots of happy, happy days. Purely joyous days. But if I’m honest, I want a few tough ones too. Just enough trials to polish you, strengthen you in the long run. And I have full confidence in you, my sweet sweet guy, that you will do and be great things. 

I love you Henbo. A tender hearted little guy, sometimes you need me to rock you in the middle of the night. On these nights when I get the opportunity to snuggle you tight, just me and you, I think that it would be impossible for me to love you any more....until the next day when I do just that.